Having recently landed in China for a semester-long, university-sponsored internship, a Central Michigan University student journalist believes he "could not ask for a better professional opportunity.

"Working for a large-scale newspaper in a country deemed communist gives me a chance to get an inside view on how differently media operates in foreign countries," said senior Todd Balazovic, who began his internship at the Beijing-based China Daily newspaper in late January. "I have always had a heavy interest in foreign affairs and foreign journalism, so the (opportunity) to work for a newspaper in such an up-and-coming country provides me with a chance to pursue my career in international journalism."

Balazovic's internship is part of a partnership between CMU and the China Daily that began in 1999. CMU sends a student intern to the paper each year, while the China Daily sends visiting professionals to the university to work with journalism students. The China Daily provides accommodations, a stipend and medical insurance for the intern, while a $30,000 gift from The Dow Chemical Co. provides funding for the paper's professionals who visit CMU.

"Journalism is a very competitive field; an internship with the China Daily will significantly enhance the resume of our students, as very few of their peers can claim a comparable experience," said CMU journalism faculty member Jiafei Yin, who is a former China Daily staff member. "It also is a life-changing learning experience for our students coming from mid-Michigan to learn about a different culture and different kind of journalism in one of the major capitals of the world. International media converge in Beijing; anything is possible."

A graduate of Whitehall High School, Balazovic is the son of Debra and Albert Balazovic of Minneapolis. He is a journalism major and psychology minor who expects to complete his degree in May.

"Since a very young age I have dreamed of experiencing Eastern culture, and I am extremely fortunate that this dream will be achieved at such a young age," said Balazovic. "This internship will be a chance to open my eyes to new things and open doors to new places."

Yin said Balazovic was an ideal candidate for the internship.

"Todd has had his eyes on the internship ever since I first had him in my international and cross-cultural communication class," she said. "He is a serious and hard-working student and very goal-oriented. He not only takes academics seriously, but also worked for CM Life (student newspaper) and Grand Central, an online magazine recently launched by the department."

During his time at the China Daily, Balazovic is being mentored by Erik Nilsson, a CMU journalism alumnus who completed the internship program in 2006 and now works for the paper.

The China Daily is the nation's only national, English-language, daily newspaper in China; its average daily circulation exceeds 200,000. For more information, visit the newspaper's Web site at http://www.chinadaily.com.cn.

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Politics, activism and grassroots organization all go hand-in-hand with the Internet these days as interest groups and passionate citizens seek to reach the masses with their messages.

Central Michigan University's communication and dramatic arts department will explore activism in the computer-driven age during "Cyberactivism: Technology, Community, and Voice," its 2008 Communication and Social Action Conference, Feb. 13 and 14 on CMU's campus.

The conference will include an evening keynote address Feb. 13 and a day of sessions and activities Feb. 14. Admission to all events is free and open to the public.

The conference schedule is as follows:

Feb. 13
7 p.m., Music Building's Staples Family Concert Hall: "From Colbert Nation to Indy Multimedia Producers: Social Web Activism and 'Digital Dissent,'" a keynote address by Megan Boler of the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, who is the principal investigator of a Canadian Social Science and Humanities Research grant, "Rethinking Media, Democracy and Citizenship: New Media Practices and Online Digital Dissent after September 11." Boler also edited the forthcoming book "Digital Media and Democracy: Tactics in Hard Times."

Feb. 14
All events in Moore Hall's Townsend Kiva
9:30 a.m.: "Expanding the Community of Activists," a lecture by Jeff Kupperman and Gary Weisserman of the University of Michigan-Flint, founders of the Michigan Student Caucus.

11 a.m.: "Stimulating Activism with New Technologies: Second Life and More," a lecture by CMU faculty members Nikhil Moro of the School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts and Lesley Withers of the communication and dramatic arts department.

12:30 p.m.: "Resolved: That Cyberactivism Limits the Development of Social Capital," a debate featuring graduate and undergraduate students from CMU's forensics program.

2 p.m.: "Transforming Politics Through Cyberactivism," a panel discussion featuring Paul Burns, a member of State Sen. Alan Cropsey's staff; Jim Turner, a member of U.S. Sen. Carl Levin's staff; and CMU biology faculty member Charles Novitski.

3:30 p.m.: "The Ethics of Controlling Cyber-Voices: Yahoo!'s Betrayal of the Chinese People" featuring scenes from "From Every Mountainside" directed by communication and dramatic arts faculty member Elizabeth Richard, followed by a panel discussion including playwright Max Bush, CMU Libraries social sciences reference librarian Rui Wang and CMU senior Josh Schumacher. For more information, call the communication and dramatic arts department at 989-774-3177.

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Academic excellence and cocurricular involvement have led one Central Michigan University graduate student to receive a nationally competitive broadcasting scholarship.

Pinconning native Aaron Jones, a video production graduate assistant in CMU's School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts, recently received the Helen J. Sioussat/Fay Wells Scholarship from the Broadcast Education Association. The $1,250 scholarship is one of only 14 awarded annually to students at BEA member schools throughout the country.

Peter Orlik, director of CMU's School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts, said it has been several years since a CMU broadcasting student has received a scholarship from the extremely competitive program.

"Aaron's success is indicative of the comprehensive and high-quality work that BCA undergraduate and graduate students produce throughout their careers at CMU," Orlik said.

Prior to beginning his graduate studies, Jones received a bachelor's degree in broadcast and cinematic arts from CMU in May 2006. During his time at the university, he has been involved in a variety of cocurricular organizations, including student-run television station MHTV and its "Central View" newsmagazine show, as well as student-run radio station WMHW-FM 91.5. His work has resulted in a variety of national- and state-level honors.

