Dr. Patrick Stearns
Dr. Stearns graduated in 2000 with a Ph.D. in Mass Communications. His research interests are centered upon issues of ethnicity in visual media, and progressive and innovative studies involving the development of radio production and radio announcing.
Biography
Dr. Stearns was born in raised in Glendale, a small suburban village north of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a lifelong Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Bengals fan. He has always been a fan of baseball, writing and talking. Although a 1986 Major League Open Baseball Tryout did not work out, his love for broadcasting and writing has continued in the form of his love for Mass Communications and Fine Arts.
He is a 1987 graduate of Ohio University, with a BFA in Fine Arts. He is also a 1990 graduate of Howard University with an MFA in Fine Arts. He has always enjoyed participating in making independent 8 mm and 16 mm independent film projects during his undergraduate and graduate school years. At the same time, he had, since 1984, enjoyed collegiate radio. From 1993 to 1996, He was the Senior Producer/News Director at WPRL –FM, Alcorn State University’s CPB-sponsored public radio station. He had enjoyed the research process since presenting a paper at a 1992 conference at Temple University when he was an Adjunct Instructor at Towson University.
He wanted to learn more about the research process, so he applied to the Mass Communications program at Bowling Green State University, and was accepted in 1995, beginning in 1996. He graduated in 2000 with a Ph.D. in Mass Communications. His research interests are centered upon issues of ethnicity in visual media, and progressive and innovative studies involving the development of radio production and radio announcing. He also, from time to time, when the opportunities are available, works as a ring announcer for various local and regional boxing venues.
Education
- Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, Ph.D. in Mass Communication, 2000, Major: Mass Communication
- Howard University, Washington, D.C., M.F.A., 1990, Major: Film
- Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, B.F.A., 1987, Major: Fine Arts, with an emphasis on Film and Theater
- Avid Certification for operation of Pro Tools LE Digital Audio Workstations – 2002, Omega School of Recording Arts and Sciences, Rockville, Maryland
Research Interests
- Issues of Ethnicity in Media
- Religion and Media
- Teaching advances in Student Broadcast Performance
- Issues Relative to Advances in Audio Production for Radio
Experience
Professionally, Dr. Stearns has been involved in Mass Communication since 1989, first securing a position as a Production Assistant for Sun World Satellite news, 444 North Capitol Street, Washington DC. He assisted in covering news items involving politics and the actions of congressional members who represented Sun Belt states such as Texas and Mississippi. Also, from 1993 to 1996, He worked as Senior Producer/News Director for WPRL, a Corporation for Public Broadcasting-Sponsored radio station in Lorman, Mississippi. From 1997 to 1998, during the years of working on the Ph.D., He was a Field Producer for WBGU Television, Bowling Green State University’s public television station. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he is the Faculty Supervisor and Production Contributor for Claflin University Panther Radio Online.
Activities and Honors
- On-Campus Adviser for Gamma Nu Chapter, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
- 2016 SEED Grant Awardee
Recent Publications
- Book Review: “Moral Theory at the Movies: An Introduction to Ethics,” by Dean A. Kowalski. Communication Research Trends Volume 34 (2015) No. 1: pp. 28-32.
- Book Review: “Marital Communication,” by Douglas Kelly. Communication Research Trends Volume 33 (2014) No. 4: pp. 24-28.
Recent Presentations
2016 Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas, NV Panel Presentation: The Art of Acting Without Acting: Best Practices for Teaching Believable Voiceover Performance Techniques to Undergraduate Students.