Get to Know Our Home Sweet Home
At the College of Communication and Information, we strive to ignite students’ passions so they can carry on the torch of excellence. Once they become a part of the CCI community, they’ll learn to be innovative leaders, thinkers, and Volunteers in whatever calling they choose to follow in the communication and information world.
We are part of a Land Grant Institution embedded in communities to make those communities a better place. Our alumni, students, faculty, and staff strive to positively impact the lives of people in our state through our teaching, scholarship, creative work, and through our engagement and service. CCI as a college is well poised to deliver upon all of those areas to become the most nationally distinctive but locally relevant College of Communication and Information in the country.
Accreditation Statement
In addition, Programs for which accrediting is available are fully accredited. The college’s undergraduate programs in advertising, journalism and electronic media, and public relations are accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Information Sciences is accredited by the American Library Association and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
Strategic Plan
College Governance
Leadership Team
Suzie Allard
Associate Dean for Research,
Director of the CCI Research and Innovation Center
Abebe Rorissa
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Director of the School of Information Sciences
Elizabeth Avery Foster
Director of the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations
Bylaws
All bylaws are in PDF format.
CCI Committees 2023-24
2023-2024 CCI Master Calendar
2023-2024 CCI Committee Roster (PDF file)
STANDING COMMITTEES
Faculty Affairs Committee
Member Composition: 2 tenured/tenure track faculty elected per School; 2-year terms staggered within School
ADPR: Eric Haley (2025)
ADPR: MarÃa De Moya (2024)
SIS: Wade Bishop (2025)
SIS: Dania Bilal (2024)
JEM: Mark Harmon (2025)
JEM: Julie Andsager (2024)
CS: Joan Rentsch (2025)
CS: Emily Paskewitz (2024)
Graduate Studies Committee
Member Composition: 1 tenured/tenure-track faculty per School; staggered 2-year terms
ADPR: Moonhee Cho (2024)
SIS: Wade Bishop (2024)
JEM: Nick Geidner (2025)
CS: Jenny Crowley (2025)
PhD C&I: Anna McClure (CS)
MS C&I: Nick Ganus (CS)
MSIS: Kayla O’Leary
Ex-Officio: Virginia Kupritz
Undergraduate Studies Committee
Member Composition: 1 tenured/tenure-track faculty elected per School; staggered 2-year terms
ADPR: Mariea Hoy (2025)
JEM: Erin Whiteside (2024)
SIS: Dania Bilal (2025)
CS: Quinten Bernhold (2025)
Ex-Officio: Julie Longmire
Budget Committee
Member Composition: (1 tenured/tenure-track faculty per School, staggered 2-year terms. 1 exempt staff/1 non-exempt staff/ Dean shall also appoint at least 1 non-tenure-track faculty member, 1-year term)
ADPR: Michael Palenchar (2025)
JEM: Rob Heller (2024)
SIS: Wade Bishop (2025)
CS: Michelle Violanti (2024)
Non-tenure track faculty: Marieke Keller (CS) (2024)
Exempt staff: Deb Crouse (2024)
Non-exempt staff: Kendra Norman (2024)
Ex-Officio: Joe Mazer
Ex-Officio: Clay Carroll
Departmental Review Committee (DRC) for Human Subjects Research
Member Composition: 2 reps from ADPR; 1 from CS; 2 reps from JEM; and 2 reps from SIS; 1-year terms
ADPR: Sifan Xu (2024)
ADPR: Mariea Hoy (2024)
SIS: Wade Bishop (2024)
SIS: Xiaohua (Awa) Zhu (2024)
JEM: Mustafa Oz (2024)
JEM: Julie Andsager (2024)
CS: Michael Kotowski (2024)
Administrative: Beth Meko
Research Advisory Committee
Member Composition: 2 tenured/tenure-track faculty elected per School, staggered 2-year terms; 1 doctoral student appointed by Associate Dean for Academic Programs, 1-year term; one RIC staff member is ex-officio
Suzie Allard – Chair
ADPR: Jeannette Iannacone (2024)
ADPR: Oluseyi Adegbola (2024)
SIS: Brian Dobreski (2025)
SIS: Jiangen He (2024)
JEM: Martin Riedl (2025)
JEM: Shiyu Yang (2025)
CS: Roth Smith (2025)
CS: Joan Rentsch (2024)
PhD C&I: Curry Wilson (ADPR)
RIC Standing Members:
Amy Forrester
Beth Meko
Karen Jones-Zach
Logan Montuori
Access and Engagement Committee
