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K-State Today

November 14, 2012

Freeland visits Costa Rica

Submitted by Communications and Marketing

Gloria Freeland and colleagues

Gloria Freeland, assistant professor in K-State’s A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica, Oct. 26-Nov. 4 to meet with faculty members and students in the School of Mass Communication Sciences at the University of Costa Rica.

She also met with staff from the Technological Institute of Costa Rica to explore exchange opportunities.

She and University of Costa Rica faculty members and students discussed potential research collaborations, student and faculty exchanges, the development of conferences and workshops and participation in international communications symposia.

In addition, she met with University of Costa Rica media, various magazines and El Financiero from La Nacion group and Porter Novelli, Comunicacion Corporativa, Garnier BBDO and La Tres strategic communications and advertising agencies to discuss student internship possibilities.

She also met with K-State alumnus Rodolfo Montes de Oca to discuss how to strengthen the ties between the K-State Alumni Association and its alumni from Costa Rica.

Freeland gave two class presentations, "Community Media in the U.S." and "The Importance of Diversity in News Stories and Advertising and Public Relations Campaigns."

"Going back to Costa Rica was a lot of fun for me and it was productive as well," Freeland said. "I'm excited about the possibilities we explored for teaching, research and outreach collaborations."

Her trip was made possible by an international incentive grant from K-State’s office of international programs.

“This will be an excellent opportunity for our program to strengthen its international ties,” said Louise Benjamin, interim director of the Miller school. “I’m looking forward to our students and faculty working with their counterparts in Costa Rica.”

Freeland teaches News and Feature Writing classes and is the internship coordinator for the Miller school. She is also the director of the Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media. She writes a weekly online column, “Kansas Snapshots,” at www.kansassnapshots.com.

She worked on an English-language newspaper in Costa Rica from 1978-1980, and she was also part of a K-State-University of Kansas delegation to that nation in February 2000. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador from 1976-1978.