Dowling wins “Promising Prof” award

photo by Sarah Galbraith

Denise Dowling leads her Senior Seminar class for broadcast and R-TV students in an ethics discussion on the first day of class this fall.

By KERIANN LYNCH
J-School Web Reporter

Radio-television assistant professor Denise Dowling was honored with the “Promising Professor” award at an annual teaching conference in San Antonio last month.

Dowling was presented with a $250 check and an award certificate at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference, which features new technology and improved teaching theories and tools.  She also gave a short presentation demonstrating specific assignments from her classes.

Dowling was nominated by Journalism School Dean Jerry Brown.

“In my 30-plus years of professional and academic work, I have never known a person who better fits the description of ‘promising,’ ”  Brown wrote in his nomination letter. “As do most administrators, probably, I consider the term as not merely indicative of potential, but rather as demonstrating an outstanding initial performance that is prelude to an outstanding career as a teacher.”

Dowling also submitted a packet including lesson plans, teaching philosophy, syllabi, and videos of student work.

“The deadline to apply was four days after I found out I was nominated, so I scrambled to get stuff together,” said Dowling.  “By the Friday afternoon before it was due, I said, ‘This is going to have to be good enough,’ and didn’t think of it again.”

photo courtesy of Denise Dowling

Dowling and Journalism Dean Jerry Brown at the AEJMC convention in August.

That was until she was notified in April that she had won. “I was stunned,” said Dowling.

Since joining the broadcast faculty in 2000, Dowling helped the school win a Broadcasters-In-Residence grant from the Knight Foundation and was instrumental in getting a grant from the Kettering Foundation for “The Footbridge Forum,” a program of student and community commentary that runs on radio station KBGA.

In addition, broadcast students have been frequent winners in Hearst, Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists, and the Broadcast Education Association competitions.

After 20 years of working in television and radio newsrooms, Dowling doesn’t regret the switch to teaching.

“I left broadcast while I still loved it,” she said.  “Most people wait until they’re completely burned out to switch.”

The welcome, support, and help of other UM professors and staff in the Journalism School have been the key to her success, she said.

“Sometimes it’s all a new professor can do to just get through the day,” said Dowling.  “The staff here helped me with that and I feel fortunate to be a part of it.”

She doesn’t feel pressured by the adjective “promising.” Instead, she said, she feels acknowledged and is excited to meet the goals and challenges she and the school face.

It’s important to bring a sense of excitement about being a journalist to the classroom and to have some fun,” she said.

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