Debbie Dunkle: The Loss of a Mentor and Friend

Amid the remembrances of 9/11 in the US and the death of Elizabeth II in the UK, I’ve received news about the death of a wonderful friend and colleague, Debbie Dunkle. At seventy-seven years of age, Debbie had a wonderful life in Southern California and a fantastic career, but I was no less deeply saddened … Continue reading Debbie Dunkle: The Loss of a Mentor and Friend

Time Management in Academia

I was in an online workshop for early career academics at the July 2022 Social Media & Society conference @SocMediaConf. One of the key questions was around time management. As a senior (old) academic, I can’t say I have solved that problem - at all, but I have some tips helpful to my own decision-making. … Continue reading Time Management in Academia

Volker Schneider: a Professor’s Professor

I’ve returned from a Festschrift for Prof. Dr. Volker Schneider, who has moved to an Emeritus Professorship at the University of Konstanz in 2020. While a celebration of his retirement was delayed repeatedly by the pandemic, his colleagues moved ahead with an edited collection of papers for his Festschrift around the politics of the complex … Continue reading Volker Schneider: a Professor’s Professor

Raising Awareness of Social Media for Positive Social Change

My colleagues and I involved with the World Internet Project (WIP) are looking for some inspiring initiatives in the use of the internet and social media for effecting positive social change. A thesis by Ms Emilia Askari in the College of Education at Michigan State University alerted me to this potential, and discussions within WIP … Continue reading Raising Awareness of Social Media for Positive Social Change

Brent Hillyard, 1947-2022

John Brent Hillyard, July 18, 1947 to March 10, 2022 Brent, a month older than me, was my friend throughout grade school and high school in St Joseph. We lost touch after our first years in college around 1970. We reconnected in the last year and the last year of Brent’s life, after I tracked … Continue reading Brent Hillyard, 1947-2022