To Our Parting Leader

As we all know, our esteemed instructor this semester is leaving us. Professor Burzynski Bullard, or Sue as she is more affectionately known, will be teaching in Nebraska(lucky farmers). I think I speak for my peers when saying that Sue will be missed greatly. Over the course of 8 months my mindset has changed dramatically. In August I stepped foot in Sue's news media management class expecting the worst, a class I could only miss once, where there was an assignment due every class. I expected to loathe the instructor and hate going to the 3 hour lecture. Boy was I wrong. Though the readings got a bit repetitive, the class did not. Never in my J-school adventures had I encountered such an experienced, intelligent, likable professor.

With most professors, it can seem like they are just talking to hear themselves talk, Sue spoke to enlighten her audience. When she thought someone else might be able to say it better, she brought them in. Through various teaching techniques and role playing games her point got across and everyone learned, even if they didn't know they were. Future news media managers were being born, and Sue was the reason.

This class was so well taught that I opened a spot in my schedule to take another of Sue's classes in the Spring, Copy Editing. Now I have no interest in being a copy editor, and although the skills are very useful and will undoubtedly help me one day, I enrolled for one reason and one reason only, to receive 6 hours a week of life lessons and journalism advice from Sue. Again many guest speakers were brought into the classroom to teach us some skills that Sue hadn't experienced, like online editing and headline writing, design, and blogging, and that was well and good. I think the most important knowledge gained from the class was not from these speakers, nor was it from the AP style presentations, but it was from everyday class discussion and real life examples of any and every news situation from Sue.

Sue,

I would like to thank you for this academic year and the immense amount of knowledge you have spent hours handing over to me. You will never know the impact that you have had on my future, my present, and me as a person. I look up to you more than anyone except my parents (sorry), and believe me, they know how honored I am to have been taught by you. I regret that you are leaving MSU as I would have loved to spend more time in the classroom learning from you, heck I might've even gone back and taken 300 just for the hell of it. You are an instructor, a mentor, an idol, and more important than anything else, a friend to me, and for that I am thankful. You've given me more than I could ask for by way of advice and direction. You will forever play a pivitol part in my development as a journalist and as a person. I regret not throwing you a going away party in class, but hopefully you'll be back in the mitten again anyways. I hope to never lose touch with you, whether it be via facebook or e-mail. And in about 5 years, if you need a guest speaker on being a smart ass, call me and I'm there. Thank you again for everything you have given myself, and MSU. To the best J-School prof. at MSU, Nebraska, or anywhere else!

Your Friend,
Josh