{"id":3726,"date":"2011-02-28T12:52:55","date_gmt":"2011-02-28T19:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/?p=3726"},"modified":"2013-07-31T11:23:35","modified_gmt":"2013-07-31T15:23:35","slug":"pollock-in-a-class-of-his-own-as-a-teacher-and-mentor-communication-studies-grads-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/?p=3726","title":{"rendered":"Pollock in a class of his own as a teacher and mentor, communication studies grads say"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
John C. Pollock, professor and chair of communication studies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jean Lutkenhouse Brechman \u201905<\/strong> was the only undergraduate in the world enrolled directly into the PhD program at University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Annenberg School for Communication, which is consistently ranked as the number one overall graduate school of communication in the United States, and co-ranked number one in health communication. She received her doctorate last summer and is now a research director with an affiliate of The Gallup Organization.<\/p>\n

While pursuing a Master of Public Affairs from George Washington University, Stefanie Gratale \u201906<\/strong> was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF). The prestigious award (fewer than 1,000 are given out each year) is intended to steer the nation\u2019s top graduate students into upper-level federal government positions. Gratale\u2019s fellowship led to a full-time position as a management and program analyst with the Internal Revenue Service\u2019s real estate group.<\/p>\n

Kevin Gilligan \u201909<\/strong> received his Master of Public Administration last year from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, which is the number one-ranked school of public affairs\/public administration in the US. Like Gratale, Gilligan was selected to be part of the PMF program. He\u2019s currently working as an IT Specialist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the common denominator for these three alumni success stories? Each graduate credits John C. Pollock<\/strong>, professor and chair in the communication studies department, with playing a key role in their success.<\/p>\n

A quick review of Pollock\u2019s curriculum vitae shows that the professor, who joined TCNJ\u2019s faculty in 1992, is a leading scholar in his field. He has published two books, written or coauthored more than 100 scholarly and professional papers, served on the editorial boards of four scholarly publications, conducted research in India and Latin America, and been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship<\/a>\u2014to name just a few of his accomplishments.<\/p>\n

Yet what sets Pollock apart, said the communications alumni we spoke with, are his efforts as a teacher and mentor.<\/p>\n

Creating \u201ccommunication commandos\u201d in the classroom<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Brechman explained what students encounter in Pollock\u2019s upper-level communication research methods classes: \u201cHe [teaches] within the context of a very specific research paradigm\u2014the community structure approach\u2014which provide[s] structure to an otherwise overwhelming area (research methods). Students then [have] the freedom to apply this framework to a health\/public policy issue of their choosing. We worked in groups to make the experience (a) do-able and (b) enjoyable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making the research and writing a collaborative process is particularly important to Pollock. \u201cThe students have to learn how to work in teams, the way it\u2019s done in the \u2018real world,\u2019\u201d he explained. Each group’s final project is judged on the quality of the whole product, he said\u2014also the way it\u2019s done in the real world.<\/p>\n

Because of the major emphasis he places on teamwork, Pollock nicknamed his pedagogical approach the \u201ccommunication commando model\u201d of teaching. In a paper he published outlining his structured teaching method, he explained that he uses the word commando \u201cto describe the expertise, commitment, and team solidarity I expect\u201d from the students.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pollock in the classroom earlier this semester<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201c[T]he \u2018commando\u2019 challenge asks students to help one another succeed collectively, to work in teams, to sacrifice for one another for overall project quality, and to hold one another to the exalted purposes expected of military commandos trained to complete their missions in short time frames, in this case, one semester,\u201d Pollock wrote.<\/p>\n

While the language might seem a bit lofty, the results of Pollock\u2019s approach are undeniable. More than 100 of the papers written by his students have been presented at national and international conferences, while five have won the Stephen Smith Award, which is given yearly by The National Communication Association to the best co-authored student papers in the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen TCNJ students attended these\u2026conferences, we were often the only undergraduates presenting our own research, among graduate students, accomplished faculty, policy-makers, and industry leaders,\u201d Brechman explained. \u201cWe were courted by graduate programs, complimented by scholars whose names appeared in our textbooks, and shown ways to apply our communications studies in ways we never realized were possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gratale said that while Pollock expects graduate-level work from undergrads, he presents the material in a way that ensures every student has the chance to succeed\u2014if they\u2019re willing to put in the time and effort. She explained that the structured approach she learned in Pollock\u2019s classes gave her an advantage over her counterparts in graduate school. Several times during her studies at George Washington, she found herself sharing her papers from Pollock\u2019s classes in an effort to show her fellow group members the correct way to produce a graduate-level communications research paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese were intelligent people, with competitive consulting jobs, but they just didn\u2019t have that strong background that I had received from Pollock\u2019s classes,\u201d Gratale said.<\/p>\n

Gilligan likened Pollock\u2019s \u201ccommando\u201d approach to an enabling process. \u201cIt removes a lot of the concern for students about how to structure the paper, and\u2026enables them to focus more on the content of paper, while at the same time learning it through experience,\u201d he said. And lest anyone think that such a structured approach to teaching would translate into an uninteresting classroom experience, Gilligan added emphatically, \u201cThe passion [Pollock] brings to the classroom is unmatched. His enthusiasm spreads throughout the class and inspires the students as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n

A trusted mentor for life<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

With Pollock, the professor-student relationship extends beyond the classroom and well into your post-undergraduate years, each alum said.<\/p>\n

Gilligan explained that he never hesitates to call on Pollock for advice, and has done so on numerous occasions. \u201cHe is always supportive and enthusiastic,\u201d Gilligan said, before adding with a laugh, \u201cIt probably doesn\u2019t hurt that I went to his alma mater for graduate school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gratale said that when she was selected to be part of the PMF program, \u201cI talked with him during the process about what my different options were, he served as a reference for me, and when I was choosing a position, I talked with him about the pros and cons of each one. He gave me a lot of insight\u2026. He\u2019s not just a mentor, he\u2019s a great asset.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brechman added, \u201cSo much of what I learned from Dr. Pollock happened outside<\/em> of the classroom. Methods class was just the beginning for so many of us\u2014rather than teaching from a book, John challenged [us] to experience the research process for [ourselves].\u201d<\/p>\n

On a personal level, Brechman explained, \u201c[Dr. Pollock] gave me one of the greatest gifts a young person can be given\u2014he guided me toward a career path that will bring me happiness for the rest of my life.\u201d And while she is \u201cthrilled\u201d with the work she is doing at Gallup, Brechman said she is hoping to soon be back in the classroom, this time to teach communications courses as an adjunct. Her reason?<\/p>\n

\u201cI can’t wait to give to students what John has given to me\u2014an insane appreciation for communications as a discipline and the sense of peace and pride in knowing there is a place for me in it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several alumni explain how Professor John Pollock’s unique classroom approach and mentoring have played a key role in their individual successes after graduating from TCNJ. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":3728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,42,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-focus","category-march-2011","category-on-campus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}