There was a Kentucky contingent at the Olympics that was 56 people strong. You likely saw their work if you watched the Games on TV, but probably did not see them. Surprisingly, they're from a thriving, Christian, liberal arts school 20 miles south of downtown Lexington - Asbury College. Even more surprising is that Asbury's Olympic relationship is over 20 years old.
Fifty students and six members of the faculty and staff were in Beijing working in a variety of broadcasting roles. What makes that number profound is that in China, 1,500 students were recruited from communication programs in universities in Beijing, Qingdao and Hong Kong to compete for one - just one - of 1,089 paid entry-level broadcast positions at the Olympics. That means the number of Asbury students at the Games equaled nearly five percent of the Chinese staff.
Many in Kentucky are unaware of the strength of Asbury's media communications school, one of the largest departments on campus. Graduates of the program work in film, TV and other media venues nationally and internationally. For instance, 2008 graduate Lee Peters from Joplin, Mo., left two weeks earlier than most due to his commitments to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Commenting on Asbury's Olympic history, Dr. Jim Owens, media communications department chair, said, "We have had more than 400 students involved in the Olympic program, and many of them have been able to obtain incredible jobs after the experience."
Asbury students working for the Olympics had the rare chance to work alongside professional broadcast personnel and build relationships with them; they also got exposure to leading-edge media technologies while participating in cross-cultural experiences. They work with the industry's top professionals as camera operators, camera assistants, public relations officers (liaisons), audio assistants and "loggers."
Asbury is also building a reputation for the quality it brings when called to serve. During the College's participation in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the director of broadcasting for the International Olympics referred to Asbury as "the Harvard of broadcast journalism in America."
Since 1984, Asbury College has sent students to Olympic events in Los Angeles, Calgary, Atlanta, Sydney, Salt Lake, Athens and Torino; Beijing served as the eighth trip for the college. Beginning with the 1996 Games in Atlanta, students began getting paid professional wages for their work. Asbury is currently the only school in the world that has been invited to send students to work as paid, entry-level, broadcast professionals.
To ensure their students' success, the college offers programs to help them thrive in new environments. For the Olympics, Asbury began offering Chinese classes in 2007 and enlisted student Stephanie Craker, a "missionary kid" whose family lives in Taiwan, to teach them about the culture and realities of the country.
As department chair, Owens brings an impressive history to bear: Eight Olympic broadcasts, ABC Monday Night Football, NCAA basketball, and 22 years of Indy 500 broadcasts for ABC Sports. Beyond that, he's been a producer for ESPN2 and SportsChannel and written two television production textbooks and a broadcast industry training manual, Television Sports Production (in its fourth edition), which was used in Beijing to train staff. His connection to the Olympics began in 1984 when he volunteered his time for the Goodwill Games and the Olympics. Starting with the 2002 Winter Olympics, he has served as the national manager for the Broadcast Training Program, instructing more than 1,500 Chinese students this past year.
Owens is but one part of the school's story and Asburians continue to add chapters. Recent graduate student achievements include a regional Emmy for a short film and the use of one graduate's design skills by Walt Disney Studios for "The Narnia Exhibit," a 10,000-square-foot traveling show displayed internationally at museums.
Reports from Asburians have been as interesting as any Olympic story and show the heart they display. For instance, senior student Elizabeth Tyler from Elgin, S.C., wrote on her blog: "(We are filming) at a foster care home in a village about an hour from Beijing. Through a connection at Asbury, we found out that this great organization needed a promo video made, so we got to witness firsthand the incredible love that is poured into these kids every day. It was really exciting to use the media skills we've learned at Asbury to help a great cause."
Even though their main task was to bring the Olympics to the world, the Asbury mindset shows through. Her report offers strong clues why folks from the school are continually invited back: they put their hearts into everything they do.
For more information, go to www.asbury.edu or contact Asbury's Office of Public Relations at 859-858-3511. Frank Goad is the learning resources manager at the college.