Curriculum Vitae


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Areas of Research:

    The democratic implications of media consolidation and conglomeration
    Community journalism
    Implementations of technology for news dissemination
    Evolution of the news industry in the 21st century

Areas of Expertise and Teaching Competencies:

    Multimedia editing/production/reporting
    Online journalism
    Web design and development
    “Web 2.0″

Education:

  • Master of Science, Journalism & Mass Communications
    William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications, The University of Kansas, 2006
  • Concentration: Online News and Information; Strategic Communications
  • Thesis: “Implications of Ownership: Applying the propaganda model to media ownership theory”
  • Committee: Assistant Professor Kristen Swain (chair), Assistant Professor Barbara Barnett and Professor James K. Gentry
    Graduate studies in Law
    The University of Kansas School of Law, 2002
    Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
    The University of Kansas, 2002
    Bachelor of Science, Business Administration
    The University of Kansas, 2001

Academic Positions:

    Assistant Professor, Interactive Media, Johnson County Community College
    Overland Park, Kansas (2010-present)
    Com/mentor, San Francisco State University
    San Francisco, California (2009-2010)
    Faculty, New Media, The University of Kansas
    Kansas Journalism Institute, Lawrence, Kansas (2007)
    Lecturer, The University of Kansas
    William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Lawrence, Kansas (2006-2007)

    Multimedia Newsroom Coordinator, The University of Kansas
    William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Lawrence, Kansas (2006-2007)
    Graduate Research Assistant, The University of Kansas
    William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications,, Lawrence, Kansas
    (Professor Peggy Kuhr; Assistant Professor Kristen Swain; Assistant Professor Doug Ward) (2004–2006)

Other Professional Employment:

    Director of Multimedia and Technology
    The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts, Lawrence, Kansas (2007-2008)
    Communications Intern
    Andrews McMeel Universal, Kansas City, Missouri (2005)
    Claim Representative
    The Hartford, Overland Park, Kansas (2003-2004)
    Supervisor
    Policy Research Institute, Lawrence, Kansas (1999-2001)

Teaching Experience:

Assistant Professor, Johnson County Community College

Lecturer, The University of Kansas, William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications

    JOUR 500: Knight Incubator Project (Summer 2007)† – Designed, created and taught a curriculum for a team of five KU students initially focused on how to develop, critique and present their news innovation, “VoxPop,” to students and faculty from six competing academic institutions (Michigan State University, Kansas State University, Western Kentucky University, Ithaca College, University of Nevada-Las Vegas and St. Michael’s College) and then to a broader audience. Thirty-five students from the other institutions ultimately joined the KU team. Mentored the new group through their eventual presentation to the Online News Association convention in Toronto. “VoxPop” is still in development.
    JOUR 419: Multimedia Editing (w. Asst. Prof. Doug Ward; Spring 2007)

New Media Faculty, Kansas Journalism Institute, The University of Kansas

    New Media Curriculum (Summer 2007)† – Developed and taught a curriculum for high school journalism students from across the nation, with lessons focused on internet publishing via content management systems, emphasizing responsible SEO methods and web best practices. Specifically, taught the students how to distinguish themselves through their writing, basic videography and editing skills, slideshow creation (with Soundslides) and how to create netcasts of their experiences at KJI.

Com/mentor, San Francisco State University

* Course taught as a team with a roster of faculty members

† Course description provided for non-standard courses

Invited Lectures:

Kansas Journalism Institute, Lawrence, KS

San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA

The University of Kansas, William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Lawrence, KS

  • “Blogging 101: Content Management and You”, JOUR 201: Current Issues In Journalism (Spring 2007)
  • “Blogging 101: Content Management and You”, JOUR 636: Opinion and Commentary (Spring 2007)
  • “Content Management in the newsroom”, JOUR 692: TV News I (Spring 2007)
  • “This Is What Democracy Looks Like”, JOUR 608: Ethics and the Media (Spring 2006)
  • “Stephen Glass: I Lied For Esteem”, JOUR 608: Ethics and the Media (Spring 2006)
  • “Maximize Reach with Content Management – Part II”, JOUR 500: Science & Medical Writing, May 4, 2006
  • “Maximize Reach with Content Management – Part I”, JOUR 500: Science & Medical Writing, April 13, 2006

Technical Skills, Programs and Protocols:

Previously taught:

    Acrobat, Audacity, Audition, Blogger, CSS, DVD Studio Pro, Facebook, Final Cut Pro, Fireworks, Flash, FTP, Google Wave, HTML, Photoshop, programming concepts, Microsoft Office Suite, MovableType, MySpace, OpenOffice, responsible SEO methods, Soundslides, Twitter, WordPress, YouTube

Regularly used:

    Acrobat, Audacity, Camtasia Studio, CSS, DVD Flick, Facebook, Fireworks, FTP, HTML, InDesign, LinkedIn, Microsoft Office Suite, MySpace, Photoshop, programming concepts, QuickTime Pro, responsible SEO methods, Twitter, Vimeo, WordPress, YouTube