"Throughout the last six years, the School of BCA has done an outstanding job presenting me with opportunities to learn and grow as both a student and as a professional," Jones said. "I learned early on that you only get out of education what you're willing to put into it. Anyone can sit through classes and pass tests, but if you really want to succeed, you need to talk to your professors and take advantage of every opportunity you can."

Faculty member Kevin Corbett has worked closely with Jones, both as a professor and adviser for MHTV, where Jones currently serves as station manager.

"In every instance, Aaron has exhibited a remarkable work ethic and dedication to excellence," Corbett said. "Aaron is one of the most talented, determined and focused individuals I have ever had the pleasure of working with. For these reasons and more, he is more than deserving of this award."

Jones, the son of CMU alumni Mitchel and Susan Jones, received CMU's Leader Advancement Scholarship as an undergraduate. After his expected graduation in May 2008, he plans on earning a Ph.D. in mass communication and media arts, with aspirations of eventually seeking a professorship in video production.

For more information regarding CMU's School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts, visit http://www.bca.cmich.edu.

The Broadcast Education Association's membership includes professors, industry professionals and students involved in teaching and research related to radio, television and electronic media. To learn more about the organization, visit http://www.beaweb.org.

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The musical composition of one Central Michigan University student received a grand debut from one of the world's most renowned vocal ensembles.

Coldwater sophomore Philip Rice was named a winner of a biennial student composer competition hosted by Grammy Award-winning Chanticleer. As a result, the ensemble performed "May the Road," the third movement of his winning work "Three Irish Blessings," during the recent Chanticleer Youth Choral Festival in San Francisco. Rice attended the performance, which was part of a workshop that draws up to 250 high school students each year.

Rice said hearing his work debuted at such a high-caliber event and meeting the members of the ensemble made for a moving experience.

"It was very exciting and very surreal," he said. "The members of Chanticleer were really friendly and laid-back, so it didn't really feel like a big deal until I stopped to think about it."

After finding out about the competition online, Rice, who is studying music theory and composition in CMU's School of Music and has composed more than 130 vocal and instrumental works, applied by submitting his work and a brief biography.

"Needless to say, I was very excited and honored," he said. "I definitely was not expecting anything to happen."

Chanticleer has been called "the world's reigning male chorus" and "America's favorite choral ensemble" by the New Yorker magazine. The 12-man ensemble has performed all over the world, and its repertoire features a variety of musical genres, including jazz, gospel, classical and more.

The group's composition competition encourages students to write quality works for high school-level choirs.

Rice is the son of Mitch and Candy Rice of Grand Rapids. Homeschooled until his senior year of high school, he enrolled at and graduated from Coldwater High School in 2005.

In addition to winning the Chanticleer competition, he has won awards from Kansas University's Choral Society Composers Contest and in competitions hosted by SibeliusMusic.com. In the future, he plans to continue entering similar competitions and sending works to Chanticleer and other ensembles.

For more information about Rice and his work, visit http://www.philiprice.net.

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Professional-caliber work in a student competition has led to statewide recognition for four Central Michigan University student artists.

The late-October "Creative Smackdown 6" competition in Grand Rapids featured design and advertising entries from students at 11 universities and colleges throughout the state. Design professionals from the Grand Rapids area judged the competition, awarding CMU students second, third and fourth place wins in the design category.

"I'm very excited about how well the students did and what a good showing they made for themselves and our program at this event," said art faculty member Larry Burditt.

Each student had 60 seconds to present his or her work to a professional designer in a small-group setting during the first round of the competition. Judges chose eight entries to advance to the second round, five of which were from CMU; four entrants were then selected to present their work to the entire audience in the third and final round, and three of those represented CMU.

Winners included:

Senior Christina DiNello of Jackson and senior Angela Ainsworth of Owosso took second place with their promotional design for the CMU art department. DiNello is a graduate of Lumen Christi High School and the daughter of Sandro DiNello of St. Clair Shores and Cathy DiNello of Monroe. Ainsworth is a graduate of Owosso High School and the daughter of Todd and Elizabeth Ainsworth of Owosso.

Senior Brandon Hart of Carson City received the third-place award for his horse logging Web site. He is a graduate of Carson City-Crystal High School and the son of Ken and Jody Hart of Carson City.

Senior Sharisa Petrowsky of Laingsburg took fourth place with an environmental brochure for ethanol. Petrowsky is a graduate of Laingsburg High School and the daughter of Ryan and Laurie Petrowsky of Laingsburg.
The second- and third-place winners received cash prizes of $200 and $100, respectively, along with a $500 scholarship to the 14-week Polishing Center design workshop series, free membership in the Ad2 West Michigan organization for young professionals, and complimentary registration for a "power workshop" with competition judges.

Competing through the contest's second round were:

Senior Billie Jo McEvers of Mount Pleasant presented "The Palm Billboard," a booklet that features images from vintage matchbook covers and explores the concept of the "palm-sized billboard" as an effective advertising medium. She is a graduate of Mid Michigan Community College and the daughter of Cheri Wilhelm of Elmira and Jim Wellman of Drayton Plains.

Senior Dan Corcoran of Sterling Heights presented his personal portfolio Web site. He is a graduate of Adlai E. Stevenson High School and the son of Timothy and Christine Corcoran of Sterling Heights.
Bringing together top advertising and design professionals with college students, Creative Smackdown allows students to interact with professionals who give constructive and personal critiques. For more information regarding the organization and its competitions, visit http://www.creativesmackdownusa.com.