Member Composition:1 tenured/tenure-track faculty elected per School, staggered 2-year terms; 1 exempt staff/1 non-exempt staff/1 non-tenure track faculty member/1 doctoral and 1 undergraduate student appointed by Dean, 1-year term
ADPR: Christina Najera (2025)
SIS: Devendra Potnis (2024)
JEM: Guy Harrison (2025)
CS: John Haas (2025)
Non-tenure track faculty: Nicholas Meade (CS)
Exempt staff: Byron Keys (DSLS Representative)
Non-exempt staff: Ashley Riddle (now exempt staff)
Doctoral student (SIS): Shreenandan (Nanda) Rajarathnam
Undergraduate student (): TBD
Ex-Officio: Dionne George
ADVISORY COUNCILS
Dean’s Faculty Advisory Council
Member Composition: 1 tenured/tenure track faculty elected from each School, 1-year term; 1 exempt staff/1 non-exempt staff/2 non-tenure track faculty member appointed by Dean, 1-year term
ADPR: Minjie Li
SIS: Wade Bishop
JEM: Amber Roessner
CS: Jessica Frampton
Non-tenure track faculty: Cathy Cuevas (CS)
Non-tenure track faculty: Colin Piacentine (ADPR)
Dean’s Staff Advisory Council
Member Composition: (1 staff member from each School; 2 staff members appointed by Dean, 1-year term)
ADPR: Kelly Jones
SIS: Tanya Arnold
JEM: Yana Truman
CS: Sarah Schmid
Appointed by Dean: Hayden Antal
Appointed by Dean: Mike Schaffer
Dean’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Council
Member Composition: Student presidents (or designee) from CCI Undergraduate Student Organizations
Com Studies Club: Rep (their president) will be chosen in August
Ad Club: Aislen Setty
PRSSA: Lita Lemon
SPJ: Jack Foster
Diversity Student Leaders Society: TBD
BSIS: Holly Liban
Dean’s Graduate Student Advisory Council
MS C&I: Joel Moroney (JEM)
MS C&I: Sophie DeBraal (ADPR)
MSIS: Juliette Robinson (SIS)
MSIS: Pamela Michelle Henry (SIS)
PhD C&I: Rohit Gunti (SIS)
PhD C&I: Sarah Devereux (CS)
AD HOC COMMITTEES
CCI Global Programs Committee
CS: Laura Miller – Chair
ADPR: Moonhee Cho
JEM: Mark Harmon
SIS: Xiaohua (Awa) Zhu
UNIVERSITY-WIDE SERVICE RESPONSIBILITIES
Faculty serve on many committees throughout UTK as part of their service and/or administrative responsibilities. The following commitments require the college to elect representatives on a regular basis.
Faculty Senate
CCI has five senators. Senators serve three-year terms, plus one of the at-large faculty senators representing all UT lecturers.
Dania Bilal (First Term, First Year, 2025)
Joy Marie Doan (First Term, First Year, 2025)
Matthew Pittman (First Term, Second Year, 2024) (CCI Caucus Chair)
Amber Roessner (Second Term, 2024, Faculty Senate President, Faculty Senate Leadership Team until 2024-25)
[Fill vacancy for Robyn Blakeman]
TBD (Alternate CCI Senator for 2022-23 who will attend if any CCI Senators are unable to
attend Senate Meetings)
Graduate Council
Three-year terms; two representatives and two proxies
Moonhee Cho (ADPR) (2025)
Nick Geidner (JEM) (2025)
Proxy: Laura Miller (CS), Wade Bishop (SIS)
Ex-Officio: Virginia Kupritz
Undergraduate Council
Three-year terms. Dates shown are when the term expires
Erin Whiteside (2026)
Quinten Bernhold (2026)
Ex-Officio: Julie Longmire
Periodic Post-Tenure Performance Review Committee Members
1 tenured full-time faculty (full professor if faculty member being reviewed is a full professor) from each School, 1-year term
SIS: Suzie Allard
JEM: Amber Roessner
CCI Graduate Student Association (GSA)
(2023-2024 officers)
Jalen Blue, President (PhD, CS)
Shelby Luttman, Vice President (PhD, ADPR)
Aman Misra, Vice President (PhD, JEM)
Traci Lively, Vice President (MSCI, CS)
Nanda Rajarathnam, Vice President (PhD, SIS)
CCI Graduate Student Senate (GSS)
(2023-2024 representatives)
Winston Roberts (C&I MS)
Jess Barfield (C&I PhD, SIS)
Scott Greeves (C&I PhD, JEM)
Tyler Deverell (C&I PhD, CS)
Mary Beth Mahne (C&I MS)
Francesca Watkins (MSIS)
Volunteer Experience Faculty Advisory Committee (Ad Hoc)
Emily Paskewitz (CMST)
Guy Harrison (J&M)
Minjie Li (ADPR)
Kai Li (SIS)
CCI Faculty and Staff Awards
The College of Communication and Information recognizes outstanding achievement through its annual college faculty awards. All tenure and tenure-track faculty are eligible. In 2020, CCI added two staff award categories: the Volunteer Spirit Award and the Big Orange Award.