Familiar with:

    ActionScript, After Effects, Django, Flash, JavaScript, LAMP/MAMP, MySQL, PHP, Premiere, Python, RSS, SPSS, XML

Grant Work/Consulting:

    Created and led the Innovation Incubator for The University of Kansas as a part of a $230,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s 21st Century News Challenge. The project was designed to foster creative thinking about solutions to digital news problems. (Summer 2007)
    Partnered with The University of Kansas Department of Design, the KU School of Business’ Entrepreneurship Program and the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, under corporate grants from telecommunications industry leaders Nokia and Cingular (now AT&T) on an international, multi-disciplinary project examining the viability of the high-end Nokia N73 and N93 camera phones from the perspective of multimedia newsroom implementations, design and product viability. (Spring 2007)
    Produced a video under a grant from The University of Kansas Center for Teaching Excellence in collaboration with The University of Kansas Center for Research and the Kansas Energy Office of Assistant Professor Kristen Swain’s Science and Medical Writing students highlighting new facilities and projects underway at the Multidisciplinary Research Building on KU’s West Campus. (Summer 2006)
    Developed a new interface and aesthetic for the Associated Press Managing Editors’ National Credibility Roundtables Project web site (apme-credibility.org). The site is the repository of research and reports of this Ford Foundation-funded project that promotes continuing communication between the public and the press, encouraging journalists to build better news practices. (Spring 2006, Summer 2006)

University/College Service:

    Johnson County Community College Technology Innovations Grant Committee (2010-present)
    Johnson County Community College Interactive Media Advisory Board (2010-present)
    William Allen White Technology Committee (2005-2007)
    William Allen White Senior Evaluation Committee (2005-2006)
    William Allen White Graduate Advisory Council (2005-2006)
    The University of Kansas Student Union Activities Board (2000-2001)
    The University of Kansas Student Union Activities Constitutional Revision Committee (2000-2001)
    The University of Kansas Student Lecture Series Board (2000-2001)
    Kansas Memorial Unions Program Director Selection Committee (2000)
    Kansas Memorial Unions Advisor Selection Committee (2000)
    The University of Kansas Student Senate Finance Committee (Voting Member) (1997)

Community Service:

Professional Awards:

    Best Station Website, “tv.ku.edu”, Kansas Association of Broadcasters (2007)
    Best Affiliated Website, “tv.ku.edu”

    Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Region 7: 2nd place (2007)

    Best Online Opinion and Commentary, "eHub"

    By Heidi Fedak and Michael Phillips

    Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Region 7: 2nd place (2007)

    Manager’s Citation for Innovation, The Hartford (2003)
    Manager’s Citation for Excellence, The Hartford (2003)

Academic Awards/Achievements:

    The Chancellor’s List (2006)
    The National Dean’s List (2001)
    The University of Kansas Student Union Activities Board Scholarship (2000-2001)
    The University of Kansas Honor Roll (2000)
    The University of Kansas Mt. Oread Scholar (1997)
    The University of Kansas Honor Scholarship (1997)

Exhibitions:

    High-Definition Multimedia Video: KUDesign, Permanent Installation, Digital Media Center, Art and Design Building,
    The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS (2007-present)
    High-Definition Multimedia Video: KUDesign, 8th Annual Collage Concert, The Lied Center, Lawrence, KS (2007)

International Experience:

    German language proficiency (reading, writing and conversation)
    International travel experience throughout Europe and Australia

Journalism/Media:

    Independent journalist, blogger, editor and publisher of Fortuna Faveat, which in Latin means “may fortune favor us” and is the motto from the crest of the ancient Lafferty clan of Ireland. The blog provides an independent look at news from Kansas and around the world.

In the media:

Biographical Information:

    Patrick T. Lafferty is an award-winning multimedia communicator specializing in production and content management, as well as Assistant Professor of Interactive Media at Johnson County Community College (JCCC). Before joining the faculty at JCCC, Professor Lafferty managed and taught a staff of 200+ student journalists the ways of the new media landscape, while serving as web master to 39 web sites affiliated with the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at The University of Kansas. Outside of his teaching duties, Professor Lafferty’s attention focuses on his own writing and his community work with Project: Katrina Hope. Lafferty recently returned to his hometown, Overland Park, Kan., after spending the last decade living in his adopted home, Lawrence, Kan. He earned bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Political Science from The University of Kansas, followed by graduate work in law school and a Master of Science in Journalism and Mass Communications from the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at The University of Kansas. Lafferty is the author of Implications of Ownership: Applying the propaganda model to media ownership theory. His research focuses on the democratic impact of media consolidation and conglomeration, community journalism, implementations of technology for news dissemination, evolution of the news industry, as well as the ever-changing internet journalism landscape.