College recognizes Coffey as Teacher of the Year
Coffey
As strange as it might sound, for Amy Jo Coffey, the College’s 2011-12 Teacher of the Year, her happiest times as a teacher are when she realizes her students no longer need her.
“There’s a point when I read a final project, when I hear a presentation or I see one of my students on the air that I realize that student doesn’t need me anymore,” said Coffey. “That’s what I most love about teaching.”
Hired as an assistant professor of telecommunication in 2006, Coffey’ experience and interests in broadcast management and programming added significantly to the College’s telecommunication offerings.
“Amy Jo’s background has contributed to new perspectives for our students in such areas as strategic planning and audience analysis,” said David Ostroff, chair of the telecommunication department. “She has arranged tours of the A.C. Nielsen facilities for her graduate course, and reinvented the Programming class to include the emerging technologies in program analysis and measurement. Working with Sylvia Chan-Olmsted and others, she has helped to create unique relationships with Nielsen and Arbitron, providing hands-on experiences for our students.”
Coffey worked in the telecommunication business for more than 10 years, starting as an associate producer with CNN in 1993. She spent the first few years in the production side of broadcasting before moving into reporting and anchoring in 1997 for radio and television stations in Georgia, Ohio and Tennessee.
In the middle of 2001 in the midst of the decade’s first recession, Coffey decided to take a step back and sit out the market for a while. She joined Berry College in Rome, Ga., as a visiting lecturer and as she said, “accidentally fell in love with teaching.”
“I have to laugh,” said Coffey. “My mother is an elementary school teacher and I told her I’d never be a teacher, but once I started teaching at Berry College I realized it was where I belonged.”
After two years at Berry, Coffey moved to Athens and began her doctorate at the University of Georgia, focusing on telecommunication management, media and audience economics, and foreign language programming.
“While I initially went to earn my doctorate degree because of teaching, I found that I also enjoyed the research side of academia,” said Coffey. “I had lived in Costa Rica for a year and was fluent in Spanish and became interested in ethnic media and non-English language programming in the U.S. That remains the focus of much of my research today.”
In addition to her teaching and research load, Coffey works with the College’s growing Hispanic student population on Noticias WUFT, a weekly student-produced Spanish language radio broadcast. She also serves as the faculty advisor of the College’s National Broadcasting Society student chapter and is an affiliate faculty member of the UF Center for Latin American Studies.
“Her work with the student staff of Noticias WUFT has been spectacular,” said Ostroff. “Providing Spanish-language newscasts and programming to the area has been a goal for several years and her organization and leadership skills have been a major force in making that happen.”
At the end of the day though, Coffey’s still happiest in the classroom. “It’s a great ride to be a professor at UF,” she said. “The students keep us on our toes, they hold us accountable.
“It’s a huge honor to be named the College’s Teacher of the Year. I know how high the bar is in the College. It’s nice to have a place where your colleagues are your friends. It’s so gratifying – it’s just nice to know I’m in the right place.”
Best Gator memory?
How about two? The first was at a women’s gymnastics meet when I finally figured out all the words to a Gator cheer (and successfully chomped). The second has happened three times now – I’ve had an “Albert” (mascot) in three of my Programming classes! Not sure of the connection there: “Telecom Programming . . . characters welcome?” And no, I cannot reveal their identities.
Music you enjoy?
Smooth jazz, Latin, but listen to almost anything.
What publications do you read (and are they printed copies or online)?
For news, NYT and Gainesville Sun (online). For industry trends, I hit tvweek.com, multichannelnews.com, broadcastingcable.com, adage.com, as well as various programming industry and management e-newsletters and the major audience measurement sites (Nielsen, Arbitron, comScore). My favorite print magazine is Inc. (innovation and entrepreneurship), and for fun (the others are, too), Florida Travel + Life.
Dream vacation? Explain.
Cabin getaway in the middle of a national park with no “technology” access. I love hiking, taking pictures, and just escaping to see nature’s sights. What better way than to be completely unplugged?
Favorite food?
Am a bit of a foodie, so will try anything new, but it’s hard to go wrong with good sushi or a perfectly grilled steak. Pizza from Piesano’s or Blue Highway ranks up there, and for special occasions, fondue. For dessert . . .tres leches.
Fun personal tidbit?
I became SCUBA certified a year ago, so am always on the lookout for great dive sites and charters in Florida.
Category: College News
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