Former 'IDS' publisher to return Monday

After a two-year hiatus teaching at Hawaii-Pacific University, former IDS publisher Dave Adams will return Monday to the IDS newsroom as interim publisher Nancy Comiskey moves on to a visiting professorship in the IU School of Journalism.\nAdams had served as IDS publisher for 13 years, facilitating student news through the 1991 war in Iraq, Bob Knight's firing, the death of Herman B Wells and the disaster of Sept. 11. \nDon Cross, associate publisher and general manager of the IDS, said he looks forward to a smooth transition between the two publishers. \n"There's going to be a change in the person," he said, "but the atmosphere, the way things are run, won't change much."\nComiskey, a former IDS student staff member who served as an editor at the Indianapolis Star for 10 years, will be teaching classes in media management, reporting, writing and editing -- all skills she has amassed throughout her career in the professional field of journalism. \nCross noted that this experience will be missed by the IDS staff.\n"Nancy has worked with the Indy Star," he said. "She brings recent, real world experience. When she leaves, she takes that with her."\nCross said that to balance such a loss, Adams will bring a lifetime of education experience, particularly with student media. Adams belongs to several organizations such as the Associated Collegiate Press and Western Association of University Publications Managers. \nCross stressed that, while different in style, the attribute which makes both personalities alike is that they strongly support an independent student press.\n"They are both concerned with letting the students run the paper," he said. "They're definitely on the same page when it comes to student independence."\nComiskey expressed her grief in leaving her post in the newsroom but said she looks forward to her new position.\n"It's a great mid-career opportunity to do something challenging and new," she said. "I feel re-energized."\nWhile she admits the classroom is very different from the newsroom, she views her experience as an editor as one of a teacher as well.\n"I feel [teaching] is just an extension of what I did as editor of the Star," she said. "My students now are just a lot younger"