Vitae

Jeffrey C. Neely

      Address:                                                    Phone:
    2039-C Weimer Hall                                (813) 758-3597
PO Box 118400                                              E-mail:
Gainesville, FL 32611-8400                           jcneely@ufl.edu

Education

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, expected 2011
Ph.D., Mass Communications (Currently ABD)
Dissertation title - Youth, news and community: An examination of online youth-generated news Web sites and the potential for promoting community attachment

University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, FL, 2006
M.A., Journalism and Media Studies

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 1999
B.S., Psychology
B.A., Philosophy

Teaching Experience 

Instructor
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Spring, 2011
Newspaper Editing Lab
Independent lab instructor for course with a lecture component. Students learn self-editing/copyediting skills, including grammar, concision, AP style, word choice, math, as well as legal and ethical considerations. Responsibilities focus on guiding students through hands-on exercises in which they practice applying these skills and concepts.

Instructor
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Summer, Fall 2010
Magazine and Feature Writing
Sole instructor of record for course, which taught students the art and craft of writing feature stories. As a class, we discussed storytelling concepts like focus, justifiers, anecdotes, dialogue, feature leads, descriptive details, universal themes, tone and voice, and endings. Responsibilities include preparing lesson plans and course materials, selecting exemplary feature stories from professional journalists for student reading, leading discussion, facilitating active and learning exercises, and individual conferences with students to walk them through the process of writing a feature story – including outlining, reporting and interviewing, writing, and rewriting their work.

Instructor
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Summer 2008
Problems and Ethics in Journalism
Sole instructor of record for course, which covered topics such as ethical philosophy, deception, confidential sources, conflicts of interests, privacy, photojournalism, political coverage, race and minority issues, and online journalism ethics. Responsibilities included preparing lesson plans and course materials, lecturing, facilitating discussion, assisting students in and outside of class, and grading.

Alumni Fellow – Teaching Assistant
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Fall 2007- Spring 2010
Problems and Ethics in Journalism
Dr. Kim Walsh-Childers & Dr. Norman Lewis
Assistance in course development, lecturing, grading, data entry, and student assistance. Led weekly discussion groups, each consisting of approximately 20 students.

Invited Guest Speaking Appointments

Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, FL

Spring 2011
Principles and Practices of Public Relations– Lecture to undergraduate students on the role of blogging and other forms of social media in the practice of public relations.

Communication Research– Lecture to undergraduate students on the necessity, benefits, and challenges to conducting research in the digital era. Topics of discussion included online surveys, content analysis of websites, accuracy, and issues of identity in online communication.

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Spring 2010, Fall 2010
Communication Colloquium – Panel member for a presentation to first-year Ph.D. students regarding the search process for an academic job.

Fall 2009, Fall 2010
Communication Colloquium – Panel member for a presentation to first-year Ph.D. students about the importance of being a productive scholar and how to do it.

Spring 2009
Internet Advertising – Lecture to undergraduate students on Internet privacy, data mining, and identity theft.

Fall 2008, 2009
Communication Colloquium – Panel member for a presentation to first-year Ph.D. students regarding the process of forming a dissertation committee and developing a degree plan.

Refereed Publications

Walsh-Childers, K., Lewis, N., & Neely, J.C. (in press) Listeners, not leeches: What Virginia Tech survivors needed from journalists. Journal of Mass Media Ethics.

Lewis, N., Neely, J.C., & Gao, F. (in press). Transparency missing when top editors blog. Newspaper Research Journal, 32(2).

Bowers, K.W., Davis, D.Z., & Neely, J.C. (in press). Framing Second Life for use in higher education: An analysis of EDUCAUSE Review and The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Journal of Virtual Worlds and Education, 1(1), 136-167.

Fernandes, J., Giurcanu, M., Bowers, K.W., & Neely, J.C. (2010). The writing on the wall: A content cnalysis of college students’ Facebook groups for the 2008 presidential election. Mass Communication and Society, 13(5), 653-675.

Neely, J.C., Bowers, K.W., & Ragas, M.W. (2010). Virtual possibilities: A constructivist examination of the educational applications of Second Life. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 21(1), 93-110.

Bowers, K.W. Ragas, M.W., & Neely, J.C. (2009). Assessing the value of virtual worlds for post-secondary educators: A survey of innovators, early adopters and the early majority in Second Life. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(1), 40-50.

