Curriculum Vitae
Randall S. Sumpter
PDF Version
Office Address:
Texas A&M University
Bolton Hall 209B
4234 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-4234
Contact Information:
(979) 845-0208
r-sumpter@tamu.edu
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy, August 1996, University of Texas, Austin.
Master of Arts in Mass Communication, May 1990, University of Florida, Gainesville.
Bachelor of Science in Journalism, May 1972, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.
ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT
March 2004 — Present
Associate Professor of Communication, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
March 2004 — May 2009
Director of Journalism Studies, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
August 1996 — March 2004
Associate and Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
August 1991 — August 1996
Assistant Instructor, Department of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin.
August 1988 — May 1990
Teaching Assistant, University of Florida, College of Journalism and Communications, Gainesville, FL.
RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION RECORD
Refereed Journal Articles
Sumpter, Randall S. (In press, 2010). Learning the ‘Outsider’ Profession: Serial Advice Columns in The Journalist. American Journalism.
Sumpter, Randall S. (Spring 2009). Core Knowledge: Early Reporting Textbooks and the Formation of Professional Identity. Journalism History, 35(1), 42-51.
Sumpter, Randall S. & Garner, Johny T. (June 2007). Telling the Columbia Story: Source Selection in News Accounts of a Shuttle Accident. Science Communication, 28(4), 455-475.
Sumpter, Randall S. & Braddock, Melissa. (Autumn 2002). Source Use in a “News Disaster” Account: A Content Analysis of Voter News Service Stories. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 79(3), 539-558.
Sumpter, Randall S. & Lukaszewski, Yolanda. (Fall 2001). Covering the “Y2K” Bug: A Content Analysis of Source Use in “Continuing” News. Southwestern Mass Communication Journal, 17(1), 29-39.
Sumpter, Randall S. (Summer 2001). Sensation and the Century: How Four New York Dailies Covered the End of the Nineteenth Century. American Journalism, 18(3), 81-100.
Sumpter, Randall S. (Summer 2001). News About News: Speed and the First Quantitative Newspaper Content Analysis. Journalism History, 27(2), 64-72.
Sumpter, Randall S. (September 2000). Daily newspaper editors’ audience construction routines: A case study. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 17(3), 335-347.
Sumpter, Randall S. (Summer 2000). How to get on (or stay off) the front page: A case study. Newspaper Research Journal, 21(3), 39-50.
Sumpter, Randall S. (1999). “Censorship liberally administered”: Press, U.S. military relations in the Spanish-American War. Communication Law & Policy, 5(4), 465-483.
Sumpter, Randall S. (1998). “Enterprise, not experience”: Spanish-American War correspondents’ success stories in quality monthly magazines. Southwestern Mass Communication Journal, 14(1), 72-81.
Sumpter, Randall S., & Tankard, James. (1994). The spin doctor: An alternative model of public relations. Public Relations Review, 20(1), 19-27.
Dodd, Julie E., Tipton, Leonard, & Sumpter, Randall S. (1991). High school journalism experiences influence career choices. Communication: Journalism Education Today, 24(3), 26-28.
Refereed Monograph Contribution
Sumpter, Randall S. (2000). Empresa Y No Experiencia: Los Articulos Triunfalistas Escritos Por Los Corresponsales De La Guerra Hispano-Americana Para Las Puflicaciones Mensuales De Los Estados Unidos. In B. E. Aguirre & Eduardo Espina (eds.), Los ultimos dias del comienzo: Ensayos Sobre la Guerra Hispano-Cubana-Estadounidense. (Santiago, Chile: RiL Editores), 47-62.
Book Chapters
Sumpter, Randall S. (2007). Regional Bias. In Wm. David Sloan and Jenn Burleson Mackay (eds.). Media Bias: Finding It, Fixing It. (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. Inc.), 150-160.
Whitney, D. Charles, Sumpter, Randall S., & McQuail, Denis (2004). News media production: Individuals, Organizations, and Institutions. In J.D.H. Downing (ed.), Handbook of Media Studies. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications USA), 393-410.
