A familiar face with a new title is what Dr. Gary McLouth is known as this year at the College of Saint Rose. Dr. McLouth is the new chair for the Communications Department in the School of Arts and Humanities. Dr. McLouth grew up in a small town, which he says always made him curious about the world. "My father was a doctor of medicine, so he expected his children to be smart. We were quizzed at the table every night." With a gleeful look on his face, he went on to say, "Even though my father sounded strict, it wasn't an authoritarian setting, he just wanted his children to succeed as any father would."
     Since his childhood, Dr. McLouth has followed his curiosity through a series of professional and academic jobs. He has traveled a unique path to arrive at where he is today. He has been a financial aid officer, speechwriter, art administrator, and has even taught American Literature and writing to people in prison. Dr. McLouth found that he has always been attracted to nature and the things that move through it. "This is what inspires my writing." Of all his past experiences, he says, "My most unique experience has to be when I co-wrote the book Men and Abortion. I worked with a Sociologist whose focus was on group behavior while my focus was on individual experience." He worked on it for three years, traveling the East Coast to interview people in clinics, cars and taverns. "It was an enriching journalistic experience, I had to look at the world through different eyes. It introduced a whole new world of writing to me, and it involved lots of original research on a very tough subject." Dr. McLouth appeared on Sally Jesse Raphael, on a segment with Donohue on the Today Show and visited radio shows all over the country talking about the subject and his book. During this experience, he was a full-time doctoral student writing fiction and teaching composition at SUNY Albany. It's when he acquired his habit of trying to accomplish 4 or 5 things at once, a true confession. If you have ever met Dr. McLouth you would find that he is often involved in more than one project at a time. If he is not hosting Culture TV, a student produced cable TV show on campus, he is doing an interview for the news or writing a story, all while teaching his classes and being chair of the Communications Department. Dr. McLouth enjoys playing tennis and golf. He also enjoys traveling with his wife, working on TV shows (his weekly talk show on Pax TV) and writing. "I just finished writing my novel, "Pursuit." No matter what is going on in my life, it will always be fresh in my mind."
     When asked what it was like to be chair of the Communications Department Dr. McLouth was quick to respond with, "It's having responsibilities with options. There are things you have to do like place interns, file reports, and attend meetings, but what it all comes down to is making a better experience for students."
     Dr. McLouth has taught at Saint Rose for 13 years. The courses he currently teaches are: Journalism, Magazine Practicum, Public Relations Practicum, and TV-Journalism Practicum. He is also the faculty advisor for the student run publications "Sphere" and "The Chronicle."
     "I enjoy teaching Journalism, especially in national election years. You get to teach writing styles and explore what's happening in the world all in one. Students become rather expert in a hurry, then they wonder why their friends aren't up on the news."
     As chair of the Communications Department, Dr. McLouth would like to see a dedicated Communications center in the next five years. "It would run a Newspaper, publish newsletters, serve Public Relations clients, produce TV and radio shows and sponsor various learning activities like interdisciplinary forums that would be broadcast and covered by print journalists. Students would play leadership and service roles in the operation of the center and its programs." When asked what his immediate goals were as chair, he chuckled, "Finding out who the next chair is, but on a more serious note, my goals are to redefine the Communication Master's program and to serve the needs and desires of students as best I know how."
Interview By Stephanie Signore