I am honored to be nominated to represent District 6 on the BEA Board.
My name is Kim Zarkin. I’m a Professor and Chair of Communication at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. I teach a number of media-focused (and ampersand-heavy) classes, including Media & Society, Communication Law & Ethics, Public Relations, and Race, Gender, Class & the Media. I also run our senior Portfolio Workshop.
What I intend to do as a Board Member
Ask the faculty who’ve served on committees I’ve chaired, they will tell you that I get stuff done. Whether it’s rewriting the Faculty Manual or selecting a new LMS, give me a task and I will accomplish it with a minimum of fuss and faster than anyone projected. I pledge to do the same as the representative of District 6.
I will listen to the membership and represent your positions to the Board.
If there’s interest, I would love to build a district event around one of the coolest things that Utah has to offer – Sundance. The celebs in Park City might be a stretch, but there are great documentaries and smaller films sprinkled around Salt Lake. Not to mention the awesome films available through our alternative festival Slamdance.
Why I want to give the next two years to BEA
I attended my first BEA in 1997. I was a graduate student uncertain of whether I would find a place in the academy. Neither of my parents went to college and here I was trying to become a professor. My focus on teaching wasn’t welcomed by some in my graduate program. My conference experiences to date were equally alienating. But then I attended my first BEA. The senior faculty listened to the research I was presenting and treated me like I had a right to be on that stage. People made an effort to befriend and include me. I had found an academic home. As I took my first tentative steps into the professorate, my BEA colleagues guided me. Calling me on it when I was too harsh in a critique. Encouraging me when I struggled. Providing me with welcome and needed advice. I began to participate in the Law & Policy Division meetings. I ran for office. I think it might have even been my idea. I led the paper competition, the division and then chaired the convention in 2007. I took those leadership positions because I believe I owed something to the organization that embraced an out-of-place grad student so many years before.
Now that I’m a full professor I see it as my obligation to serve this organization that has been so important to my development. I want to be on the board of BEA so that I can ensure that we are always a place that welcomes the misfits and the perfect-fits with open arms.
Snapshot of my involvement in BEA
• Member of BEA since 1997
• Law & Policy leadership, 1999-2004
• Scholar-to-Scholar Chair, 2006
• Conference Chair, 2007
• Paper Judge in five divisions, including L&P, Gender Studies, Research, Student Media
and CCA
• Presented at BEA 25 times since 1997
