HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 29, 2016 – High Point University welcomes three new faculty members to the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication. This fall, 49 new faculty are joining the university, including 26 who are filling newly created positions.
Steve Harvey, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Communication
An Emmy Award winner, Harvey comes to HPU from Columbus, Ohio, where he spent the majority of his 35-year broadcast journalism career as a photojournalist for WBNS-TV. He teaches studio production, TV production and multimedia reporting classes in the school, and will advise student-produced newscasts and shows.
“Television journalism is a profession of passion, ownership and professionalism,” says Harvey. “I will create an atmosphere for the students to understand how broadcast journalism is created, how they can produce quality content and find their own passion for the industry. My career has been a wonderful adventure, but now it is time to pay it forward by using my experience to coach the next generation of journalists.”
As a journalist, Harvey covered local, national and world news, including the first U.S. media live television broadcast embedded with armed forces in the Persian Gulf War zone. He has won the Edward R. Murrow Award, UPI and AP Award, among others, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University and a master’s degree from The Ohio State University. Harvey is also a triathlete. In August, he placed 45th in his age group at the USA Olympic Distance National Championships in Omaha, Nebraska. He has completed four Boston Marathons and 31 consecutive Sylvania Olympic distance triathlons.
John Mims, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Communication
Mims, a public relations and marketing professional with 20 years of experience, will teach courses on public relations messaging and social media. He also will advise the school’s student-run communication agency.
“Bringing an agency to HPU will be very exciting for the students,” says Mims. “We will be building it from the ground up: from a name, to branding materials, to securing clients, assessing their needs and fulfilling them. The students will have the ability to put into practice what they are learning in the classroom.”
Mims brings a wealth of knowledge in public relations, crisis communication, social media, media buying and advertising to HPU. He was a senior partner with Altyris Advertising Inc. in High Point. He also held leadership positions at Kinesis Advertising Inc. and The Cryptocomm Group Inc. He started his career as a marketing specialist for Moses Cone Health System in 1996. Mims is Accredited in Public Relations. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Pfeiffer University.
Matt Ritter, Instructor of Communication
Ritter, an HPU alumnus and Triad resident, will teach human communication, public relations techniques and hands-on publicity practicum courses in the school.
“My responsibility is to help students understand that success in life is often a result of how well we communicate,” says Ritter. “Once they understand that, they are better able to grasp how public relations is so vitally important to any career they might choose.”
Ritter’s career includes experience in AM radio, TV sales and television news. As former managing editor of WXII12.com, he managed multimedia newsgathering for the web, mobile and social media platforms. He also has experience at a PR/ad agency and as an adjunct instructor at HPU for the past three years. His research focuses on how and why people respond the way they do during emergency weather situations, such as their inability to react to televised tornado warnings in group settings like restaurants, retail stores or classrooms.
Ritter is a 2013 graduate of the Master of Arts in strategic communication program at HPU. He has a bachelor’s degree from Toccoa Falls College and is a Ph.D. candidate at Regent University.