Sumpter, Randall S. (2001). Fast forward to the past: The book in 2025. In Erwin K. Thomas & Brown H. Carpenter (eds.), Mass Media in 2025. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press), 5-14.
Book Reviews
Sumpter, Randall S. (Summer 2003). [Review of The Brass Check: A Study of American Journalism.] Journalism History, 29(2), 95.
Sumpter, Randall S. (Autumn 2000). [Review of The Golden Age of the Newspaper.] Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77(3), 687.
Sumpter, Randall S. (Spring 1999). [Review of Banned in the media: A reference guide to censorship in the press, motion pictures, broadcasting, and the Internet.] Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 76(1), 165.
Sumpter, Randall S. (Winter 1997). [Review of Mapping the cultural space of journalism: How journalists distinguish news from entertainment]. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 74(4), 897-898.
Other Publications
Sumpter, Randall S. (In press, September 2009). News Values. In Christopher H. Sterling (ed.), Encyclopedia of Journalism (Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications).
Sumpter, Randall S. (2008). Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (1878-1968). American Muckraker and Reformer. In Stephen L. Vaughn (ed.), Encyclopedia of American Journalism (New York: Routledge), 480-481.
Published research used to illustrate Poindexter, Paula M. & McCombs, Maxwell E. (2000). Research in Mass Communication: A Practical Guide. (Boston, Bedford/St. Martin’s), 187, 209.
Sumpter, Randall S. (2005). Stanley and Livingstone. In W. D. Sloan & J. D. Startt (eds.), The Media in America: A history (6th ed.) (Northport, AL: Vision Press), 204.
Refereed Conference Papers
Sumpter, Randall S. (2008, October). News Rules: The Journalism Trade Journal as Textbook. Paper presented at the 31st annual symposium of the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication, Las Cruces, N.M.
Sumpter, Randall S. (2000, August). Covering the Century: How Four New York Dailies Reported the End of the 19th Century. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, History Division, Phoenix, AZ.
Sumpter, Randall S. (1998, October). Enterprise, not experience: Spanish-American war correspondents’ success stories in quality monthly magazines. Paper presented at Spanish-American War Centennial Conference, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
Sumpter, Randall S. (1998, August). “Censorship liberally administered”: Press, U.S. military relations in the Spanish-American War. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, History Division, Baltimore, MD.
Sumpter, Randall S. (1998, August). Daily newspaper editors’ audience construction routines: A case study. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Mass Communication & Society Division, Baltimore, MD.
Sumpter, Randall S. (1994, August). Pilfering the news: A quality comparison of the World’s and Journal's Spanish-American War coverage. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, History Division, Atlanta, GA.
Sumpter, Randall S. (1994, August). A study of public and private newspaper ownership: Diverging indicators of content quality. Poster session presentation at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Mass Communication and Society and Media Management and Economics divisions, Atlanta, GA.
Tankard, James, & Sumpter, Randall S. (1993, August). Media awareness of media manipulation: The use of the term “spin doctor.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Mass Communication and Society Division, Kansas City, MO.
Sumpter, Randall S. (1991, February). Clara Luper and the Oklahoma City sit-ins of 1958. Paper presented at the annual Southeast Colloquium of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Orlando, FL.
Dodd, Julie E., Tipton, Leonard, & Sumpter, Randall S. (1989, August). Work expectations in journalism as an educational concern. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Secondary Education Division, Washington, D.C.
Invited Presentations at Scholarly or Professional Meetings
Sumpter, Randall S. Core Knowledge: Early Reporting Textbooks and the Formation of Journalism’s Professional Identity. Paper presented at the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research Faculty Colloquium, College Station, TX, October 2008.
Sumpter, Randall S. Shared Knowledge: Common Tradecraft and Early Journalism Textbooks. Paper presented at Exploring New Media Worlds Conference, College Station, TX, March 2008.
Sumpter, Randall S. & Garner, Johny T. Telling the Columbia story: Marginalized Voices and the Media. Paper presented at the NYU Stern School of Business-Blackwell Publishing Authors’ Workshop for Organization at the Limit: NASA and the Columbia Disaster, New York, Oct. 1-3, 2004.
