WVU :: Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism

Named Chairs & Professorships

HARRISON/OMNICOM PROFESSOR OF ADVERTISING
The Harrison/Omnicom Professor of Advertising, established by Thomas L. Harrison, is the School’s first endowed professorship in advertising. The position is designed to help the School build cutting-edge curricula in advertising and integrated marketing communications and to raise the profile of the School on a national level.

A 1972 graduate of West Virginia University, Harrison serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Diversified Agency Services, a division of the Omnicom Group, the world’s largest advertising and marketing services agency. Harrison’s career brought him to Omnicom in 1992, when the firm he co-founded, Harrison & Star Business Group, was acquired. Harrison served as chairman of the Harrison & Star Group and Diversified Healthcare Communications, a group of eight healthcare agencies within Omnicom, until his appointment as president of DAS in 1997. He was named chairman and chief executive of DAS in 1998.

Harrison serves on a number of boards including the Montefiore Hospital, the New York Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, ePocates and several marketing service companies. He is a member of the President’s Council at Tulane University School of Medicine, the New York University Steering Committee, is chairman of the Dean’s Council at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education and is a trustee at The Kent School, a New England preparatory school. He has co-chaired the New York Chapter of the U.S. Olympic Committee and has been honored by Long Island College Hospital, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and the Lymphoma Foundation.

Harrison is also the author of the book, "INSTINCT Tapping Your Entrepreneurial DNA to Achieve Your Business Goals," which was recently published by Warner Business Books. He has appeared on CNBC, CNNI, Bloomberg and Forbes.com to discuss the book. In 2006, Harrison was inducted into the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni.

The school is currently advertising for this position.

OGDEN NEWSPAPERS VISITING PROFESSORSHIP IN JOURNALISM
Established in 2000 through a gift from the Nutting Foundation, the Ogden Newspapers Visiting Professorship in Journalism enables the P.I. Reed School of Journalism to hire distinguished journalists to teach in the News-Editorial program.

Dr. George Esper

Dr. George Esper, a veteran AP war correspondent, is the current Ogden Newspapers Visiting Professor at the School.

Ogden Newspapers publishes 40 daily newspapers, several magazines, weekly newspapers and shoppers located in 12 states. H.C. Ogden graduated from WVU in 1887, and G. Ogden Nutting, president and publisher of Ogden Newspapers, has been a leader in his support of WVU and the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism. The family was instrumental in establishing the Ogden Newspapers and Nutting Family Journalism Endowment Scholarship Fund and the WVU Journalism Library Endowment Fund. More recently, the family has funded renovations to the Ogden Newspapers Multimedia Classroom.

Ogden Nutting, a member of the WVU Foundation board of directors, was honored with the WVU Distinguished Service Award in 1998 for his exceptional leadership in the state and nation. He also received the WVU Most Loyal West Virginian award in 1996 and was honored in spring 2000 by the School of Journalism Alumni Association as a Friend of the School.

THE SHOTT CHAIR OF JOURNALISM
The Shott Chair of Journalism was created by an endowment from the Hugh I. Shott Jr. Foundation in honor of the Shott family for its more than 100-year history of leadership in West Virginia’s news media. The Chair is a faculty position in journalism—print, broadcast or new media—designed to enhance the quality of journalism education in the state.

The late Hugh I. Shott Jr. established The Shott Foundation in 1984. The late Ike Shott Sr. founded the Bluefield Daily Telegraph and the Daily Telegraph Printing Company in 1896. In 1929, the Shott family initiated SHIS, Bluefield’s first radio station. In 1948, they began WHIS-FM, a new broadcast service, and in 1955, they created WHIS-TV, Bluefield’s first television station.

Hugh I. Shott Jr. attended WVU in the early 1920s and served as a member of the WVU Board of Governors. Other family members who graduated from WVU include Mr. Schott’s nephews - the late Ned E. Shott ’39 and ’41, John C. Shott ’48, Hugh I. Shott ’50, and Scott H. Shott ’50.

The school is currently advertising for this position.

WIDMEYER COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSORSHIP IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
Widmeyer Communications sponsors a one of a kind professorship in public relations at West Virginia University P.I. Reed School of Journalism, which allows the School to hire a faculty member to teach public relations and integrated marketing at both an undergraduate and graduate level. Additionally, the sponsorship provides an opportunity for the School to maintain a sophisticated journalism department, as the Widmeyer professor is tasked with developing new and innovative curriculum in strategic communications.

Scott Widmeyer and Dr. Martinelli pause for a photo during Martinelli’s summer 2006 residency at Widmeyer Communications’ Washington, DC, office.

In her first year as the current Widmeyer professor, Dr. Diana Knott Martinelli has become an active and accomplished member of the WVU faculty. She has presented original research, authored articles, served on industry association committees and developed new courses for both graduate and undergraduate students.

The Widmeyer Communications sponsorship was created as a way to genuinely reflect the values of the firm, which has long been known for its commitment to promoting important causes in education.

Scott Widmeyer, a 1974 P.I. Reed graduate, founded Widmeyer Communications in 1988 after serving in top communications posts to Jay Rockefeller, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Geraldine Ferraro and Albert Shanker. His roots in the education arena run deep and he created this sponsorship as a way to genuinely reflect the values of the firm, which has long been known for its commitment to promoting important causes in education.

At a ceremony held in 2005 in Morgantown, then Governor Bob Wise honored Scott Widmeyer for his ongoing commitment to WVU by bestowing on him the Distinguished West Virginian Award.

