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January 2001
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Hoskins hired to coordinate publications Photo by Emily Netzel When Zach Hoskins (MA '97) returned to North Carolina last summer, little did he know he'd soon be working in the same school from which he graduated three years earlier. Hoskins rejoined the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in November as assistant dean for communication, a new position created to oversee production of several School publications. "It's great to be back at the School," he said. "I already had a lot of friends on the faculty and staff here, so it didn't take long to feel right at home again." Hoskins' primary responsibility is editing Carolina Communicator, but he also coordinates production of the School's annual report, the weekly JoMC News, and a variety of brochures and other publications. When he's not busy with these jobs, he'll also be helping oversee the School's Web site, including online versions of Carolina Communicator and JoMC News. Associate Dean Jan Yopp had been the publications adviser the last three semesters. "We are delighted to have Zach on board," Yopp said. "His prior experience is a great fit in managing the publications and other materials the School produces, plus the Web site." After earning his master's degree from the School, Hoskins worked in Maryland for three years as editor of Outdoor America, a magazine dealing with environmental issues and outdoor recreation. He returned to Chapel Hill last May and worked as a freelance writer and associate editor of The Independent Weekly in Durham before learning about the new position with the School. Hoskins arrived in time to help complete the first issue of the Communicator. "The timing was a challenge, but Jan Yopp, the graduate assistants and the students working on the publication had the issue under control," he said. "That gave me the chance to get acclimated and find out how everything worked before jumping into production of the January issue." In recent semesters, students in the "Real World Publications" class, JOMC 191, wrote most articles for the Communicator and its previous incarnations, JAFA News and UNC Journalist. Starting this semester, though, the publication will rely on student volunteers. "We felt the publication didn't really lend itself to a class format," Hoskins said. But even without class credit as an incentive, he said many students realize that it's still a great chance to build up their résumés and add clips to their portfolios. "We had a strong turnout at a recent student interest meeting to line up writers, photographers and designers for the next couple of issues," he said. Hoskins first took an interest in journalism growing up in Jonesboro, Ark., where his father was dean of the college of communications at Arkansas State University. Eventually, he wants to get into journalism education himself. "At some point, I think I'd really enjoy teaching journalism, especially ethics there's clearly a growing need for that." Tricia McCauley is a senior in the news-editorial sequence.
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