Faculty and staff give interviews to Comcast

Last week, reporters from Comcast came to Linfield’s Nicholson Library to interview faculty and staff members for a CNN news feature titled “Comcast Newsmakers.”
The program is set to run across the state of Oregon and Southern Washington and features segments about different regions and local leaders within them.
Three Linfield leaders were interviewed to represent the school as part of the network’s Willamette Valley segment. They are Linfield College President Thomas Hellie, as the head of the school; Associate Professor of Psychology Jennifer Linder, for research work with children; and Scott Brosius, head coach of the baseball team, for his work with in athletics.
Nadene LeCheminant, director of media relations for Linfield, said that the idea behind the program is to provide viewers with a better understanding of leaders, organizations and prominent places in different regions of the state.
Linfield was chosen because of its prestige as a college where students are provided with the highest academic excellence for a fair price, LeCheminant said.
“Linfield is being perceived more and more as a college offering high education that is worth the tuition,” she said.
The three faculty members were interviewed for different reasons and asked a range of questions. President Hellie, as de facto leader of the college, was interviewed about Linfield and its successes as a whole.
The reporter who conducted the interview focused the majority on the president’s background before Linfield, which includes serving as a professor of theater and English at Hiram College in Ohio, as well as president and executive director of the James S. Kemper Foundation in Chicago.
Hellie has also studied and taught in four different continents throughout his career and received various awards and merits from colleges in those locations.
The president spoke briefly about Linfield’s student-to-faculty ratio, its focus on international education and the International Pinot Noir Celebration that is hosted at the college each year.
Questions for Linder focused on her current research projects moreso than on her teaching at Linfield.
Linder said she has been conducting research on the effects of violent TV on the development of children and their relationship to one another.
Brosius, one of the more decorated members of Linfield’s athletics, was asked about his glory days and why he came to Linfield, LeCheminant said.
Brosius attended Linfield in the mid 1980s, but left in 1987 after being selected by the Oakland Athletics in the amateur baseball draft.
He went on to play for the Yankees and the Giants and won three World Series titles for the Yankees during the late ’90s and early 2000s.
He returned to Linfield after retiring from baseball and received his degree in business in 2002.
Brosius became the head baseball coach in 2008.
He was asked about his experiences during his interview as well as about the life of a student athlete at the college and the balance between athletics and academics.
Interviews were also conducted at the Capitol Building of Oregon, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Willamette University, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and other locations.
Public figures such as Gov. Ted Kulongoski, U.S. Reps. Brian Baird and Darlene Hooley, Speaker of the House Rep. Jeff Merkley and Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken were also interviewed.
“Comcast Newsmakers” will air 5 minutes before the hour, except during prime time, starting Oct. 4 on CNN, Channel 45.