Faculty
Jim Haney
Associate Dean
- College of Fine Arts and Communication -
Head
- Division of Communication -
jhaney@uwsp.edu
Phone: 715.346.3409
Office: CAC 225
Focus
- A.B. Degree: Ripon College (Phi Beta Kappa) - speech and history
- M.A. Degree: The University of Iowa - communication
- Ph.D. Degree: The University of Iowa - communication
Courses Taught
- Comm 230: Introduction to Public Relations
- Comm 333/533: Case Studies in Public Relations
- Comm 334: Writing for Public Relations
- Comm 431: Public Relations Campaigns
- Comm 730: Graduate Seminar - Case Studies in Public Relations
Biography
Jim Haney teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in public relations at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. He served for nearly ten years as the Director of Research and Information for the Wisconsin Department of Justice. In that post, he managed all communication activities for the 600-person agency, supervised all media contacts and served as the press secretary/chief spokesman for former Attorney General (now Governor) Jim Doyle.
He has coordinated media relations on many sensitive law enforcement cases including the investigation of the Milwaukee Police Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Dahmer case, numerous homicides and investigations into other serious crimes and legal issues. For six months, he also served as acting communication director for the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, D.C. and assisted attorneys general around the country on high profile lawsuits against the major tobacco companies and Microsoft Corporation.
Haney has helped coordinate communication on seven statewide political campaigns and has served as a consultant for a number of businesses, public officials and political candidates. He has provided media relations training for public health officials, law enforcement executives, prosecutors, local officials, educators and public information officers. Haney’s previous experience includes work as an award-winning radio news reporter and news director.
Awards/Service
He has won the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point’s “Excellence in Teaching Award” and “Mentor Award” for his work as a student organization advisor. In 1998, Haney was the first non-lawyer in the country to ever win the National Association of Attorneys General “Marvin Award” for being “an outstanding staff member in the office of a state attorney general.” Haney is a former member of the board of directors of the Iowa Associated Press Broadcasters Association and Wisconsin Council on Public Broadcasting. He now serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, a member of the Guiding Coalition for Problem Oriented Policing in Wisconsin and is the co-advisor to UWSP’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.
Recent Publications
“Media relations training for those on their own: 10 suggestions for success,” Public Relations Tactics, Vol. 13, No. 5, May 2006, p. 16.
“An Assessment of the Public Relations Efforts of Local Law Enforcement Executives,” Proceedings from the Public Relations Society of America International Conference, (2006 – in press).
“Thoughts on Privacy: A Review of Journalism and the Debate over Privacy,” Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 2005, Vol. 20, No. 1, p. 99.
"Public Relations and Technology Transfer Offices: An Assessment of US universities’ relations with media and government,” Industry & Higher Education, Vol. 18, No. 4, August 2004, pp. 227-234.
“The Ethical Challenge of Global Public Relations: A Review of the Global Public Relations Handbook,” Journal of Mass Media Ethics, Vol. 19, No. 3 & 4, 2004, pp. 315-316.
“Public Relations and Technology Transfer Officers: An Assessment of Media and Government Relations,” Journal of the Association of University Technology Managers, Vol. XV, December 2003, pp. 81-96.