Panelist, “The Erosion of Journalism in the Mass Communication Curriculum,” Committee of Retired Faculty, AEJMC 88th Annual Convention, San Antonio, TX, August 2005.
TEACHING
Undergraduate Courses Taught or Supervised at Texas A&M
Editing for the Mass Media, Computer-Assisted Reporting, Journalism as a Profession, Newspaper Editing and Production, Media Internship, History of Mass Media, Cultural History of the Media, Mass Media and Public Opinion, and Communication and Contemporary Issues—Media Practices.
Undergraduate Courses Taught at universities of Texas and Florida
Introductory and Intermediate Reporting, Editing, and Writing Laboratories
Graduate Courses Taught at Texas A&M
Research Methods in Science and Technology Journalism, Special Topics in Communication—Media Sociology.
Ph.D. Dissertation Committee Memberships
Judith McIntosh White, “Source Choice in Agricultural News Coverage: Impacts of Reporter Specialization and Newspaper Location, Ownership, and Circulation,” Agricultural Education (December 2006).
Frank Edgar Dunkle, “Rousing Patriot Passion: Propaganda in the Boston Press, 1754-1756,” History (May 1997).
Ph.D. Dissertation Committee Graduate Council Representative
Christopher T. Boleman, “A Study to Determine the Additional Income Generated to the Texas Agricultural Sector by Four Texas 4-H Livestock Projects and an Assessment of Life Skills Gained from Youth Exhibiting These Projects,” Agricultural Education (2003).
Ho-Yeong Kang, “Web-based 4D Visualization for Construction Scheduling,” Civil Engineering (2001).
Paul N. Jurena, “Tree-Grass Interactions and the Establishment Phase of the Woody Plant Life Cycle: Contrasts in Above- and Below-Ground Competition and Edaphic Characteristics in Grazed Ecosystems,” Rangeland Ecology and Management (2001).
Carol S. Cammack Dawson, “The Effects of the Green Brigade Program on Horticultural Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavioral Changes of Juvenile Offenders,” Horticulture (1998).
Daniel L. Roelke, “Managing Phytoplankton Community Composition: Can We Do It?”, Oceanography (1997).
Master’s Thesis Committee Memberships
Li Xiao, “Ideologies of Crime News in China in an Era of Commercialization,” Science and Technology Journalism Program (2003).
Mark W. Evans, “Understanding and Recall of Science News Written in the Inverted Pyramid and Narrative Styles,” Science and Technology Journalism Program (1998).
Master’s Non-Thesis Committee Memberships
John Milton Scroggs, M.S. Science and Technology Journalism, 2005.
Jennifer Ann Hutt, M.S. Science and Technology Journalism, 2003.
Yolanda Lukaszewski, M.S. Science and Technology Journalism, 2001.
David Amber, M.S. Science and Technology Journalism, 2001.
Jason E. Moore, M.S. Science and Technology Journalism, 1997.
Other Contributions to Undergraduate Education
Invited speaker—Chronicle Classroom College Week, Houston, TX, Nov. 11, 2008.
Monitor, Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Inc. 2009 Intern Program Controlled Editing Exercise, Nov. 1, 2008.
Juror, Biomedical Sciences Panel, Texas A&M University’s 2nd Annual Student Research Week, March 22-27, 1999.
Multiple presentations at Battalion “400,” a continuing workshop for editors and reporters employed by Texas A&M’s student newspaper.
Faculty Mentor, Honors Colloquium for High School Seniors, University of Texas at Austin, 1996.
Judge, Newspapers and Newsmagazines Division, Florida Scholastic Press Association, 1992 — 1994.
Assistant Director, High School Journalism Workshop for Minorities, Sponsored by Department of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin and Dow Jones Inc., June 1992.
SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
University Level Service
Member, Student Media Board, 2004-2009.
Faculty Senate Representative, 2001-2002.
College Level Service
Member, Liberal Arts Council Steering Committee, 2008—Present
Member and secretary, Liberal Arts Council, 2008—Present.
Member, Joint Appointment Oversight Committee, 2007—2008.
Member, Interdisciplinary Council, 2006—2009.
