Dr. Joe Dennis, Chair of the Department of Mass Communications at Piedmont University, has impressive experience as a radio host, journalist, professor and father, each role providing numerous opportunities and obstacles.
“I looked at college as a time to reinvent myself, and I wanted to be a big fish in a little pond as opposed to a small fish in a big pond,” Dennis said.
Joe attended North Central College, a private liberal arts college in Naperville, Illinois. Dennis was attracted to North Central because they had an exceptional radio program, an interest of his since childhood. Dennis became a professional disc jockey and emulated the energy of the radio show hosts he had listened to as a child. Joe still utilizes his high energy to this day as he is the public address announcer for the University of Georgia hockey team.
“I think if you are a journalist, and especially if you are a news journalist or a community journalist, you will develop empathy,” Dennis said. “It is undeniable, because you are put in situations, and you see things that you would likely never see.”
Joe is referring to a series he worked on at the Walton Tribune that covered slum-lording, which went on to win a Georgia Press award for Best Community Service. The story was told through the lens of a child who lived in a slumlord’s home. Dennis said that the environment was disgusting, filled with rats crawling into the home and fly traps hanging from the ceiling. Joe took pictures of the small child playing and the photos created an enormous amount of sympathy, spurring the Monroe City Council to address slumlording and pass bills to potentially fix the problem.
“You know, being a dad is actually how I got out of journalism,” Dennis said.
Joe and his wife Carla were shopping for their newborn son on a Sunday afternoon when the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) called. The GBI was conducting massive drug busts and invited Dennis to come along, providing a location and telling him, “You’re not going to regret it.” Being part of a drug bust was a life-changing experience, but Joe wasn’t sure if he could continue to be a journalist while building a family. That is when he began teaching.
Dennis taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. What makes UGA special to Joe is the network of students, the close knit community, and the connections each student possesses for the future.
Joe has played many roles throughout his lifetime, but he continues to stand by the advice, “Don’t let fear get in the way of a good opportunity.”
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