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CCI Honors Faculty, Staff, and Graduating Doctoral Candidates
As much of the end of the school year is focused on celebrating graduating College of Communication and Information (CCI) students, it is also a time to acknowledge the people who help those students achieve success. This year, the college honored several individuals with annual CCI Faculty and Staff Awards, CCI Graduate Student Awards, and…
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Tombras School Hosts Inaugural Showcase Highlighting Student Work, Faculty Research, and Industry Connections
The Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations welcomed more than 100 students, alumni, faculty, and community partners to its first-ever Tombras School Showcase, an event designed to bring classroom learning to life and strengthen connections between the school and the industries it serves. The showcase featured student presentations, faculty research highlights, and an alumni…
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Online BSCI student fulfills ‘dream’ of becoming a Vol, gets hands-on with CCI
Becoming a Volunteer has always been a goal for Halei Lamb. “The University of Tennessee has always been the dream,” Lamb, 33, said. “I just never thought it would be possible at this stage of life.” When she enrolled in the new online Bachelor of Science in Communication and Information (BSCI) program at the College…
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Vols Voices: The History and Impact of the Charles J. McClung Speech Contest
Caption: Overall winner of the spring 2026 Charles J. McClung Speech Contest, Ariel Soudry, delivers his speech, The Great Emu War. Public speaking can be a daunting act for many students, but those who conquer their trepidation and participate in the School of Communication Studies’ Charles J. McClung Speech Contest find the reward for their…
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PhD Grad, First-Generation Student Carla White Finds Calling in Academia, Secures Professorship At UGA
Carla White never predicted she would go to college, let alone earn her doctorate degree, as she did this spring. The first-generation student from North Bay, Canada, is also preparing for her first professional academic job as an assistant professor at the University of Georgia this fall. “Academia was never a path that I anticipated getting involved in,” White said. “For me,…
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Curiosity Leads the Way: Samantha Ho Reflects on Her Journey in Information Sciences
For Samantha Ho, the path to graduation wasn’t always clear, but curiosity helped guide her to where she was meant to be. A Knoxville native, Ho chose to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for a simple reason: it felt like home. “I was born and raised in Knoxville and honestly chose UT because it’s…
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Graduating Master’s Student Laura Ward Hopes to Use Degree to Pay It Forward
After a successful career in the United States Marine Corps and the enterprise software industry, Laura Ward feels blessed and wants to pay it forward. This desire motivated her to enroll in the College of Communication and Information master’s program, with a focus on public relations. “I want to use my education to help local…
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Graduating Communication Studies Senior Sydney Eyerly Turned Student Opportunities Into a Purpose-Driven Path
As the outgoing president of the Communications Club—a role she’s held for the past three years— one would never know that graduating senior Sydney Eyerly once contemplated switching her communication studies major during her first year at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. As an out-of-state student coming to Rocky Top from Atlanta, Eyerly hadn’t really met any other students in the major, and her initial communication studies classes were theory heavy and didn’tresonate. Before…
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Walking Together: CCI Advisor, PhD Candidate Will Share Commencement Milestone with Student Advisee
PhD candidate Byron Keys was in good company when he registered for commencement this spring. As he prepared to graduate with a doctoral degree from the same college where he works as an academic advisor, the College of Communication and Information (CCI), Keys completed the registration form alongside one of his long-time advisees, Matthew Silitsky,…
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From Classroom to Career: Jonah Freedman Builds a Brand on and off the Track
As graduation approaches, Jonah Freedman reflects on a college experience defined by momentum both in the classroom and on the track. A public relations major in the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations, Freedman spent the past four years not only earning his degree but also building a personal brand as a professional racer,…