Following a nearly two-month selection process between several candidates, Kevin Cummings has been hired as the new director of Student Publications.
Cummings has experience as an English and journalism teacher in Mesquite ISD and has held reporter and editorial positions for several publications, including the Dallas Business Journal, Community Impact and Star Local Media.
Cummings is responsible for guiding The Shorthorn’s overall direction by overseeing all departments within Student Publications, including its affiliated advertising, marketing and Creative Services team.
Former director Will Parchman left the position last October, leaving a vacancy until Cummings was handpicked through a selection committee.
Aside from teaching, Cummings’ passion for education stems from his time in newsrooms. During his most recent position as an editor at Community Impact, he said he worked with a lot of fresh out-of-college journalists to hone their craft.
“When I saw this opportunity came up, it just seemed like a great way to not only combine my expertise but the passion that I have for journalism,” he said.
Cummings worked with several Shorthorn alumni, so switching from a professional newsroom environment to a collegiate one didn’t feel like a big transition. He said The Shorthorn operates at a high level already.
“I don't see much of a difference between a real newsroom and a student newsroom,” he said. “If anything, I just see it as ‘This is the time where you can learn from your mistakes’. You can try to take those shots that you might not get a chance to at another paper.”
Cummings grew up in the Metroplex and was always familiar with UTA, so the new role allows him to make a change in his own community.
“There's a diversity here at this university that doesn't exist in a lot of newsrooms,” he said. “I think being able to come into that kind of environment, and to be able to work with people from all walks of life, was really what drew me to [the position].”
Having graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor's degree in English, Cummings didn’t originally plan to work in newsrooms.
Unsure of what to do with his degree, the fresh graduate considered journalism — a role fitting his dream to make an impact through writing.
“Journalism just seemed kind of like that obvious step. Keeping people informed, holding truth to power, that kind of thing,” he said. “That's really what drove me into journalism.”
Cummings emailed the Plano Star Courier on a whim and secured an unpaid internship. After continuing journalism for a while, he went into teaching but said he couldn’t give up being a journalist in the field.
David Eberhardt, Student Affairs administration assistant vice president, was on the committee that selected Cummings. He said the group sought candidates with experience in journalism and managing the business side of newsrooms.
Eberhardt said Cummings stood out among several strong candidates due to his transferable skills from previous work. He believed Cummings’ ability to supervise, guide and coach young journalists was crucial to the director role and made him a good asset.
“He was from the area, knew the area and just had a way of talking about working in the community,” he said.
Beyond personal skills, Eberhardt was drawn in by Cummings’ initiative to succeed in the role. He said Cummings was excited by the idea of working in education while not giving up journalism.
A few weeks into the position, Cummings said he’s learned how much support The Shorthorn receives from the community through their work. Seeing how excited students get about their jobs motivates him.
“It reminds me of why I got into this field, and so it's been exciting,” he said. “It's given me the energy to really want to get in here and figure out what's working well, what isn't working well.”
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