Juliann Guiffre
Co Editor-in-Chief
This year, Communication students will have the opportunity to learn from someone who has been an eyewitness to every major development in television over the past several decades, from the introduction of color and video tape when he was a boy to the many technical improvements of the digital age.
For Frank Batavick, becoming a Visiting Professor at McDaniel will allow him to share these 36 years of experience, from “writing and producing to program acquisition and sales.” However, he hopes to gain as much as he gives.
“I have also been a life-long student of the media and its history and effects and hope I learn as much from the students as they will learn from me,” he said.
Until June 2008, Batavick worked with Films Media Group as its Chief Content Officer and Vice President. The group is the largest provider of videos to schools, libraries, colleges, and universities. While there he managed film acquisition accounts with providers such as BBC, Discovery, and ABC News. He also established international co-production relationships with producers in Spain, UK and Argentina.
Prior to this, Batavick was the Director of Product Development for the Agency for Instructional Technology, a provider of instructional TV programs to PBS stations. He was also Executive Producer/Producer for the Maryland State Department of Education and Maryland Public TV.
His 600 productions –videos, laser discs, CD-ROMs, and DVDs –have won 65 national and international awards, including a Peabody and a World Gold Medal – US Festivals. However, he decided to call it quits after “a very enjoyable and productive career in television on both the non-profit and for profit sides.”
Most recently he worked as the executive producer for a one-hour documentary on famed literary critic, Harold Bloom, and a 2-part DVD series on Spain’s Generation of ’27 writers.
Batavick was offered this position based on his previous adjunct teaching experience here at McDaniel, where he taught one of the first media courses19 years ago. He accepted because he knew McDaniel to be “a warm and inviting place for students where the emphasis is always on instruction, personal growth, and opening career opportunities.”
Batavick would like to use his first hand experience with technological change to educate his students, especially since he was an active player in developments such as videocassettes, video discs, DVDs, and video streaming. His teaching style also includes humor and contemporary cultural references to “create an unthreatening context for discussion.”
During the fall semester, Batavick will be teaching Intro to Communication – both the Interpersonal and Media classes, as well as Film Analysis.
He feels that one of the most important aspects about a liberal arts education is to have students thinking critically about the world around them, “to see their time here as part of a much larger tapestry— and to understand that they have important roles to play in our society if they develop the right skill set.”