Posted by SMAD June 30, 2008

The James Madison University School of Media Arts & Design is pleased to announce its first endowed professorships. A selection committee has chosen professors Rustin Greene, Alex Leidholdt and John Woody as Ruth D. Bridgeforth Endowed Professors in Telecommunications. The endowment was established in 1989 by Mr. William E. Bridgeforth, Jr. honoring his wife, Ruth. The program intends to support eminent scholars, artists and teachers who have distinguished themselves in the academy. The chairs bring recognition for a long-term program of eminent scholarship/teaching and provide the recipients further support for the type of work that has characterized their record. Congratulations to professors Greene, Leidholdt and Woody for their outstanding contributions and continuing excellence.

Rustin Greene is a professor in the School of Media Arts and Design, and director of JMU's study abroad programs in London. Professor Greene's teaching interests focus on video program development, writing and production, and on leading and managing digital media companies. He served on the board of directors of the Broadcast Education Association, and is a founding member of the BEA Festival of Media Arts. Prior to becoming a teacher, Mr. Greene had a long career as a television producer/director, receiving numerous national awards for his programs, including multiple EMMY and CABLE ACE awards. He continues to write for the screen, including EMMY and Parents Choice award winning programs for NASA's Office of Education. He received his BA from San Diego State University, and his MFA from the University of Minnesota. Mr. Greene is married, and has three children.
Alexander S. Leidholdt, a professor in the School of Media Arts and Design, pursues a scholarly agenda focusing on the human-rights advocacy of the southern press in the first half of the twentieth century. He has authored two biographies of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and has another biography in press. Prior to becoming an academic, he worked for many years as a television writer/director and earned a number of national awards for his programs. He completed a bachelor’s degree at Virginia Wesleyan College, advanced degrees at Clarion University and Indiana University, and a doctorate at Old Dominion University.

John M. Woody is an Apple Distinguished Educator specializing in high definition video post-production and compositing. His video programs have won 35 national awards many of them produced to support James Madison University including "One Day / One University", "The Pat McGee Band: Live", "Beyond JMU: The DVD", "One Day / One Community" and many others. He is an active member of the Broadcast Education Association, the educational division of the National Association of Broadcasters. Prior to joining the faculty at JMU in 1985, he was the Manager of Program Development at the Learning Channel. He received his degrees from James Madison University, Syracuse University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

More on William E. and Ruth D. Bridgeforth
Ruth Derflinger Bridgeforth and William E. Bridgeforth Jr., active athletic donors, are the namesakes of Bridgeforth Stadium on campus. Mr. Bridgeforth was a member of the JMU Foundation Board 1980-1982, and was appointed to the JMU Board of Visitors in 1982, serving until 1990. He died in 1993. The Bridgeforths have five children, four of whom graduated from JMU.