Martin ready to begin dream job at Scripps
Hugh Martin is finally able to accept a job at Scripps.
When he achieved his doctorate degree in mass media at Michigan State, he was unable to accept a position at Ohio University because he didn’t want to disrupt his daughter’s high school education. Now that his daughter has finished her freshman year of college, however, the move to Athens is no longer an issue.
Martin received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Indiana University, his master’s degree in mass communications at the University of South Florida and then studied economics and management for his doctorate degree at Michigan State. He has wanted to work at Ohio University since he finished his doctorate degree, he said.“The Scripps school is among the very best in the country,” Martin said. “I wanted to come to the Scripps school because there aren’t a lot of people on the faculty who do what I do right now. I think I can make a contribution in Ohio; that’s what I’m hoping to do.”
At Scripps, Martin will be teaching a media economics seminar at the graduate level and management classes to undergraduates.
“I’ll teach management classes to help students understand how to function in a very practical way,” Martin said. “After they graduate, they’ll probably have the opportunity to move up and to actually be involved in management and it’s good to know something about that. It’s a whole different set of skills than the kind that are required to report the news.”
Martin will be leaving his job as an associate professor at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia to come to Ohio University.
He spent 12 years at the Tampa Tribune, including nine years as a reporter and three years as an editor.
“That was a really great time to be in newspapers because they made lots of money then,” Martin said. “It was before all this new competition came along.”
Martin became interested in journalism when a friend at Indiana University hypothetically asked him if he thought it would be fun to work for the student newspaper. By accidental timing, the two non-journalism majors strolled into the office for the school paper over the summer, at a time when the paper was desperate for more workers.
“The editor looked at me and said, ‘OK, I’ve got a story for you,’ and he sent me out and I wrote it and it was published,” Martin said. “It got me started and after that I just never wanted to stop. I wanted to spend all my time at the newspaper … that’s how much I fell in love with it.”
After all of these years, Martin is ready to finally begin his work at Ohio University.
“I can’t wait to get up there and get started,” he said. “I’m really excited.”
by Alex Moning
- contact Robert Stewart at 740.593.2601
- Link directly to this Scripps Note
