HBU Expands Mass Media Offerings with Dr. Steven Halliday

Cinema & New Media Arts | On Jul 10, 2015

Houston Baptist University is pleased to announce that Dr. Steven Halliday will be joining the School of Fine Arts this fall as an Associate Professor of Mass Media Arts. Dr. Halliday has more than thirty years of experience in writing and publishing, with a recent emphasis in the developing opportunities offered by convergent media and technology. Halliday’s doctoral research focused on the effectiveness and potential of next-generation digital eBooks and interactive multimedia applications for 21st century authors and communicators.

Dr. Halliday’s own work as an author includes the Gold-Medallion winning How Majestic Is Thy Name and he has co-authored or collaborated on books with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Tim LaHaye, Dave and Jan Dravecky, Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie, Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, Randy Alcorn, Luis Palau, and others. He is the founder and president of Hothouse Enterprises, Inc., an innovative communications company that focuses on collaborative content creation and development in both the traditional publishing and convergent media industries.

With such diverse experience and expertise, Dr. Halliday will teach a variety of classes in writing, mass media arts, and journalism.

New Mass Media Arts Degree Program

In collaboration with Dr. Halliday, the Cinema & New Media Arts program is excited to be offering a new Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media Arts, beginning this fall. The new major, which expands on HBU’s previous Journalism & Mass Communication degree, is designed for students interested in a career within the mass media industry, from film and television to journalism to emerging opportunities in new media.

The Mass Media Arts major offers courses in collaboration, communication, multimedia arts, storytelling, media business, journalism, public relations, and more. Developed to work in conjunction with HBU’s dynamic Cinematic Arts curriculum and our Creative Writing program, the Mass Media Arts major also allows students to take classes in film and traditional writing as a part of the new degree plan.

“With the rapid changes in media, technology, and communication, HBU needed a more versatile curriculum for our mass media students than was being presented in our Journalism & Mass Communication major,” explains department chair Joshua Sikora. “This new degree starts with foundational principles in communication, visual arts, and storytelling — timeless concepts that will be relevant as technology evolves.” Building on that foundation, the program also teaches students essential media business skills such as pitching and networking.

Students can specialize in a particular field, such as journalism or film, or with an academic advisor can customize a set of electives to fit their specific interests. “We’re very excited about the versatility of this new degree and the opportunities it opens up for our students,” Sikora explains. “With the addition of Dr. Halliday and his expertise in convergent media, HBU is demonstrating a strong commitment to train our media arts students for the future.”