Director, Journalism Studies Program, 2004-2009.
Coordinator, Journalists-in-Residence Program, 2004-2009.
Chair, Scholarship Committee for Journalism Studies, 2004-2009.
Chair, Faculty Review Committee for Interdisciplinary Minor in Journalism, 2004-2009.
Chair, Professional Advisory Board for Interdisciplinary Minor in Journalism, 2004-2009.
Member, Committee to Recommend New Initiatives in Journalism Education, 2003-2004.
Department Level Service
Member, Curriculum Revision and Implementation Committees for the Department of Journalism, 2002-2003.
Other Department of Journalism assignments between 1996 and 2003 included Executive, Graduate Studies, Graduate Steering, Graduate Admissions, Curriculum, Writing, Research, Faculty Search, and Faculty Evaluation committees.
Library Representative, 1997-2002.
Co-faculty sponsor, Texas A&M Student Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, Fall, 1996.
Disciplinary Level Service
Committee Memberships and Editorial Boards
Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Media Sociology, 2007—Present.
Member, AEJMC Ad Hoc Committee on the Tankard Book Awards, 2006—2007.
Member, Editorial Board, National Communication Association Free Speech Yearbook, 2005-2007.
Member, Kappa Tau Alpha National Council, 2003—2006.
Co-chair, AEJMC Newspaper Division’s Teaching Standards Committee, 1998-1999.
Ad Hoc Reviewer, American Journalism, Journal of Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator.
Conference Paper Referee
History Division, AEJMC 92nd Annual Convention, Boston, MA, August 2009.
Newspaper Division, AEJMC 83rd Annual Convention, Phoenix, AZ, August 2000.
14th Annual Southeast Journalism Conference, 2000.
History Division, Annual Southeast Colloquium of AEJMC, 1999.
History Division, AEJMC 82nd Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, August 1999.
Newspaper Division, AEJMC 82nd Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, August 1999.
Conference Discussant, Moderator or Panelist
Discussant, “Issues in Advertising and Public Relations” Panel, AEJMC 92nd Annual Convention, Boston, MA, August 2009.
Chair, Radio in New Media Worlds Panel, Exploring New Media Worlds Conference, College Station, TX, March 2008.
Moderator, Harvard Law Scenario Panel, News Makers/News Breakers: Conversations on Leadership in Public Life, Texas A&M University, Oct. 8, 2005.
Discussant, Scholar-to-Scholar Paper Session, AEJMC 82nd Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, August 1999.
Moderator, “Moving News Online” Panel, AEJMC Mid-Winter Conference on Media Convergence, Dallas, Feb. 21, 1998.
Moderator, “Historical Press Coverage and Open Records Legislation” Panel, Southwest Symposium of the Southwest Education Council, Dallas, Nov. 7-8, 1997.
AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS
2007 $1,333 curriculum development grant from the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarship.
2001 Wrote proposals for the Texas A&M library system’s “Advancing to 2020” initiative that resulted in the acquisition of microfilm collections worth about $51,000 and of mass communication-related serials and subscriptions to online services worth about $12,000.
1998 $5,500 John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Grant to fund participation in the American Society of Newspaper Editors Institute for Journalism Excellence.
1993, 1994 University of Texas Professional Development Award.
1993 – 1994 Jesse H. Jones Endowed Centennial Fellowship, College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin.
1992 – 1993 Jesse H. Jones Endowed Centennial Fellowship, College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin.
1993 Attendee, Freedom Forum Media Studies Center's Seminar on Advancing the Field of Media Studies.
1992 – 1993 Freedom Forum Scholar.
1991 Outstanding Master's Graduate Award, University of Florida.
1989 Poynter Institute for Media Studies Management and Entrepreneurship Fellow, St. Petersburg, Fla.
PROFESSIONAL MEDIA SERVICE AND EXPERIENCE
Consulting
1998 With Dr. Susanna Priest secured a $25,000 contract to survey the readership of Texas Highways Magazine.
1992 Working as a consultant with Professor Martin Gibson of the University of Texas, produced The Tuner, a monthly critique of the 29 newspapers in the Freedom chain. Metros as large as the Orange County Register belonged to the chain. The monthly report was published in newsletter format and covered reporting, editing, design, and photography.
