AEJMC Trailblazers of Diversity Interview with Phil Jeter

  • Introduction Jeter provides his background saying that he is a "country boy" from South Carolina. He says he wanted to leave his hometown as quickly as he could.
  • He says he had a supportive group of teachers during a time of segregated schools. He grew up in a all-black environment until college.
  • He attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here, he had his first non-black teachers.
  • A big influencer from his undergrad career was his freshman composition teacher, Sarah Benson. One of her projects was to start a debate team at the university.
  • He joined the debate team and they traveled to multiple states for tournaments. At first they did bad, but progressed by the end of the season.
  • Jeter took many of Benson's classes. She encouraged him to write for the school's magazine.
  • His engineering major didn't work out because he couldn't pass his organic chemistry classes.
  • He changed his major 7 times before he graduated college. He says this was due to the fact that his high school teachers didn't teach well.
  • He took a placement exam his freshman year and placed high in French. He decided on French on his major because he had so many credits.
  • A friend of his was the editor of the school paper and told him they needed a sports editor. This was his start into journalism.
  • He did freelance work for a black radio station in Charlotte. And then applied to Cornell University for his master's.
  • Jeter talks about his transition from Johnson C. Smith University to Cornell University. He says there was an effort to create more diversity at Cornell.
  • Cornell was his first predominantly white school experience. He says there was about 1,000 black grad students at the time so it wasn't as "isolated."
  • He got his first job in the news business from one of his professors. Through him, he became connected with a United Press International executive.
  • He was visiting his grandparents when he got an offer to work for UPI.
  • He describes his experience covering the Democratic National Convention during a time when there were few African American reporters.
  • Jeter says he got the chance to attend playoff games and see famous athletes.
  • He remembers his first time covering a hockey game. He says there was a child kidnapping that developed.
  • He says an experience from UPI that has haunted him over the years is the Attica riot trial. He says journalism isn't for everyone.
  • He went to Chicago where he worked in broadcast at WTTW. The focus was television production. He was assigned to the news unit in downtown Chicago.
  • After, he went to Hampton, Virginia. He became the director of Hampton University News Bureau. He describes his responsibilities.
  • His first teaching position was at North Carolina A&T State University. The university was thinking of starting a mass communications program so they hired him.
  • Jeter says people at the university told him he needed a Ph.D. He went to the University of Wisconsin to obtain a doctorate.
  • He describes his experience performing visiting professorships. He says a lot of his leaves were to finish projects and research.
  • He discusses mentors and fellowships. Later, he is introduced to administration as an associate dean.
  • He recalls a time when he was at Tennessee when they filled 6 academic positions and he was on all 6 search committees.
  • He talks about the approaches he takes when teaching, saying that students will talk to you if you're "real."
  • Most students call Jeter demanding and say he is hard to please.
  • He was part of the accreditation process and discusses his experience. He says accreditation is important to parents and media organizations.
  • Jeter says he still enjoys teaching and that his favorite course is the introduction to mass communication.
  • One year, his students were impressed with Beyonce's routine at the Super Bowl. He related her performance to The June Taylor Dancers from the Jackie Gleason Show.
  • He says writing courses are challenging to teach at times because grammar is a weakness for students.
  • He has been a lifelong member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He discusses his membership with the organization.
  • Jeter spent 22 years at Florida A&M University where he watched the university grow from a small institution to a large one. They were the first accredited program at a Historically Black College University. He says Florida A&M University was a "very important institution" of all the ones that he's worked.
  • Dr. Barbara Hines concludes interview.