039 VETERAN JOURNALIST TO TAKE REINS OF MTSU’S SEIGENTHALER CHAIR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 28, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Beverly Keel, 615-898-5150

Alumna Will Guide Free Speech, First Amendment Discussions

(MURFREESBORO)—Respected entertainment journalist, professor and MTSU alumna Beverly Keel will lead the university’s Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies into its third decade as the chair’s new director, officials announced today.
Keel, a Nashville native, earned her bachelor's degree in mass communication from MTSU and her master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She is a professor in MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry, where she teaches courses in entertainment journalism, music publicity and artist management and has twice been named to “Who's Who Among American Teachers,” and also is a nationally recognized arts/entertainment journalist and entertainment industry expert.
"Professor Keel's appointment is a significant milestone in the contributions of the Seigenthaler Chair at MTSU,” said Dr. Anantha Babbili, dean of the College of Mass Communication. “She will bring new insights into programming and vitality to the many activities of this important facet of the College of Mass Communication.
"Her feel for American journalism, her professional standing in the journalistic community, and her Columbia J-School pedigree of cutting-edge journalistic practice puts her in this unique position to enhance the Chair's contributions to the democratic health of the nation."
Keel’s work has appeared in “USA Today,” “Entertainment Weekly,” “Rolling Stone,” “New York” and “InStyle” magazines, among others. Music publications for which she has written include “Music Row,” “Country Music,” “Gavin,” “Guitar World,” “EQ,” “New Country” and “Country Weekly.” A correspondent for “People” magazine for nearly a decade, Keel also is editor of “CMT Life. Set to Music,” a monthly country music newspaper supplement with a circulation of 250,000.
A former music industry columnist for the “Nashville Scene” and “Nashville Banner” newspapers, Keel’s journalism has received awards from the Associated Press and the Association of American Newsweeklies. She is a contributing author to books such as “The Encyclopedia of Country Music” and “A Boy Named Sue” and a regular commentator on popular music for such media outlets as VH-1, A&E, National Public Radio, E! Entertainment News and Bravo.
A participant in Leadership Music, Keel served two terms on the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Keel also is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Society of Professional Journalists, as well as the Country Music Association and The Recording Academy.

In her new role, she intends to “increase the (program’s) presence on a national level and allow it to facilitate discussion of current events in journalism.
“I want the Seigenthaler Chair to reflect the life’s work of John Seigenthaler, which has been to promote discussion of First Amendment issues and demand excellence in journalism,” Keel added.
In 1986, the university instituted The John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies, honoring veteran journalist John Seigenthaler's lifelong commitment to free expression. The Seigenthaler Chair funds a variety of activities related to freedom of the press and other topics of concern for contemporary journalism, including programs featuring distinguished visiting professors and visiting lecturers at MTSU, research related to free expression, and seminars and meetings related to the study, promotion and defense of free speech and First Amendment values.
The chair has brought to the university the nation’s most distinguished print and broadcast journalists and journalism educators for seminars and lectures to debate and discuss topics ranging from the future of news in a market-oriented society to how free expression intersects with public opinion to the changing marketplace for journalism education.
It was created under the Tennessee Chairs of Excellence program with an initial endowment of approximately $1.3 million, an amount that has grown to more than $3 million today.
“Beverly’s background in both scholarly and professional journalism will mean that the Chair will continue to have outstanding leadership and direction,” Seigenthaler said of the new director. “She has the creativity and the dedication and the commitment to keep the Chair on the cutting edge of both journalism education and professional journalism.”
One of the largest programs in the nation, the MTSU College of Mass Communication offers degree concentrations in 14 major areas—ranging from journalism to digital media and media management to recording industry management—and is accredited by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color JPEG of Keel, please contact Gina E. Fann in the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385.