Although the so-called ‘college years’ are a repugnant memory for some, UCA professor and former editor Dr. David Keith would probably disagree. Keith, the heart and soul of UCA’s journalism program, bade a bittersweet adieu to UCA students, faculty and staff after nearly 20 years on campus. 

 

“It’s still sinking in,” Keith said. “I’ll notice it more in August, but I’m excited about the prospects of what I might do with my time.” 

 

The aficionado started his journalism career at the ripe age of 13, when he was placed in a journalism course at his school. 

 

“We had to do a lot of writing in there,” Keith said. “I discovered I liked the writing and the creative aspect of it. We all have these grand ideas of what we’re going to do when we grow up, so I started thinking, ‘it would be nice to be a syndicated columnist.’

 

“I did write throughout high school for the high school paper. I wrote a regular column, and I enjoyed the freedom of the creativity that came with that.”

 

Keith, who continued practicing journalism throughout high school and his collegiate career at Arkansas State University, landed a job as a reporter at the Jonesboro Sun after completing his undergraduate degree in journalism. 

 

 

Keith met his wife Tammy at the Jonesboro Sun, where they worked for eight years until they moved in 1990. While in Jonesboro, the journalism super couple welcomed their oldest son, John.

 

Keith then began working at the Log Cabin Democrat, where he eventually became a managing editor. Quickly after their move to Conway, the Keiths welcomed their second child, Scott.

 

“Tammy and I both applied at the Log Cabin, then we were both hired,” Keith said. “It fell into place very nicely.”

 

In 2003, while he was a fully employed managing editor, Keith was invited to start a part-time position as an adjunct professor, where his love for teaching began. 

 

After two years of part-time teaching, Keith left the Log Cabin Democrat and began teaching full time. 

 

“I had taught for a year, but did I want to do this?” Keith said. “I enjoyed teaching one class, but do I want to do this full time? And I decided that I did.”

 

As Keith waded into his new title, he also pursued a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, which he completed in 2010. Eleven years later, Keith completed a doctoral degree in Mass Communication at the University of Southern Mississippi in 2021. 

 

 

“I hadn’t been a student in 30 years,” Keith said. “I watched teachers and learned both good and negative things that they did. Learning from their best and worst practices only enhanced my own.”

 

At UCA, Keith implemented “gentle correcting,” where correcting his pupils was not a shameful interaction but rather a conversation. 

 

“I like to gently correct because the editors have to do that,” Keith said. “Editors don’t do it gently most of the time.

 

“I want to encourage them to think for themselves. If someone asks me a question, more often than not, my response becomes a question. I want them to think. I always wanted to not only engage the student who asked the question, but also get other students involved in the answer.” 

 

Through his experiences outside of the classroom, Keith prioritized teaching his students concepts of journalism that are often dismissed. 

 

“You learn by doing,” Keith said, “by going and covering events, and talking to people. 

 

“If it’s a reporting class, you’re going to report. It’s also important we teach people how to write, but it’s even harder to teach them how to be reporters.”

 

 

Outside of his courses, Keith has also been the longstanding advisor for the UCA newspaper, The Echo, where his students create a weekly publication for the campus’s viewing pleasure. 

 

“A proud moment is always The Echo,” Keith said. “Some of the stories they have written and broken are so important. This is why we do journalism. It’s those hard stories that I’m so proud of.” 

 

Keith says that leaving behind the students and staff of UCA is a bittersweet experience, and as a professor so closely knit with his students, it’s a hard community to leave. 

 

“Every semester, we send students into the world and receive new students,” Keith said. “I’m not sending out into the world anymore, and I’m not going to be there to greet the new ones. 

 

“I’m not going to have the opportunity to help them grow and be a part of their lives in the ways I have been to other students. That makes me a little sad.” 

 

Although Keith leaves behind 20 years of teaching, he says his next adventures consist of new projects, cooking classes, family time and copious afternoons on the green. 

 

While some might view retirement as a daunting transition, Keith has embraced the newfound freedom with open arms. Even in retirement, this ‘professor and advisor for life’ will still be impacting his local community in the ways he impacted his students and staff. 

 

Feature Photo: David & Tammy Keith | Credit: Brenna Metts
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