The Senior Semester capstone journalism class is an immersive five-day-a-week experience designed to provide students with “real world” newsroom experience. Inside the converged newsroom and television studio, students report, produce and direct two daily news shows (Carolina News), write and edit stories for the Senior Semester lab web publication (this website), produce stories, photographs and informational graphics for the print publication (The Carolina Reporter) and engage in social media through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms.
The program is taught by instructors with extensive experience in television, newspapers, graphics, photography and digital journalism.
Allison Askins
Allison Askins joins the staff of The Carolina News & Reporter this year in an interesting circle back. She held a graduate assistantship for the same program when attending the college’s master’s program in the early 1990s. In addition to having earned her master’s degree in journalism, Allison has more than 25 years experience with newspapers in the Southeast, including 11 years at The State, where she covered religion, and food, which was her favorite gig, by far. Her journalism career has also involved work with the religious press, including five years as a former managing editor and editor of the S.C. United Methodist Advocate, and currently as a part-time communications staffer for a local Episcopal Church which has won national awards for its publications. Allison is married to Bob Askins, a retired USC administrator who is now living his best life as a master naturalist and manager at the USC Arboretum. They have two 20-something children who are both proud graduates of USC.
Contact him: askinsa@mailbox.sc.edu
Andy Burns
Andy Burns
Andy Burns’ focus is on de-mystifying the process of journalism — stripping away the rules, guidelines, “must-dos” — and reminding students the form is pretty simple: tell interesting and informative stories that benefit society. He also is interested in the “mini-documentary,” having produced the Hidden Columbia series while at WOLO. Burns is a native of Dalton, Georgia (Carpet Capital of the world — yes, really), a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill (go Heels!) and a former sixth grade teacher at Julia Roberts’ middle school. Burns first came to Columbia as a morning/noon anchor and reporter at WOLO-TV, and was invited to teach a class as an adjunct faculty member at UofSC. This year, he joins the university full time. He has previous reporting experience in Charleston, the District of Columbia, Chicago and (as a traffic reporter) in New York City.
Contact him: burnssa4@mailbox.sc.edu
Scott Farrand
After 20 years working for The State newspaper in Columbia as its designer editor and visual journalist, Scott Farrand now brings his expertise in photography, data visualization and publication design to the Senior Semester. For the last 17 years, he has guided Senior Semester students in devising new ways to tell a story through informational graphics, arresting photos and innovative multimedia techniques.
Contact him: farrand@mailbox.sc.edu
Rick Peterson
Rick Peterson is a veteran of 30 years in the television news business and has taught in USC’s broadcast Senior Semester for two decades. He continues to work as a story producer for the national news desk at NBC News in Charlotte, selecting nationally breaking stories for use around the country. Students know he understands how a newsroom works and what a national news story looks like.
Contact him: rspeter@mailbox.sc.edu
Eileen Waddell
Eileen Waddell spent 27 years as a working journalist, the last 21 at The State newspaper in Columbia, where she was the longtime assistant managing editor. She also served a stint as investigations editor and ran the morning meeting for eight years. Waddell brings newsroom experience, advice and observations to the classroom, making the hypothetical more tangible. She specializes in teaching story development, balanced reporting and thoughtful story choice and framing that reflects the depth of a community.
Contact her: eileenrw@mailbox.sc.edu
