beckham lectures

School of Communications Professors Quint Randle and Steve Thomsen Discuss Religious Themes in Music by The Killers

BYU School of Communications Alum Describes How Leaning In is about Focusing on the Savior

How Can One’s Career Aspirations Align With the Will of God? BYU School of Communications Alum Briana Barker Gives Insight.

How Can One’s Career Aspirations Align With the Will of God? BYU School of Communications Alum Briana Barker Gives Insight.

BYU School of Communications students, professors and alumni joined together for a catered lunch and a motivational lecture on Friday, Sept. 20 Public relations graduate Abe Gong was the guest speaker at the Fall 2019 Beckham Lecture, a semi-annual lecture given by a communications alumni or professor to students. He is currently the CEO of Superconductive Health and was chosen for his innovations in healthcare research. Gong focused on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that guide individuals’ lives — both professionally and personally. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that have happened in Gong’s life include his undergraduate education at BYU, his masters degree at the University of Michigan, various job opportunities and creating a family with his wife. Gong noted that people typically say “seize the opportunity” when encouraging others to take chances that could lead to positive growth, but he argued that the word “seize” has a sudden, forcible and grasping feeling that inhibits personal responsibility for opportunities. Instead, Gong believes that students should think of the phrase as “cultivate the opportunity.” As individuals seek to cultivate opportunities in their lives, they will create and shape life-changing trajectories and events. Read the full story at comms.byu.edu.

School of Communications Professor Kevin John shared three biometric techniques that can improve the accuracy of self-reporting studies in 2018 Beckham Lecture

Communications Professor Kevin John will present the first lecture following the passing of Emeritus faculty Ray Beckham

The second lecture in this year’s annual Beckham Lecture series will be given by BYU alumnus Brent Anderson

The BYU School of Communications will host Scott Church, assistant professor in the School of Communications, in conjunction with the Raymond E. and Ida Lee Beckham Lecture in Communications Series March 16 at 11:00 a.m. in 321 of the Maeser building. Church will present his lecture, “The Art of Mass Communication: The Sublime, Ineffable, and Spiritual Elements of Memes.” Popular viral content, like memes, are taking over the Internet. The presentation will address how memes strategically use art, symbolism and spirituality to attract attention and to help the audience feel emotion. Church has taught courses in popular culture, business communication, public speaking, public discourse, music and media studies. His research primarily uses critical theory, aesthetics and media ecology as analytic lenses for social media and mediated popular texts. The lectures were established in 1995 in honor of Ray Beckham’s late wife, Ida Lee. Raymond E. Beckham was a leader in education at BYU for 42 years. He was the driving force behind the BYU Evening school program, the BYU Travel Studies program, Aspen Grove, and founded the New York Internship program for Communications majors. INFORMATION Dates: Thursday March 16 Times: 11:00 a.m. Location: 321 Karl G. Maeser Building Admission: Free, no registration required

Each fall semester, the School of Communications presents the Raymond E. and Ida Lee Beckham Lecture in Communications series. The series includes three lectures that explore the interactions between media and society. The final lecture of this year's series is on October 29, 2015 at 11 a.m. in the HBLL auditorium. The speaker will be Kristin Matthews, a professor of English and American Studies here at BYU. Her lecture will be entitled, “New Media for an Old Message: Print Culture, Democracy, and New Left Politics in 1960’s America.” You can also check out the first two lectures on YouTube including “Creating Viral Content: The Science Behind Social Sharing,” by Ryan Elder and “Transforming the Soviet Soul: Labor, Science, and Religion in Gulag Newspapers,” by Jeff Hardy. The lectures were established in 1995 in honor of Ray Beckham’s late wife, Ida Lee. Raymond E. Beckham was a leader in education at BYU for 42 years. He was the driving force behind the BYU Evening school program, the BYU Travel Studies program, Aspen Grove, and founded the New York Internship program for Communications majors.

