Ernest Rollins
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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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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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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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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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Graduating CCI PhD Candidate Receives UT Extraordinary Graduate Student Teaching Award
Sarah Devereux was a teaching assistant at Marquette University when she taught her first college class. “I was so incredibly nervous to teach a class because I remember taking public speaking as an undergraduate student and hating it,” said the graduating College of Communication and Information PhD candidate. “But my first introduction to teaching at Marquette was also where I fell…
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CCI Announces 2026 Graduate Student Awards Winners
The College of Communication and Information (CCI) is celebrating the three 2026 recipients of its annual CCI Graduate Student Awards, which recognize students for their excellence in research and teaching. This year’s CCI Graduate Student Awards recipients are: Wangi Zhang Wangi Zhang is earning her Master of Science in Information Sciences (MSIS) and is also one of the researchers in the School of Information Sciences (SIS) iLab studying human-robot interaction. She…
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Wilson Academy Cohort Takes Volunteer Spirit to Japan During Inaugural Global Trip
One of Alex Carpenter’s favorite memories from visiting Japan this winter was searching for one last bite of Kobe beef on the final day of the trip. Just when the journalism and media major and his friends were at their wits’ end, they found an affordable, all-you-can-eat buffet where they indulged in the Japanese delicacy…
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CCI Expands Study Abroad Trips to Morocco, Experience Focuses on AI, Information Sciences
Nyja Casey was pleasantly surprised when she learned that the College of Communication and Information (CCI) offers a study abroad program focused on artificial intelligence (AI). The applied artificial intelligence major’s first study abroad experience was this past winter as part of the inaugural cohort for the UTK CCI in Morocco program. Casey said the experience combined…
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CCI Master’s Program Helps Alumnus Achieve Dream of Making UT Marching Band Documentary
College of Communication and Information (CCI) alumnus Seth Reynolds (‘23, ‘25) is a fan of the HBO Original documentary series Hard Knocks. The show typically takes viewers behind the scenes of different NFL teams’ training camps to learn more about their preparations for an upcoming season. As a freshman baritone player in The Pride of the Southland Band, Reynolds thought this approach would work well for a documentary about the prestigious University of Tennessee, Knoxville, marching band. While he would…
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CCI Faculty, Graduate Students Shine at Annual NCA Convention
While exploring booths at the 2025 National Communication Association (NCA) Convention last month, College of Communication and Information (CCI) master’s student Md Ibnun Sarwar Rafi made an interesting discovery. His first published article, “Barriers to discussing comprehensive sexuality education: a qualitative study of home tutor-student interpersonal communication in Bangladesh,” which investigated barriers home tutors faced when discussing comprehensive sexuality education with their students,…