By Lydia Reeves Timmins, University of Delaware



In 22 years as a TV journalist, I saw so many things happen—good and bad. I got jaded, as many of us do, but now I am officially leaving “Jaded City” and heading towards “Normal.”

I am now an Assistant Professor in the University of Delaware’s Department of Communication! It’s a job I’ve been wishing and hoping for, and now it is a reality. I had the job interview last week—a full eight-hour day of meeting people, giving a presentation and touring the campus facilities. The faculty and staff are so nice—I can’t believe my luck.

And here’s the coolest part for a newsroom refugee—I have an OFFICE! With a WINDOW! And a DOOR! And real WALLS! I think the department chair was surprised by me reaction when they showed it to me, I couldn’t help but say “Wow, this is a REAL office.” She said, "well, yes." So I worked hard to contain my excitement.

I’m going to teach a Broadcast News class, Studio TV Production and a new Multimedia Journalism class, plus help manage equipment and resources for the student TV station. One of the best parts of the job is my new colleague Ralph Begleiter—former CNN world affairs reporter who runs the Center for Political Communication at the University. He is helping me master the intricacies of academia, since he’s been at the University for several years.

In my last blog I wrote about the final I planned to give my news writing students. They all passed, with varying degrees of competence. Two of them, actually, did REALLY well writing a five-minute newscast that timed out to just under five minutes and were coherent. One of them just graduated, so if you’re looking for a beginner, drop me an email at my new address, lydiat@udel.edu

Next step for me (following a big celebration party of course) is syllabus writing. I can’t wait!