When Kyle Heim began his educational trek, he did not see himself becoming a copy editor or even a professor. In fact, Heim originally wanted to pursue music due to his knack for playing the piano.

Heim attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota for his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in communication/journalism.

“To be honest, I was pretty bound and determined to go into journalism but Macalester didn’t offer it as a major,” Heim said.

After graduating Macalester College, Heim dove directly into his journalism master’s degree at North Western University in Illinois. Heim then landed his first job at the Waterloo Courier in Iowa.

“I basically ended up there because they were the ones that offered me the job,” Heim said.

Heim worked for the Waterloo Courier as a copy editor for four years, which gave him experience designing pages and reporting. He then switched gears and served as the news adviser for the Penn State school newspaper, where he enjoyed helping students and seeing their spark of excitement.

Heim also served as a copy editor for the Chicago Tribune in Chicago, Illinois and the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Minnesota along with serving as assistant city editor for the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In addition to his newspaper jobs, Heim was also a professor at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.

“I’ve sorta gone here and there and everywhere,” Heim said.

Recently, Heim’s journey led him to Shippensburg, Pennsylvania when he saw a job opening for a communication/journalism professor. Heim admitted that he was drawn to the SU campus after hearing that its communication/journalism department was nationally accredited. Heim mentioned that all schools will tell you that they have a good program but that accreditation seals the deal.

Heim also liked that SU provides students with the practical skills and hands-on experience they need to succeed in the job market through emphasis in student media and internships. Another factor that drew Heim to SU was that all the faculty had professional experience prior to teaching.

Heim stressed the importance of journalism students not limiting themselves. He explained that journalism students need to be a “jack, queen or king in all trades” as newspaper companies now want someone who can not only write, but also edit and take photos.

“It’s important for journalism students to understand that journalism is going through a lot of changes thanks to technology,” Heim said.

Heim began teaching at SU in the fall of 2015. This semester he teaches Editing, Intro to Mass Communication and Communication Law and Ethics. Heim also is the Cumberland Yearbook adviser where he aspires to expand their online social media presence. Heim says he hopes to get his tenure at SU and continue teaching communication/journalism classes.

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