Mark Bishop is one of the most well-rounded and interesting members of the Olivet communication department. He has traveled across the country and had a hand in most areas of Multimedia both on and off Olivet’s campus.
Life at Olivet
Professor Mark Bishop, more affectionately known as “Prof B” by his students. Beginning in 2001, he has had twenty years of teaching under his belt at Olivet, with a one-year break in 2013 where he taught at Olivet’s sister college, Trevecca Nazarene University. His official page on the Olivet website can be found here.
The Professor
At Olivet, Bishop teaches courses in nearly all areas of the communication department. His tutelage covers TV and video, public speaking, and a majority of the journalism courses. He is currently the course director for the entry-level communication class, COMM 105, in which he oversees the adjunct professors in the department.
Bishop’s influence on the Olivet communication department started before his teaching career. While working in Nebraska as a meteorologist, Bishop pitched the idea for the school to start a TV program. A few years later, he received an invitation to give the program and a look, as well as take on a teaching position.
“I love our department,” Bishop said. “I love the professors I work with. I absolutely love the communication students. I think it’s one of the better degrees we have [at Olivet]. Of course, I’m biased.”
Consistently, one of Bishop’s favorite things in his teaching has been the opportunity to invest in the lives of his students through his own life experiences, as well as his love for Olivet.
The Communication department loves Bishop in return, both by faculty and students.
“He understands what life and schoolwork is like for Comm students and he is able to help guide me and give me support outside of class,” said Jack Neal. Neal is a Communication major, as well as a Resident Assistant at University Place Apartments, where Bishop is an Resident Director.
“He’s been a part of the fabric of the department for forever,” said Dr. Beth Patrick-Trippel, tenured professor at Olivet.
“He brings a perspective and experience that is very valuable to our students,” said Dr. Heather McLaughlin, Communication department chair, “And, of course, his humor and his sarcasm is always fun and playful.”
“As a student […] Prof Bishop was one of my professors that I really looked up to,” said Ashley Sarver, now the theatre professor at Olivet, “I just loved learning from him. Now that I work at Olivet, he has continued to be a mentor.”
The RD
Bishop’s investment in student goes beyond the professional capacity. He has also held the position of Resident Director for the men’s buildings of Olivet’s University Place Apartments for two semesters.
“I have always kind of had that in the back of my mind of wanting to [be an RD],” Bishop said. “Now that my daughters are […] out of the house […] I took the time to apply.”
Bishop saw this position as providing a unique opportunity to mentor students and invest their personal lives that was not afforded as easily simply as a professor.
He and his wife, Leanne, constantly look for ways to be a blessing to their residents, whether it is hosting events for residents to get closer or delivering baked goods and bags of goodies during finals week.
The Professional
Bishop is himself an Olivet alumnus, having graduated from the university in 1993 with a B.A. in Communications. His immediate job after this was restaurant management with the Bob Evans corporation. He had worked for them in some capacity since his high school years. However, three months into this job, Bishop turned his sights to a position more befitting of the communication and journalism he had pursued in college.
Life on the Small Screen
He acquired an unpaid internship with a Christian television station in Chicago called Channel 38, which led to a full time paid position in various areas of production.
Bishop then took a job in Rockford, IL as a news producer. After six months, he was promoted to being a reporter. He was later approached by the station’s weekend meteorologist and offered an unofficial apprenticeship for his position. When that meteorologist left, Bishop auditioned for the job, which he quickly got.
Meteorology soon brought Bishop to Lincoln, NE, where he worked as a weekend weatherman for about two years. During this time, he pursued an online education with Mississippi State University to receive certification as a meteorologist. This led him to take on a full time position as a meteorologist for a morning show in Omaha, NE, where he was later promoted to chief meteorologist. It was during this time that Bishop was offered a position at Olivet.
Click here to see a reel of some of Bishop work as a meteorologist.
“That’s a Documentary!”
As a professor and a multimedia professional, Bishop has always had a particular affinity for documentaries.
“I enjoy watching [documentaries], I enjoy looking at the structure of documentaries, and I enjoy shooting documentaries,” Bishop said.
For his master’s program, he filmed his own documentary entitled I’m a Person First. The documentary followed the lives of three individuals with Down syndrome and sought to give an educational view of their experiences.
Though he has been unable to do much personal documentary production, Bishop has hopes of eventually getting back into it to do some projects.
Words to Live By
Having had such interesting life experiences, Bishop certainly has words of wisdom he loves to pass on to his students and residents.
“Work ethic is something I’ve preached over the years,” Bishop advised. “Work ethic is huge.”
