Grambling State News

By GSU Media Bureau

Two Texas-based African-American mass communication professionals will deliver lectures and provide master classes as part of Grambling State University’s historic Cleo Fields Lecture Series “Why Our Voices Matter” on February 22 and March 15.

James T. Campbell, Senior Manager of Communication and Media for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas, and Nicole Cross, news anchor and health correspondent for KVUE-TV (ABC) in Austin, will talk with students, community members, and classes on the importance of the African-American Voice in today’s changing environment.

The Cleo Fields Lecture Series is named for the historic Louisiana icon, a lawyer who at age 24, became the youngest elected state senator in Louisiana’s history.

Lecture Series Events

Lecture: James Campbell of Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Thursday, February 22 at 11 a.m.
Washington-Johnson Complex, Room 100

Master Class: James Campbell of Blue Cross/Blue Shield
(Exclusive for Students in Mass Communications)
Thursday, February 22 at 1 p.m.
Washington-Johnson Complex, Room 100

Lecture: Nicole Cross of ABC Affiliate KVUE-TV, Austin
March 15 at 11 a.m.
Grambling Hall Auditorium

Master Class: Nicole Cross of ABC Affiliate KVUE-TV, Austin
(Exclusive for Students in Mass Communications)
March 15 at 1 p.m.
Washington-Johnson Complex, Room 100.

The series planning and moderation are headed up by Dr. Robbie Morganfield, head of Grambling State’s Department of Mass Communication and the Cleo Fields Endowed Professor in Mass Communication.

“Our students need to know that they are necessary parts of a puzzle that serve to make this nation great because out of many voices, we become one,” said Dr. Morganfield. “That does not mean we are uniformed; it means we are united in our purpose and identity as a free nation that is richer because of its diversity.”

The series is one of a number of events in GSU’s Department of Mass Communication that is designed to educate students and connect them with real life professionals and experience.

“Nothing beats face-time with real pros who are in the field now doing what students aspire to do,” he said. “Our students can be sponges and soak up knowledge and wisdom from individuals who know their fields and have the accolades to prove it.”

Students interested in Master Classes can register on-site.

For more information on the lecture series and events, please contact Dr. Robbie Morganfield at 318-274-2403 or morganfieldr@gram.edu.

About Lecturer James Campbell of Blue Cross/Blue Shield
An award-winning newspaper journalist, Campbell will offer students a perspective on the role that they can play in strategic communication and news media careers and how experience in one media format can often open doors in another. After leaving the Houston Chronicle, Campbell went on to become senior vice president at Fleishman Hillard, Inc., one of the largest international public relations firms in the world.

About Lecturer Nicole Cross of ABC Affiliate KVUE
Cross, formerly an anchor and reporter with KNOE-TV in Monroe and KTBS-TV in Shreveport, is an award-winning journalist who served as evening news anchor and talk show host. As a journalist, and certified mental health expert with more than 15 years of counseling experience, she has worked to cover health-related issues both on- and off-air. In the past, Cross also served as spokesperson for Bishop T. D. Jakes, lead pastor of the Potter’s House Church in Dallas, one of the nation’s largest church congregations.

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