Refereed Conference Presentations

Lewis, N., Neely, J.C., & Gao, F. (2010). Editor blogs: Ample commentary, little transparency. Paper to be presented at the annual conference for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Newspaper Division, Denver.

Bowers, K.W., Fernandes, J., Giurcanu, M., & Neely, J.C. (alphabetical order). (2010). The Writing on the Wall: A Content Analysis of College Students’ Facebook Groups for the 2008 Presidential Election. Paper to be presented at the annual conference for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Graduate Division, Denver.

Neely, J.C. (2009). Second Life: An introduction for higher education instructors. http://plaza.ufl.edu/jcneely. First place Web site in the Teaching category of the AEJMC Best of the Web contest. Web site presented at the annual conference for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Boston.

Neely, J.C., Bowers, K.W., & Ragas, M.W. (2009). Virtual Possibilities: A constructivist examination of the educational applications of Second Life. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Graduate Education Interest Group, Boston.

Bowers, K.W., Davis, D.Z., & Neely, J.C. (2009). Framing Second Life for use in higher education. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Communication Technology Division, Boston.

Bowers, K.W. Ragas, M.W., & Neely, J.C. (2009). Assessing the value of virtual worlds for post-secondary educators: A survey of innovators, early adopters and the early majority in Second Life. Top Student Paper presented at the annual conference for the International Communication Association, Instructional/Developmental Communication Division, Chicago.

Neely, J.C. (2008). Youth make the news: A case study of three youth-generated news Web sites. Top Student Paper presented at the annual conference for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Civic and Citizen Interest Group, Chicago.

Walsh-Childers, K., Lewis, N., & Neely, J.C. (2008). Twice victimized: Lessons from the media mob at Virginia Tech. Paper presented at the annual conference for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Media Ethics Division, Chicago.

Neely, J.C. (2005). Martha Stewart, atoning for the sins of corporate corruption: An examination of an American media scapegoat. Paper presented at the national conference for the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, San Antonio, TX.

Research and Academic Support

Alumni Fellow – Research Assistant
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2009-2010
Editor blogs: Ample commentary, little transparency
Dr. Norman Lewis
Assistance in developing research approach, collecting background information, developing codebook and codesheet for content analysis, and coding content. This study examines the extent to which newspaper editors are blogging, and of those who are, the level of transparency regarding news decision-making that these editors offer readers of their blogs.

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2007-2009
Overkill: The journalistic invasion of Virginia Tech
Dr. Kim Walsh-Childers & Dr. Norman Lewis
Assistance in developing research approach, collecting background information, collecting contact information, conducting interviews, developing interview questions, and writing a research paper. This study examines the interactions between journalists and victims, family members, and others involved in the Virginia Tech shootings of 2007.

Graduate Assistant
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, FL, 2004-2005
Dr. Deni Elliott, Dr. Robert Dardenne, & Dr. Jay Black
Responsibilities included organizing resource room for 2005 National Conference of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, bibliographic assistance (with published credit) for The Kindness of Strangers: Philanthropy in Higher Education and Ethics in the First Person by Dr. Deni Elliott, editorial assistance to Dr. Jay Black for submissions to the Journal of Mass Media Ethics, preparation of class curriculum, and other forms of research assistance.

Honors and Awards

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Best of the Web competition, First Place Teaching Web site, Second Life: An introduction for higher education instructors, 2009.
International Communication Association, Instructional/Developmental Communication Division, Top Student Paper, 2009.
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Civic and Citizen Interest Group, Top Student Paper, 2008.
University of Florida, Alumni Fellowship, 2007-2010
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Chancellor’s Award, 2005
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Outstanding Visual Production, 2003
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Outstanding Graduate Media Law Report, 2003
University of Florida, Honors Graduate, 1999
University of Florida, Florida Undergraduate Scholar, 1995-1999
University of Florida, Honors Program Participant, 1995-1997
University of Florida, Freshman Honor Society Member, 1995-1996

Other Academic Participation

The Storytellers’ Summit (University of Florida), 2010
Three-day event that featured large and small group sessions to help storytellers develop their skills. The summit was led by six Pulitzer Prize winners – Rick Bragg, Thomas French, David Finkel, Lane DeGregory, Fabiola Santiago and Liz Balmaseda – as well as numerous other best-selling authors.  Topics discussed included the power of detail, finding stories in your daily life, understanding the book publishing business, how to succeed as a freelancer, biographies, and using structure to tell compelling stories.

