Journalist Enjoys Work and Rewards of Earning a BVU Master's Degree
Reporter/producer in Sioux City observes how BVU instruction, collaboration have made her a better team player and more.
Thirty years after earning her bachelor’s degree, Sheila Brummer, of Sioux City, will cross the stage at the Buena Vista University Commencement on May 7 to pick up her master’s degree in organizational leadership.
“I’ve been in my career field a long time, but I’m still learning about myself and about others,” says Brummer, a reporter/producer who broadcasts up to eight newscasts per day at KWIT Radio in Sioux City. “I used to talk sometimes before I thought things through as completely as I could. In going through the organizational leadership curriculum, I’ve learned more about observing the behaviors and actions of myself, my coworkers, and others. It’s helped me become a better team player.”
Brummer, a native of Dow City, has enjoyed a career that has included reporting, producing, and positions as news anchor in Sioux City, Des Moines, Las Vegas, Omaha, and Wausau, Wis. She’s covered all kinds of stories, ranging from county fairs to serious crime to deadly weather systems and more. She’d been in her position at KWIT for one year when her husband encouraged her to enroll in graduate school.
“I’ve found BVU to be affordable and convenient as I’m able to juggle my job, my responsibilities as the mother of an eight-year-old, and my work within the community."
Sheila Brummer
Brummer was part of a record enrollment within the BVU Graduate School, which has enjoyed 154 percent growth in the past decade. As an employee of KWIT, which is part of the Strategic Partnership initiative with BVU, Brummer qualifies for a $2,000 discount off tuition in the organizational leadership master’s degree program. KWIT, like many organizations, also offers tuition assistance to employees like Brummer who continue their education.
“I’ve found BVU to be affordable and convenient as I’m able to juggle my job, my responsibilities as the mother of an eight-year-old, and my work within the community,” says Brummer, who serves as president-elect of the Iowa Broadcast News Association. She’s a member of the Junior League of Sioux City Board of Directors and serves on the board at Girls, Inc., a program in which her daughter participates.
Additionally, she credits Dr. Mary Gill (BVU Professor of Communication Studies and Program Director for Organizational Leadership, retired) and Dr. Susie Pryor, Program Director for Organizational Leadership with offering key counsel in her 18-month graduate school journey. Members of her cohort have also served as inspirations.
“We have a Facebook page we developed to communicate with one another,” she says. “We use the page as a support group, too. If we miss some points during a project, we talk to one another about it.”
Come May, she’ll relish the opportunity to make that walk through the Victory Arch and into Siebens Fieldhouse for the Commencement ceremony.
“As a journalist, you’re used to being a team leader,” Brummer says. “It’s neat to emerge as a leader, someone valued for the critical thinking needed to make an organization more successful. This experience has made me stronger in all aspects of my life.”