HIGH POINT, N.C., Oct. 18, 2017 – High Point University welcomes three new faculty members to the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication.
Dr. Florian Hemme, Assistant Professor of Sport Management
Hemme teaches sport marketing, sport facility management and governance for sport organizations in this newly created position. He comes to HPU with both industry and academic experience, including work in amateur youth sports, collegiate athletics, academic services for collegiate athletics and public recreation. For three years, he was a teaching assistant and instructor, and he has given various guest lectures at the undergraduate and graduate level.
With expertise in organizational change, sport entrepreneurship, and the intersection of public and private sport enterprise, Hemme hopes to engage students in practical application and hands-on learning to help them develop relevant skills for their future careers. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Catholic University in Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany, a master’s degree from the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, and his M.Ed. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He was the winner of the 2015 North American Society for Sport Management Student Research Competition.
Dr. Curtis Matthews, Associate Professor of Strategic Communication
Matthews teaches a graduate class in social media and undergraduate classes in message design and campaigns. He comes to HPU from Kansas State University, where he was an assistant professor for five years. He also taught previously at Southern Methodist University and Texas Tech University.
“I am excited to be joining a program and university that prides itself on innovative learning experiences,” he says.
Matthews also has more than 15 years of professional experience in advertising, public relations, marketing and magazine management. His research focuses on the impact of memory on how media messages are processed, particularly those in a narrative or storytelling format. He also studies how messages from different sources and media “add up” to form a person’s impressions of a brand.
Matthews has a bachelor’s degree in advertising, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in mass communication from Texas Tech University.
Jim Scott, Instructor of Communication
A 1985 graduate of HPU and longtime Triad resident, Scott teaches audio production, audio/video software packages, graphic software package and persuasive speaking. He has 30 years of experience as a radio and television broadcaster, as well as 20 years as a public address announcer, primarily for the Greensboro Grasshoppers and Greensboro Bats. He’s also served as a creative marketing consultant, sharing his expertise in audio production, strategic communication and sport marketing.
“I love to get students intrigued by the real-world applications of their learning,” Scott says. “I teach ‘why’ to do things, not just ‘how,’ to help them expand their creative thinking and turn their dreams into tangible goals.”
Scott has a bachelor’s degree in English/media communication and history from High Point University, where he was also a pitcher on the baseball team. He has a master’s degree and post-baccalaureate certificate in global studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is a Golden Key member, two-time winner of the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters’ Best of the Best Award for audio production, and the winner of Addy Awards and other local honors.