Faculty Awards
Faculty Research Award
This award recognizes outstanding research by a tenured or tenure track faculty member in the college.
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Sifan Xu |
| 2022 | Quentin Bernhold, Devendra Potnis |
| 2021 | Vandana Singh |
| 2020 | Jenny Crowley |
| 2019 | Barb Kaye |
| 2018 | Moonhee Cho |
| 2017 | Beth Foster |
| 2016 | Wade Bishop |
| 2015 | Amber Roessner |
| 2014 | Jin Seong Park |
| 2013 | Courtney Wright |
| 2012 | Erin Whiteside |
| 2010 | Elizabeth J. Avery |
| 2009 | Mariea G. Hoy |
| 2008 | Michael J. Palenchar |
| 2006 – 2007 | Lisa T. Fall |
| 2006 – 2007 | Dania Bilal |
| 2005 – 2006 | Catherine A. Luther |
| 2004 – 2005 | Dwight L. Teeter, Jr. |
| 2003 – 2004 | Barbara K. Kaye |
| 2002 – 2003 | Michael Hoefges |
| 2002 – 2003 | Dania Bilal |
| 2001 – 2002 | Mark D. Harmon |
| 2000 – 2001 | Sally J. McMillan |
| 1999 – 2000 | Mark E. Littmann |
| 1999 – 2000 | Daniel J. Foley |
| 1998 – 1999 | Ronald E. Taylor |
| 1997 – 1998 | Charles E. Caudill |
| 1996 – 1997 | Mariea G. Hoy |
| 1995 – 1996 | Benjamin J. Bates |
| 1994 – 1995 | Ronald E. Taylor |
| 1993 – 1994 | Mariea G. Hoy |
| 1992 – 1993 | Dorothy A. Bowles |
| 1991 – 1992 | Dhyana Ziegler |
| 1990 – 1991 | Susan M. Caudill |
| 1989 – 1990 | Charles E. Caudill |
| 1988 – 1989 | Herbert H. Howard |
| 1987 – 1988 | Charles E. Caudill |
| 1986 – 1987 | Herbert H. Howard |
| 1985 – 1986 | Paul G. Ashdown |
| 1984 – 1985 | M. Mark Miller |
| 1983 – 1984 | Herbert H. Howard |
Faculty Teaching Award
This award recognizes outstanding classroom instruction by a tenured or tenure track faculty member in the college.
| Year | Recipient |
| 2023 | Brian Dobreski |
| 2022 | Guy Harrison |
| 2021 | Derrick Holland |
| 2020 | Devendra Potnis |
| 2019 | Awa Zhu |
| 2018 | Nick Geidner |
| 2017 | Rachel Fleming-May |
| 2016 | Carolyn Hank |
| 2015 | Robyn Blakeman |
| 2014 | Abbey Levenshus |
| 2013 | Laura Miller |
| 2012 | Rachel Fleming-May |
| 2011 | Elizabeth M. Hendrickson |
| 2010 | Courtney C. Childers |
| 2009 | Mark E. Littmann |
| 2008 | Kenneth J. Levine |
| 2006 – 2007 | Carolyn R. Lepre |
| 2006 – 2007 | Daniel M. Haygood |
| 2005 – 2006 | William C. Robinson |
| 2005 – 2006 | John W. Haas |
| 2004 – 2005 | Suzanne L. Allard |
| 2003 – 2004 | Lisa T. Fall |
| 2002 – 2003 | Margaret A. Morrison |
| 2001 – 2002 | Candace L. White |
| 2000 – 2001 | Bonnie P. Riechert |
| 1999 – 2000 | Mark D. Harmon |
| 1998 – 1999 | J. Eric Haley |
| 1998 – 1999 | Margaret A. Morrison |
| 1997 – 1998 | Candace L. White |
| 1996 – 1997 | Mariea G. Hoy |
| 1995 – 1996 | Margaret A. Morrison |
| 1994 – 1995 | Bonnie L. Hufford |
| 1993 – 1994 | Jerry L. Morrow |
| 1992 – 1993 | J. Eric Haley |
| 1991 – 1992 | Paul G. Ashdown |
| 1990 – 1991 | Robert B. Heller |
| 1989 – 1990 | Michael J. Stankey |
| 1988 – 1989 | Herbert H. Howard |
| 1987 – 1988 | Dhyana Ziegler |
| 1987 – 1988 | George C. Johnson |
| 1986 – 1987 | Bonnie L. Hufford |
| 1985 – 1986 | DeForrest Jackson |
| 1984 – 1985 | Jerry L. Morrow |
| 1984 – 1985 | Ronald E. Taylor |
| 1983 – 1984 | DeForrest Jackson |
| 1982 – 1983 | Paul G. Ashdown |
Faculty Service/Outreach Award
This award recognizes outstanding service/outreach by a tenured or tenure track faculty member in the college.
