- by Patty DeViva

"At King's we do more than teach the skills needed to begin a career in Mass Communications and Media Technologies," said Department Chair and Professor Dr. Tony Mussari, known as "Doc" to all his students, "we teach people how to live."

"Doc" Mussari and Kitch Loftus-Mussari are  always available to meet with students.

"Doc" Mussari takes a personal approach to teaching his students that affects every aspect of the Mass Communications and Media Technologies program. "We emphasize values," Doc says. "We want our students to be leaders, and we believe that leadership starts with the individual, and it ends when the individual sees the value of serving others. So we are about a lot more than learning skills to make a living."

This is an unusual and refreshing departure from other programs that emphasize technology, and forget the human element. "Doc tries to test your abilities as students and individuals. In class, you're not just evaluated on your work, but on your ability to interact effectively with others," says Kristen Gallagher, a Mass Comm senior.

Small classes ensure one-on-one attention with instructors.

Interacting with others and building a "team" atmosphere is key to the King's Mass Comm program. Doc hosts a weekly "movie night" for seniors, in which he and his wife, fellow King's Mass Comm adjunct professor, Kitch Loftus-Mussari, serve dinner in the greenhouse at Windsor Park and watch a selected movie that is discussed afterwards over coffee. "Friday Night at the Movies" was an idea designed to enable students to spend some quality time with us in our home," says Doc. "They eat with us, they watch a great movie, and they discuss it with us over dessert.

We get to know the seniors better, and the seniors get to know us on a different level." Other events throughout the year that foster closer instructor-student relationships include a garden party in the fall and a Christmas get-together. All in all, the Mussari's serve an unbelievable 160 meals at their home each year to King's students. "The students like the meals, they enjoy the atmosphere, and they always come back for more," adds Doc.

King's College Mass Communications and Media Technologies students enjoy a close-knit, family-type atmosphere that is fostered and encouraged by its instructors. Instead of being lost in a sea of students in a giant lecture hall, King's students benefit from intimate class settings where they know that their instructors care about them as individuals. "We (the instructors) view ourselves as academic coaches who want to do more than is expected of us," says Doc. "Students here know us in our classrooms, they know us in our homes, and the other special places in our lives. We do not limit education to four walls of a classroom."

That education often extends to Doc and Kitch's Windsor Park, a garden adjacent to their home in which they produce "Windsor Park Stories," a weekly half-hour program aired on WVIA that highlights ordinary people who've done extraordinary things. Doc, also an award-winning filmmaker, encourages his students to visit Windsor Park, and they do so at least three times a year (to learn more about Windsor Park Stories, visit www.leader.net/wps).

Dr. Plummer, Dr. Joyce and Dr. Mussari (rear) meet with students to plan out their schedules.

Because King's College Mass Communications and Media Technologies students enjoy small classes and close relationships with their instructors doesn't mean the program comes up short on technology. King's facilities are on the cutting edge, with state-of-the-art computer labs that are installed with the latest software programs such as QuarkXPress, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and FrontPage. Students can prepare themselves for the workplace with such courses as Media Writing on the Internet, Multimedia in the Workplace 2000, and Newsletter on the Web, among others. "We prepare students very well for the workplace, particularly in the area of authoring and CD-ROM technology," said Bill Keating, instructor of Workplace 2000 and Macromedia Director.

Instructor Melody Ferkel teaches a class in one of the computer labs in McGowan Hall.

Students get to showcase what they've learned at the end of the year during the annual "Show of Shows," a presentation of the best of what the Mass Comm department has to offer. Attended by former Mass Comm students, family members and friends, "Show of Shows" is the culmination and celebration of the hard teamwork students have done all year. "It was cool to present the web page we designed," said senior Dan Geiger "we got a great response to the work we put into it all semester."

Many students who graduate from King's Mass Comm program stay in close contact with the school. "They seek advice when they need help with an issue or problem," says Doc. "That's the best part about teaching; the students become a part of our lives."