The Griffon News

After many years of being involved with College Media Advisers, English professor Dr. Kenneth Rosenauer has been elected president of the national organization.

Rosenauer is former chair of the Missouri Western English Department and has been a member of CMA since 1980. He has also had numerous positions for CMA such as the on site critiques coordinator, newsletter editor, and editor of the journal, College Media Review.

Rosenauer was elected last April and sworn in as president on Oct. 26th.

As president, Rosenauer will play a major part in the conventions held each fall and spring for the CMA. The CMA helps advisers from all over the country to better understand new technology and to prepare them to advise students accordingly.

“It takes a lot of people skills,” Rosenauer said. “Fortunately, I’ve had experience working with small groups and larger groups in leadership capacities.”

Rosenauer, who has served as mayor of Savannah and is also a member of the school board there, has many leadership qualities to aid him in being president of CMA.

“I’ve had my opportunity to be in elected positions and to be in leadership positions, and it has given me some good tools to draw upon as I work as president of CMA,” Rosenauer said.

Dr. Ann Thorne, an English professor at Missouri Western as well as Yearbook adviser, says that many people were pleased when Dr. Rosenauer was elected president.

“He’s a very organized person and he likes to work with people, and that’s what an organization like that needs,” Thorne said.

Thorne, who is a member of CMA as well, said that Dr. Rosenauer has always been very involved with CMA and has supported the organization for many years.

The conventions that are held for CMA help student media such as newspaper, yearbook, radio and television to become better at the things they work on and study.

“Wherever students are working in media these days,” Rosenauer said. “We work with them to help them do the best jobs they can.”

Rosenauer believes CMA has helped him over the years by giving him a skills set as well as notifications for new technologies such as online media and other areas.

“I’m a better teacher and adviser for having been in CMA,” Rosenauer said, “and I think our students are better journalists.”

Thorne explained the sometimes complicated task of being an adviser to students who are involved in media. She compared being an adviser to being the coach of a team.

“You don’t really do anything but at the same time you want to make sure that your students do everything they need to be doing without telling them,” Thorne said.

CMA helps to train advisers to do this task and in turn the advisers help their students to perform and get better at the things they need to do.

Thorne believes that Rosenauer can use his organization skills as well as his experience with online media to make the CMA able to train advisers and students.

As for Rosenauer, he believes his election as president of CMA has come at a good time in his career.

“I’ll be finishing my presidency and immediate past president role over the next four years and probably within a year after that I’ll be looking at retirement,” Rosenauer said.

Dr. Rosenauer is looking forward to continuing his ongoing contribution to CMA as his career potentially winds down over the next few years.