معرفی
Geri Alumit Zeldes is a tenured Professor in the School of Journalism at Michigan State University's College of Communication Arts and Sciences. She previously served as the Graduate Studies Director (2014-2017) and the College of Communication Arts and Sciences’ Faculty Excellence Advocate (2017-2022). In 2022, she received the prestigious MSU William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award for exceptional contributions across teaching, advising, research, public service, and committee work with emphasis on supporting Communities and Students of Color.
Dr. Zeldes earned her Ph.D. from Michigan State University, where she has spent over half her life progressing from doctoral student to fixed-term faculty and finally tenure-stream professor. Her academic identity is deeply rooted in MSU’s institutional culture and mission.
Her research specializes in news coverage of race, ethnicity, and religion through documentary filmmaking, exploring intersections of global and multicultural communication, political communication, and civic engagement. She focuses on amplifying marginalized voices and social justice narratives, particularly through creative scholarship that bridges academic rigor and community impact. Her work consistently centers on storytelling at society’s margins with emphasis on Flint, Michigan communities.
Dr. Zeldes has received extensive recognition including:
- MSU William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award (2022)
- 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World Award - Innovator and Thought Leader (2017)
- Regional Emmy Award for "Breed & Bootleg" (2022)
- Diversity & Inclusion Award for "Brenda's Story" (2022)
- 5 Regional Emmy Awards across her filmography
- Numerous honors from communication associations and journalism organizations
She actively mentors students in documentary production resulting in award-winning collaborative projects, including Emmy-winning films. Her grant portfolio includes Michigan Humanities Council funding for "Jackie Kallen AKA The First Lady of Boxing" and MSU Creating Inclusive Excellence Grants for projects addressing social justice and faculty development. She integrates student teams into all creative and research endeavors, fostering experiential learning through real-world media production.
Dr. Zeldes contributes to the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and Health and Risk Communication Center, leveraging these platforms for interdisciplinary research on media representation of underrepresented communities. Her current book project "Flow & Flint Town" examines musical and psychological flows among rap artists and reporters in Flint since the 1980s.