| Year | Recipient |
| 2022 | Amber Roesnner |
| 2021 | Eric Haley |
| 2020 | Emily Paskewitz |
| 2019 | Vandana Singh |
| 2018 | Courtney Childers |
| 2017 | Candace White |
| 2016 | Lisa Fall |
| 2015 | Rob Heller |
| 2014 | Michael J. Palenchar |
| 2013 | Bharat Mehra |
| 2011 | Michael J. Palenchar |
| 2010 | Mark D. Harmon |
| 2009 | Michael J. Palenchar |
| 2008 | Lisa T. Fall |
| 2007 | Bharat Mehra |
| 2007 | J. Eric Haley |
| 2006 | Naeemah Clark |
| 2005 | Candace L. White |
Non-Tenure Track Faculty Teaching Award
This award recognizes outstanding classroom instruction by a non-tenure track faculty member in the college.
| Year | Recipient |
| 2022 | Carolyn Hank |
| 2021 | Melanie Faizer |
| 2019 | Sharon Toedte |
| 2018 | Megan Fields |
| 2017 | Stephen Bales |
| 2016 | Lisa Gary |
| 2015 | Pete Finch |
| 2014 | Melanie Faizer |
| 2013 | Suzy Prentiss |
| 2010 | Michelle E. Garland |
| 2010 | Sharon L. Toedte |
| 2009 | Lisa B. Gary |
| 2008 | Thomasena F. Shaw |
| 2007 | Andrew C. Tollison |
| 2004 – 2005 | Laura Arnett Smith |
| 2004 – 2005 | Thomasena F. Shaw |
| 2004 – 2005 | Lisa B. Gary |
Non-Tenure Track Faculty Service/Outreach Award
This award recognizes outstanding service/outreach by a non-tenure track faculty member in the college.
| Year | Recipient |
| 2022 | Joe Stabb |
| 2020 | Cindy Welch |
Part-Time Lecturer Teaching Award
This award recognizes outstanding classroom instruction by a part-time lecturer in the college.
| Year | Recipient |
| 2023 | Becky Huckaby |
| 2021 | Phil Kaplan |
| 2020 | Scot Smith |
C.W. (Bud) Minkel International/Intercultural Award
This award recognizes superlative international/intercultural research, teaching and/or service by a tenured or tenure-track faculty member.
| Year | Recipient |
| 2022 | Moonche Cho |
| 2019 | Devendra Potnis |
| 2018 | Laura Miller |
| 2017 | Mark Harmon |
| 2016 | Candace White |
| 2015 | Sam Swan |
| 2013 | Kenneth Levine |
| 2009 | Edwin M. Cortez |
| 2008 | Catherine A. Luther |
| 2007 | Robert B. Heller |
| 2001 – 2002 | C.W. (Bud) Minkel |
Extraordinary Service Award
This award is given at the discretion of the Dean of the college in recognition of extraordinary service by a faculty member to the college and/or university.
| Year | Recipient |
| 2013 | Dwight Teeter |
| 2010 | Sally J. McMillan |
| 2009 | Edward A. Spray |
| 2006 | Gregory D. Reed |
| 2003 – 2005 | Douglas Raber |
| 2004 – 2005 | James A. Crook |
| 2003 – 2004 | Barbara A. Moore |
| 2002 – 2003 | Patricia L. Fisher |
| 2002 – 2003 | M. Mark Miller |
| 2002 – 2003 | Michael W. Singletary |
| 2001 – 2002 | J. Eric Haley |
| 2000 – 2001 | Robert W. Glenn |
| 2000 – 2001 | James A. Crook |
| 1999 – 2000 | M. Mark Miller |
| 1998 – 1999 | Herbert H. Howard |
| 1997 – 1998 | Roxanne Hovland |
| 1996 – 1997 | Dorothy A. Bowles |
| 1995 – 1996 | George A. Everett |
Staff Awards
Volunteer Spirit Award
This award recognizes a full-time CCI staff member for outstanding customer service, positive attitude, strong work ethic, and/or work efficiency/productivity to CCI.
| Year | Recipient |
| 2023 | Kendra Norman |
| 2022 | Sandy Cabbage |
| 2021 | Clint Elmore |
| 2020 | Pamela Durban |
Big Orange Award
This award recognizes a full-time CCI staff member for outstanding administrative, advising, technical, outreach, and/or research service to CCI.
| Year | Recipient |
| 2023 | Dionne George, Yana Truman |
| 2022 | Dan Greene |
| 2021 | Margaret Taylor |
| 2020 | Tanya Arnold |