Presentations
Sumpter, Randall S. (1998, July 18). Grading the news. Presentation to the editors of the San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, TX.
Sumpter, Randall S. (1998, July 22). Evolution of the American newspaper. Presentation to the editors of the San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, TX.
Professional Media Experience
ASNE Fellow, San Antonio Express-News, Summer 1998.
Worked as a copy editor and page designer during this American Society of Newspaper Editors’ fellowship program.
Editor-in-Chief, Energy Engineering, July 1992—December 1996.
Solicited and edited technical articles for this trade bimonthly, the official publication of the Association of Energy Engineers. Collaborated with a production and printing staff to produce the journal. Worked with an editorial board composed of engineers who helped to shape the publication’s editorial direction and to referee submissions. Subscriptions averaged 9,200 a year during my editorship.
Contributor, The Cogeneration Monthly Letter, July 1991—December 1992.
Covered state and federal legislative developments affecting the industry and reported details of planned cogeneration projects and on-going construction.
Business Writer, Assistant Metro Editor, Daytona Beach News-Journal, May 1990—August 1991.
Reported the collapse of and subsequent federal bail-out for state savings and loan institutions. Promoted to assistant metro editor where duties included the production of a zoned edition as well as management of city-side reporters in Daytona Beach and bureaus in nearby cities.
Southern Region Editorial Manager, Petroleum Information Corp., December 1984—July 1988.
Directly supervised a staff of 11 editors, typesetters, and designers in the production of nine weekly and four daily newsletters covering oil and gas exploration and production news in the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and eastern and central Texas. Also supervised a two-person Midland, Texas, editorial office that produced similar reports covering West Texas and New Mexico. This Dun & Bradstreet Corp. unit also produced lengthy annual reviews of industry activities published in book format. Managed the conversion of this editorial unit to desk-top publishing.
Assistant Managing Editor, Petroleum Information International, October 1981—November 1984.
Duties at this Petroleum Information Corp. weekly newsletter included oversight of the domestic editorial staff and design and production of the product, which covered all aspects of the petroleum industry and related commodity markets. This position also required domestic and international travel to cover industry activities and routine interaction with bureaus in London, Singapore, Washington, D.C., New York, and the Middle East. Later promoted to Southern Region Editorial Manager.
Gulf Coast News Editor, The Oil & Gas Journal, December 1978—September 1981.
Houston-based bureau chief covering industry developments in Texas, portions of New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and, as needed, in Washington, D.C., and off the East Coast. This position required considerable domestic travel. Stories involved not only traditional exploration and production coverage, but in-depth reporting about state and federal regulatory issues, the creation and functioning of petroleum commodity markets, and a variety of industry, state, and federal agencies like the Interstate Compact Commission and the Texas Railroad Commission.
District Editor, The Oil & Gas Journal, October 1976—November 1978.
Covered oil and gas industry developments, including agency and association meetings, in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas for this Tulsa-based, weekly trade publication. Also helped to edit the magazine. Later promoted to Gulf Coast News Editor.
News Bureau Editor, University of Tulsa, September 1974—September 1976.
Generated press releases and accompanying photographs about university events and faculty research. Contributed to the quarterly alumni magazine. Responsibilities included media relations and escort duties for invited university speakers like Truman Capote.
Reporter, Tulsa Daily Tribune, March 1973—August 1974.
General assignment reporter until promotion to crime and corrections reporter. Covered metro fire and police departments, county sheriff’s office, local Oklahoma Highway Patrol units, Tulsa area investigations by the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation and the FBI, and federal, state, and local criminal court proceedings through the arraignment stage. Also covered monthly Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board hearings.
Reporter, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, May 1972—February 1973.
General assignment reporter and photographer. At this small daily, this job required reporting on virtually any event, agency, or institution. Duties also included news photography, darkroom work, and page design.
MEMBERSHIPS
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
Kappa Tau Alpha Journalism Honor Society
Society of Professional Journalists
International Communication Association
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