Conner Clifton is thrilled to be joining Rice University as the Assistant Director of Student Media!

Before joining the team, Conner worked as a reporter/producer with Houston Public Media, an editor with Sentai Filmworks, co-hosted a show on KPFT and helped many local arts organizations pivot to digital programming during the initial lockdowns of 2020. He’s eager to bring his media experience to Rice to share with a new generation of students.

In his spare time, Conner likes to read and eat food that is bad for him. His favorite book is the Banjo Kazooie Nintendo Power Official Player’s Guide and his favorite TV show is the news.

Katharine Shilcutt has joined the department as Director of Student Media following a four-and-a-half-year stint working in news and media relations for Rice University.

Prior to Rice, Katharine was the managing editor of Houstonia Magazine and the James Beard-nominated food critic for the Houston Press. She also co-hosted The Full Menu on KUHF 88.7 for three years and regularly represented Houston’s dining scene on local and national television. Katharine’s work has been republished in Best American Food Writing anthologies and honored with multiple Association of Food Journalist Awards.

Katharine is a native Houstonian and seventh-generation Texan who did not graduate from Rice but loves it more than her alma mater anyway. When she’s not cooking or eating out with friends, you can find her doing laps or yoga at the Rec Center or binge-watching “Community” for the 67th time. A former travel writer and mediocre polyglot, Katharine still loves to leave the city/state/country as frequently as possible. She lives in a little old house with her husband and two dogs, who feature heavily on her Instagram account.

While Rice does many things right, it does media wrong – with no support for journalist hopefuls (and barely any for visual arts), students are left floundering when attempting to get into the media world. Even casual observers of media do not get the same opportunities present at other schools – the perspectives of world-class journalists, or of people in entertainment, or marketing, etc.

Media Minute seeks to fill this void at Rice by inviting high-level speakers to interact with Rice students. This exposure will be beneficial to both students serious about entering the media field and students interested in the process behind media. The name Media Minute points to an intent to appeal to college-age students who might be too busy to seek individual research or coursework on the topic, but would like a quick insight into a different world.

Both professional staff members involved with student media at Rice do not think just locally, they take their roles and involvement in student media to the national level.

Kelley is the “print” adviser and also is the current vice president of member services for the College Media Association and will be speaking to students and college media professionals on five topics at the ACP/CMA Fall National College Media Convention. She will speak to students in a session called “Journalists are Superheroes.” The presentation takes a look at the breaches in journalistic ethics routinely made by the likes of Superman and Spiderman, and outlines ways student journalists can avoid making the same mistakes.

Will is the “Electronic Media” staff  member working directly with KTRU and RTV and the Executive Director of College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI).  In his position with CBI, Will took the lead in making the 2014 National Student Electronic Media Convention come into existence in 2012 and continues to be the person responsible for making the convention happen every year and it has grown every year since its inception.  Will will be speaking  to students and college media professionals on three topics at the National Student Electronic Media Convention.  One of those presentations will include an overview of the settlement that CBI reached concerning the requirements and fees associated with student stations which play music on the Internet.  Will was the lead negotiator for both this settlement which covers 2016-2020 and two previous settlements.

Coverage of the settlement has received trade industry coverage by RadioWorld, AllAccess, FMQB and RBR, among others.

Representatives from the Department of Student Media will provide new students with an opportunity to learn about the various student media operations on campus, how they can participate and how the media can be used by any student to raise issues and promote events. Representatives will also discuss the educational opportunities along with personal/professional growth possibilities that participation in student media provides.  There will be two time slots available on Friday, August 22. One at 10 a.m. and another at 11 a.m.  New students will be provided with the location details in their O-Week materials.

Welcome to your portal to all the various student-generated media available at Rice University. The Office of Student Media works primarily with the blanket tax student media, The Rice Thresher, the Campanile and KTRU Rice Radio. Many other student publications and endeavors are also supported by the Rice community.

For more information on any of our media offerings, please click the links to the side or email studentmedia@rice.edu.