FIYou: Robert (Ted) Gutsche Jr.

Name: Robert (Ted) Gutsche Jr.

Hometown: Tomah, Wisconsin 

Job Title/Department: Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism & Broadcasting

Location/Campus: Biscayne Bay Campus

In a nutshell: I study and teach critical and cultural interpretations of the news and strive to help students and reporters explore better ways of producing storytelling through community based journalism.

Number of years at FIU: 2 

What do you enjoy most about your job? I work with some of the brightest and kindest faculty, staff and students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. They really motivate me in my teaching, research, and in expanding my horizons.

What do you think students and your fellow faculty/staff should know about your department/area? We have grown immensely in our faculty, our research, and our students continue to push the boundaries of digital media. 

Where is your favorite spot on campus? Why? This may be a lame answer, but my office. Mainly, I love it because it is frequently packed with students.

What is one thing you wish everyone knew about FIU? That the BBC campus is gorgeous and has lots of places to sit outside to read, to walk the dog, and to enjoy the great weather.

How do you help make FIU “Worlds Ahead”? I continually look for ways to challenge my students to see beyond themselves and Miami – and I hope that I allow them to do the same for me.

Family snapshot: My wife, Bridget, and our dog, Sam, 9.

Word that best describes you: Passionate.

First paying job: Reporter, Tomah Journal & Monitor-Herald.

What is playing on your iPad? An Archer episode. 

Your proudest accomplishment: When I landed a story on the cover of the Chicago Tribune and earlier this summer when my first book, A Transplanted Chicago: Race, Place, and the Press in Iowa City (McFarland, 2014), which explores the migration of black residents from inner-city Chicago to Iowa City, Iowa – diaspora that has been met with increased stigmatization in news and public discourses.

What do you do when you are not working at FIU? Work at home for FIU.