Southeast Regional Ethics Bowl, 2005 & 2007
Served as moderator and judge for this regional competition in applied ethics. College-level students from around the Southeastern United States participate in analyzing case studies and applying rational arguments for ethical decision-making. Winners of this regional event go on to compete in the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl National Championship held at the annual meeting of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics.

Finding the Untold Stories (Poynter Institute), 2004
Week-long workshop for journalists from around the world that provided discussion on topics like coverage of minorities, finding unique master narratives, covering rape, writing with voice, and writing across racial borders.

Academic Service

President
Graduate Students in Mass Communication Association, University of Florida, 2008-9

Representative
Graduate Student Council, University of Florida, 2007-8

Representative
Student Evaluation Committee, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, 2007-8

Professional Experience

Journalism and Communications

Resource Development Specialist
Connected by 25, Tampa, FL, 2006-2007
Responsibilities included writing stories for local, and national dissemination to non-profit child welfare agencies, facilitating media relations and providing information for newspaper, online, and television news coverage of the agency, media archive custodian, photography and custodian of images, design of presentation and promotional materials, development of life skills training curriculum and assessments, development of policies and procedures, training  staff, and training youth clients.

Reporter
Media General, Tampa, FL, 2005-2006
Responsibilities included general assignment covering community news in Northwest Hillsborough County for Sunbelt Newspapers and TBO.com, cultivating news sources, interviewing, writing stories on deadline and photography. Topics included homeowners and zoning issues, local business development, education, and high school sports features.

Staff Writer/Public Affairs Specialist (Internship)
NASA – Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, FL, 2005
Responsibilities included writing stories for the NASA Web site and Kennedy Space Center newsletter about topics ranging from the KSC SWAT team, to microbiology research, to space shuttle program operations; assistance to media services staff to provide information to local, national and international press regarding NASA missions, including the Return to Flight mission; participation in press conferences with NASA senior management, assistance with media accreditation, and direct interaction with media professionals from organizations like the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, Time Magazine, NBC, ABC, BBC and more.

Managing Editor
Focus Magazine, Plant City, FL, 2004-2005
Responsibilities included editing stories for content and adherence to AP style, working with staff writers to improve both information gathering and writing ability, directing editorial meetings in preparation for upcoming issues, participation with the publisher and editor in chief to decide on magazine content for three regional editions, covering and writing stories in the Plant City and Zephyrhills, Fla. communities.   

Staff Writer
Focus Magazine, Plant City, FL, 2004
Responsibilities included reporting and writing stories on community life in Plant City, Fla. Topics included cultural events, historical features, personal profiles, local businesses, agriculture and migrant farming.

Freelance Publications
Neely, J. (2005, October 14). Group’s Scholarship a Blessing, Teen Girl Says. St. Petersburg Times.
Neely, J. (2005, August 25). Look to the West: Surfing Florida’s Gulf Coast. Gulfster.com.
Neely, J. (2000, November 16). Gator Growl was a Disgrace. The Independent Florida Alligator (Opinion).

Social Work

Independent Living Transition Specialist
Connected by 25, Tampa, FL, 2006-2007
Responsibilities included working directly with 18-23-year-olds of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who were in foster care upon becoming legal adults. I assisted these youth in pursuing employment, housing, and educational goals.

Care Manager
Hillsborough Kids, Inc., Tampa, FL, 2002-2003
Responsibilities included working with children and the families of children involved in the State of Florida’s Child Protection Services. The role of the Care Manager included advocating for children’s best interest in juvenile dependency court, monitoring and documenting the welfare of the child, providing access to community resources to promote a permanent and safe family environment for the child, working within the State of Florida protocol, as well as internal operating procedures, and maintaining contact with various child welfare professionals to arrive at a permanent, positive solution for the children and families.

Targeted Case Manager
Children’s Home Society, Palatka, FL, 2001-2002
Responsibilities included working with children and the families of children with various emotional/behavioral problems, assessing each case as to the necessity of specific services, developing plans of care, linking children and families to community resources, monitoring child welfare, and maintaining case documentation according to all Medicaid and other regulations.

Volunteer Service

Horses Helping People (HOPE) Farm, Gainesville, FL, 2009
This non-profit organization provides equine-assisted therapy to children and adults with disabilities. Responsibilities included feeding, exercising, and caring for horses.

Personal Interests

Music, playing drums, surfing, horseback riding, going to the theater, traveling, church, spending time with friends and family.