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	Named Chairs & Professorships HARRISON/OMNICOM PROFESSOR OF ADVERTISING The Harrison/Omnicom Professor of Advertising, established by Thomas L. Harrison, is the School’s first endowed professorship in advertising. The position is designed to help the School build cutting-edge curricula in advertising and integrated marketing communications and to raise the profile of the School on a national level. A 1972 graduate of West Virginia University, Harrison serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Diversified Agency Services, a division of the Omnicom Group, the world’s largest advertising and marketing services agency. Harrison’s career brought him to Omnicom in 1992, when the firm he co-founded, Harrison & Star Business Group, was acquired. Harrison served as chairman of the Harrison & Star Group and Diversified Healthcare Communications, a group of eight healthcare agencies within Omnicom, until his appointment as president of DAS in 1997. He was named chairman and chief executive of DAS in 1998. Harrison serves on a number of boards including the Montefiore Hospital, the New York Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, ePocates and several marketing service companies. He is a member of the President’s Council at Tulane University School of Medicine, the New York University Steering Committee, is chairman of the Dean’s Council at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education and is a trustee at The Kent School, a New England preparatory school. He has co-chaired the New York Chapter of the U.S. Olympic Committee and has been honored by Long Island College Hospital, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and the Lymphoma Foundation. Harrison is also the author of the book, "INSTINCT Tapping Your Entrepreneurial DNA to Achieve Your Business Goals," which was recently published by Warner Business Books. He has appeared on CNBC, CNNI, Bloomberg and Forbes.com to discuss the book. In 2006, Harrison was inducted into the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni. The school is currently advertising for this position. OGDEN NEWSPAPERS VISITING PROFESSORSHIP IN JOURNALISM Established in 2000 through a gift from the Nutting Foundation, the Ogden Newspapers Visiting Professorship in Journalism enables the P.I. Reed School of Journalism to hire distinguished journalists to teach in the News-Editorial program. Dr. George Esper Dr. George Esper, a veteran AP war correspondent, is the current Ogden Newspapers Visiting Professor at the School. Ogden Newspapers publishes 40 daily newspapers, several magazines, weekly newspapers and shoppers located in 12 states. H.C. Ogden graduated from WVU in 1887, and G. Ogden Nutting, president and publisher of Ogden Newspapers, has been a leader in his support of WVU and the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism. The family was instrumental in establishing the Ogden Newspapers and Nutting Family Journalism Endowment Scholarship Fund and the WVU Journalism Library Endowment Fund. More recently, the family has funded renovations to the Ogden Newspapers Multimedia Classroom. Ogden Nutting, a member of the WVU Foundation board of directors, was honored with the WVU Distinguished Service Award in 1998 for his exceptional leadership in the state and nation. He also received the WVU Most Loyal West Virginian award in 1996 and was honored in spring 2000 by the School of Journalism Alumni Association as a Friend of the School. THE SHOTT CHAIR OF JOURNALISM The Shott Chair of Journalism was created by an endowment from the Hugh I. Shott Jr. Foundation in honor of the Shott family for its more than 100-year history of leadership in West Virginia’s news media. The Chair is a faculty position in journalism—print, broadcast or new media—designed to enhance the quality of journalism education in the state. The late Hugh I. Shott Jr. established The Shott Foundation in 1984. The late Ike Shott Sr. founded the Bluefield Daily Telegraph and the Daily Telegraph Printing Company in 1896. In 1929, the Shott family initiated SHIS, Bluefield’s first radio station. In 1948, they began WHIS-FM, a new broadcast service, and in 1955, they created WHIS-TV, Bluefield’s first television station. Hugh I. Shott Jr. attended WVU in the early 1920s and served as a member of the WVU Board of Governors. Other family members who graduated from WVU include Mr. Schott’s nephews - the late Ned E. Shott ’39 and ’41, John C. Shott ’48, Hugh I. Shott ’50, and Scott H. Shott ’50. The school is currently advertising for this position. WIDMEYER COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSORSHIP IN PUBLIC RELATIONS Widmeyer Communications sponsors a one of a kind professorship in public relations at West Virginia University P.I. Reed School of Journalism, which allows the School to hire a faculty member to teach public relations and integrated marketing at both an undergraduate and graduate level. Additionally, the sponsorship provides an opportunity for the School to maintain a sophisticated journalism department, as the Widmeyer professor is tasked with developing new and innovative curriculum in strategic communications. Scott Widmeyer and Dr. Martinelli pause for a photo during Martinelli’s summer 2006 residency at Widmeyer Communications’ Washington, DC, office. In her first year as the current Widmeyer professor, Dr. Diana Knott Martinelli has become an active and accomplished member of the WVU faculty. She has presented original research, authored articles, served on industry association committees and developed new courses for both graduate and undergraduate students. The Widmeyer Communications sponsorship was created as a way to genuinely reflect the values of the firm, which has long been known for its commitment to promoting important causes in education. Scott Widmeyer, a 1974 P.I. Reed graduate, founded Widmeyer Communications in 1988 after serving in top communications posts to Jay Rockefeller, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Geraldine Ferraro and Albert Shanker. His roots in the education arena run deep and he created this sponsorship as a way to genuinely reflect the values of the firm, which has long been known for its commitment to promoting important causes in education. At a ceremony held in 2005 in Morgantown, then Governor Bob Wise honored Scott Widmeyer for his ongoing commitment to WVU by bestowing on him the Distinguished West Virginian Award.