by Shareen Nicholson

The Department of Mass Communications and Journalism is preparing to say goodbye to two of its most memorable professors. Dr. Stanley Tickton and Dr. Paula Briggs will retire at the end of this semester. Both professors have been teaching at Norfolk State for more than twenty years.

While at Norfolk State, both professors have had major involvement with the university’s radio station, WNSB-FM. Dr. Tickton served as the Supervisor, Management-Administration from 1976 through 1981. In addition, he was instrumental in the founding of the station. Dr. Briggs served as the station’s Public Affairs Director from 2002 through 2005.

Dr. Tickton began his media career as a radio producer-director at WOAK-FM, Royal Oak, MI. He has also served as producer-director at WHA-TV, Channel 21, Madison, WI. He has also produced and directed live 30 and 60 minute programs over WWTC-TV, Cadillac, MI, and WPBN-TV, Traverse City, MI. He served as the executive producer and producer-director at WSIU-TV, Channel 8, SIU Broadcasting Service and SIITA (Southern Illinois Instructional Television Association) and served as their acting production manager.

Dr. Tickton is very active in many organizations. He has served as the National Historian of the National Broadcasting Society (NBS) since 2001. He also served as a board member of the Virginia Association of Communication Arts and Sciences, 1982-1994 and 1995-2003.

Dr. Tickton is best known for his no-nonsense MCM 440 mass communications law class, which many students in the department claim was the class where they learned the most. Returning alumni still talk about it decades after graduation. He also teaches media management as well as programming. Since 2001, he has served as the Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Media and Communications.

Dr. Briggs’ began her media career as a news photographer.  She shot and edited news for KOMU-TV, Columbia, MO; WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC; and WTKR-TV, Norfolk, VA.  She also produced newscasts at KOMU-TV.  Dr. Briggs worked in radio as well.  She produced vignettes for NPR affiliate KBIA-FM in Columbia, MO and produced and anchored newscasts at WRAP-FM in Portsmouth, VA.  She has been recognized for her work by local and national broadcasting organizations.

Dr. Briggs is very active in broadcast organizations.  She serves on a variety of advisory boards. Not only does Dr. Briggs serve as the Diversity Chairperson for the National Broadcasting Society (NBS), but she has been the advisor to the NSU chapter of The National Broadcasting Society-Alpha Epsilon Rho (NBS-AERho) for the past 20 years.

Here at NSU, she is known for her love of production. She teaches many courses including TV Production, Electronic Field Producing and Editing, TV Directing, Audio Production, and Advanced TV Production.

“Dr. Briggs is not just a teacher. She’s a mentor, who cares about the well being of her students. She goes out of her war to help her students in any way that she can,” said senior mass communications major Tyeka Bailey.