This past week, Pia Jordan, a full-time assistant professor at Morgan State University visited BYU. Jordan has experienced a robust career in broadcast journalism and now works at the Baltimore based, historically black university (HBCU).
Pia Jordan, professor of communications at Morgan State University visited BYU this past week.
While at BYU, Jordan offered six guest lectures to various communications classes based around the topic of broadcast news reporting. She also had the opportunity to participate in an interview with BYU Radio’s morning show. Throughout her visit, she shared meals with members of the communications faculty, watched a live newscast from the 11 News control room, and shared a meal with members of BYU student leadership and faculty, including Rebecca De Scweinitz, who does scholarship on African American history.
“I was captivated by the broadcast news lab. The fact that the department produces a live daily newscast at noon is awesome,” Jordan shared.
Students expressed great appreciation for the lectures she offered during her visit.
“I mostly loved how different she is than the average BYU professor,” said Taylor Winget, a public relation student from Eagle, Idaho. “She seemed to really value our opinion and asked for our advice on stories they could do for their newspaper at Morgan.”
Jordan comes from a background filled with rich cultural heritage, as the daughter of a First Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps in World War II.
“In Salt Lake City, I was doing some research about a project I am working on about the Tuskegee Army Nurses. I was looking for the hometown of one of the nurses and found a 1940 census when she was in nursing school,” Jordan said. “My mother was also a student there and I found both their names as students in the census. I was so excited.”
This week, communications professor Doug McKinlay will be visiting Morgan State University to offer guest lectures and represent BYU to their student body.