Each fall semester, the School of Communications presents the Raymond E. and Ida Lee Beckham Lecture in Communication series. There is no charge or registration required for admission. All lectures in the series, will be held in the HBLL auditorium at 11 a.m. and are open to the public. The series includes three lectures that explore the interactions between media and society, including media culture, political economy, media effects and the use of new media. Lecturers are selected from BYU faculty who submit their proposals to the School of Communications. Lecturers Ryan Elder, assistant professor of marketing, researches how sensory experiences affect consumer perceptions and behaviors, as well as how visual cues affect persuasion. His lecture, “Creating Viral Content: The Science Behind Social Sharing,” will be held Sept. 24, 2015. Jeffrey Hardy, assistant professor of history, specializes in the Soviet penal system. His lecture, “Transforming the Soviet Soul: Labor, Science, and Religion in Gulag Newspapers,” will be held Oct. 1. Kristin Matthews is an associate professor of English and Director of the American Studies Program at BYU. Her research focuses on twentieth-century literature and culture with an emphasis on the Cold War. Her lecture, “New Media for an Old Message: Print Culture, Democracy, and New Left Politics in 1960’s America,” will be held Oct. 29. The annual series began in 1995 by Ray Beckham in honor of his late wife Ida Beckham. Ray Beckham is a major contributor to the School of Communications and is a driving force behind the BYU Evening school program, the BYU Travel Studies program and Aspen Grove. Beckham also and founded the New York Internship program for Communications majors. Information Dates: September 24, October 1 & 29, 2015 Times: 11:00 a.m. Location: HBLL auditorium Admission: Free, no registration required

Jane Clayson of CBS News, the creative director of Ogilvy & Mather in New York, and the communications director of Boeing’s Homeland Security Division headline a group of lecturers who will visit the Brigham Young University campus Feb. 23 through Feb. 27 for the second annual Communications Week. BYU alumni in various fields of communications, as well as other professionals from around the country, will give keynote addresses during the week, sponsored by the BYU Communications Department. Each day of the week will have a different emphasis related to the communications field. Monday, Feb. 23, will be broadcast day. Jane Clayson, CBS News reporter and BYU alumna, will give a lecture titled “The 10 Most Important Lessons I’ve Learned Out in the World” at 10 a.m. in the Varsity Theater in the Wilkinson Student Center. Clayson will also conduct a question-and-answer session at 3 p.m. in 1080 Harold B. Lee Library. On Tuesday, Feb. 24, Fernando Vivanco, director of communications for Boeing’s Homeland Security Division and BYU alumnus, will discuss “Communicating Risk, Building Confidence” at 10 a.m. in 1080 Lee Library as part of public relations day. Three events will be held as part of marketing/advertising day Wednesday, Feb. 25. Kevin Kelly, creative director of Ogilvy & Mather in New York, one of the largest marketing communications networks in the world, will speak on “Communicating Peer-to-Peer: How BYU Student Work is Becoming a National Anti-Drug Campaign” at 1 p.m. in 1080 Lee Library. Kelly has worked as a mentor to advertising students in helping develop an advertising campaign for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Gary Dixon, president of The Foundation for a Better Life, will discuss “Communicating Positive Values” at 3 p.m. in 1080 Harold B. Lee Library. Dixon received a master’s degree in communications from BYU. Doug McKinlay, associate professor of advertising and marketing at BYU, will hold a workshop on CLIO Award-winning TV commercials at 7 p.m. in 1080 Lee Library. On Thursday, Feb. 26, two lectures are scheduled for journalism day. Kevin Stoker, an assistant professor of communications at BYU, will give the annual Raymond E. and Ida Lee Beckham Lecture titled “A Conflict of Loyalties: A Southern Editor’s Struggle to Build a New South Without Changing the Old One” at 11 a.m. in 1080 Lee Library. Lisa Bearnson, founder of Creating Keepsakes Magazine, will speak on “Entrepreneurship: A Way to Combine Career and Family” at 2 p.m in the Varsity Theater in the Wilkinson Student Center. Bearnson is also a BYU alumna. Friday, communications professionals will be available for student mentoring sessions from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students must first signup outside E-509 in the Harris Fine Arts Center. All events are free and open to the public. For a complete list of events and details, visit the department Web site at http://comms.byu.edu/, or call (801) 422-2997. Source: BYU News