Name: Ben Wasike
Title: Communication associate professor
Education: Doctorate in mass communication and public affairs from Louisiana State University, master’s in public admnistration from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, La., and a bachelor’s degree from Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya.
Hometown: Bungoma, Kenya, but now a naturalized U.S. citizen.
How long have you been a professor with the UT System? “Twelve years, UTB and UTRGV combined.”
What made you pursue teaching? “Initially, I wasn’t going to go teach but the Ph.D. program I was in required us to teach before graduation and I got hooked just like that.”
What brought you to UTRGV? “UTB, yes I came here as a fresh Ph.D. student, so this was my first job out of the graduate program.”
And what made you choose this university? “Because the program was young and also I saw the advertisement. [Communication Department Chair John] Cook sent an advertisement to people that he knew and I think he knew one of my professors, so he advised me to apply.”
What would you say most motivates you to do what you do? “As a professor, you change lives directly because you impact knowledge to young people, so you shape their lives and it’s a lot of people. You do that every semester, so that’s the most motivating thing, that you impact knowledge to growing minds.”
What classes do you teach? “Right now, this semester, I’m teaching Theories of Communication, I’m teaching Intro to Communication, and I’m teaching Public Speaking.”
What are the goals you most want to accomplish in your work? “My goal is to help my students develop as much as they can, not just from class, but outside and to encourage them to further their education. But I also do research, and I want to impact the field of communication as much as I can through research on different subjects.”
Have you written a book, and if so, what inspired you? “I wrote a book during my first year. It’s called ‘The Diffusion of GIS in Journalism: Examining the Diffusion and Adoption of Applied Media Technology.’
What are your thoughts about the media today? [Laughs] “It is very confusing. Let me use the word, yes, it’s complicated. It’s very, very, very complicated, not just in terms of adapting to new technologies, and now we’re dealing with fake news. Fake news is the big issue right now. … Fake news is competing with real news for attention and journalists have to figure out how to win. They have to win, because you can’t have people spreading false things, you just can’t. So, the journalism industry has to figure out a way to win and it took them by surprise, they didn’t see it coming. Yes, so that’s the biggest challenge, it is to beat them, technology, the internet, social media, but right now it’s very urgent. They will win it though, they’re going to win the battle, but it’s not going to be easy. So, yeah, fake news is a big, big issue right now and adapting to new technology is the second biggest issue, and that’s what’s in a little bit of my book, how the new technology changes journalism and how they’re struggling to adapt to it.”
What do you like to do in your free time? “My free time, I work out, run a lot and also catch up on my research.”
What kind of music/artists do you like? “I don’t have a favorite, I’m really eclectic. Eclectic means I have a lot of choices, but my main music is reggae music, but I listen to all kinds of genres, but reggae would be my main music.”
What are a couple of fun facts about yourself? “I don’t know. I’m a long-distance runner. You really can’t tell, most people are surprised, most people can’t tell because of my physique, of course, and yeah. I collect movies, I’m a movie collector. I have a large library of movies.”
What advice would you give to students? “Maximize your potential, because students don’t. We have to push them, they’re all smart kids, but they don’t give it 100 percent. So, students have to maximize their potential.”
–Compiled by Michelle Espinoza
