Alexander to address students today at the Bovee University Center

The second of four
candidates vying for the director of Student Media position at CMU, will have
the opportunity to address questions from students and the university
community today.
Dave Alexander, business editor of The Muskegon Chronicle, will participate
in an open forum from 9 to 9:50 a.m. today in the Lake Huron Room of the
Bovee University Center, as part of the selection process for the position,
which oversees CM LIFE, the Chippewa Yearbook and Framework, the campus
literary magazine.
Director of Student Media Jim Wojcik announced his retirement earlier in the
semester after working in the department for nearly 30 years. He is currently
filling the position until a finalist is selected and serving as a temporary
associate professor for the journalism department for the academic year.
Alexander said he applied for the position because he appreciates what Wojcik
did for CM LIFE throughout his tenure at CMU.
"In my eyes, Jim Wojcik has always been a person that is caring; he
gives the compassion and the roughness when you need it. And he’s always been
there for the students, and there’s still that attachment.
"I’ve always thought, since he’s had such a profound effect, that when
his job became open that I would apply for it," Alexander said.
"I’m very happy with where I’m at right now and we do damn good work
here. I don’t take it lightly when I say I’m willing to leave. I take it very
seriously because of what Jim has built. That is a very key position and it’s
one that I think I could contribute to."
Alexander said, if selected, he could bring many resources to the position.
"No. 1, I have very strong people skills. Second, I have a background
and interest in working with young people. And third, I have a strong
knowledge of daily journalism as it is practiced in the world today."
Alexander said he has several new ideas that he would like to implement, if
selected.
"I have some philosophies in terms of coverage. Not what we cover, but
how we cover it. Things that I don’t see happening from what limited views I
have of your publication.
"I think in our profession we have a challenge to bring those 18- to
35-year-olds into the daily newspaper. We need to have the student
journalists coming out and work on the design and presentation; the guts of the
way we do things and communicating it in a clear and concise way, that
doesn’t change," he said.
"Those are things I would like to challenge and explore in terms of
preparing (the students) to hit the state newspapers; in presentation, design
and focus."
Alexander transferred to CMU in 1979 after receiving his associate’s degree
from Jackson Community College. While at Central, he worked at CM LIFE as a
reporter and assistant news editor during his junior year and editor his
senior year. He graduated from CMU in 1981 with a bachelor of applied arts in
journalism and a bachelor’s degree in political science.
He worked as a part-time sports reporter and twice as a summer intern for the
Jackson Citizen Patriot from 1977-79 and as summer editor for the Brooklyn
Exponent, based out of Brooklyn, Mich., in 1980.
In 1981, he went to work for The Muskegon Chronicle as a general assignment
reporter and served as the chief political reporter for the paper from
1983-89. From 1989-90, he served as the Chronicle’s Tri-Cities Bureau chief,
based in Grand Haven, and became the publication’s business editor in 1991.
As part of the selection process, Alexander had dinner with Wojcik on Sunday;
will participate in the public forum from 9 to 9:50 a.m. today; meet with the
selection committee from 10 a.m. to noon; lunch with Associate Vice President
of Public Relations and Marketing Bill Jenkins from 12:15 to 1:45 p.m.; meet
with Provost Richard Davenport and University President Michael Rao from 2 to
2:30 p.m.; with the CM LIFE staff from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.; with the journalism
department from 4 to 4:30 p.m.; and with the Council of Deans from 5 to 5:30
p.m.
The last finalist for the position is Neil Hopp, managing editor for training
and development of the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., who will have
an open forum from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. on Nov. 16 in the BUC Terrace A Room.