Q: Your Name?
A: Kelly Merges
Q: At what school do you work?
A: UNC Charlotte
Q: How long have you been in student media?
A: 17 years at UNC Charlotte. 15 years as the assistant director, one year as the interim director, and this is my first year as the director.
Q: What are you most proud of at your current Student Media org?
A: I am most proud of the growth and development my students are able to experience here in our program. It’s exciting to watch them gain media skills, but it’s even more rewarding to watch them mature and develop their leadership skills.
Q: What is a fun fact about you, your town, your University?
A: I recently earned my master’s degree in Educational Leadership with a focus on Higher Education from UNC Charlotte. Quite a few years ago, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication with a concentration in Public Relations from Nicholls State university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Nicholls is affectionately known to Louisianians as “Harvard on the Bayou”. I still can’t believe I earned another degree at this point in my career.
Q: What is a media project you would most like to pick someone’s brain about?
A: I’d like to know more about shifting to a less-revenue focused funding model. Revenue has been on the decline here, so i would like to know how we can become less dependent on that revenue while maintaining our current offerings to students.
Q: What is your favorite snack on a road trip?
A: Pecan Divinity from the Cracker Barrel Country Store
Connect with Michelle: klmerges@uncc.edu
