Category Archives: Alumni News
CCI Alumni Start VOLs Remote Internship Program for Students
As many students around the country had their summer internship plans put on hold because of COVID-19 and economic uncertainty, the University of Tennessee’s New York City Alumni Chapter quickly organized a virtual internship program for future communicators.
The VOLs Remote Internship pilot program paired five interns from CCI with social media and digital communication roles at nonprofit organizations dedicated to education.
CCI Board of Visitors member Jamie Lonie (PR ’10), who also serves as president of New York City Alumni Chapter, said the idea for a digital internship program was born from the November 2019 CCI Board of Visitors … Read more “CCI Alumni Start VOLs Remote Internship Program for Students”
Q&A with Gabriela Szymanowska
While she was a student in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media, Gabriela Szymanowska (JEM ’20) developed a passion for telling people’s stories that can raise awareness or inspire change on important social issues.
She gained more experience telling those critical stories through writing and photography during her eight-month John and Patty Williams Fellowship with the Carnegie-Knight News21 program, the prestigious multimedia project that brings together the country’s top journalism students and graduates. Because of COVID-19, this year’s 31 News21 fellows from 16 universities collaborated virtually on “Kids Imprisoned,” an investigation into juvenile justice in America.
Szymanowska served as … Read more “Q&A with Gabriela Szymanowska”
Seattle Public Library, Led by Marcellus Turner (SIS ’88), Named 2020 Library of the Year
CCI Board of Visitors member and Seattle Public Library Executive Director and Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner (SIS ’88) credits the library’s staff for earning it the 2020 Gale/Library Journal Library of the Year Award.
“This is well-deserved recognition of their commitment to involving community voices in programs, reducing barriers to access and actively pursuing key partnerships. It’s our staff that has been leading the way,” Turner stated in a news release.
Visit the School of Information Sciences website to continue reading.
Lexie Little (JEM ’18) Places in Hearst Awards for Clarence Brown Story
Alumna Lexie Little (JEM ’18) placed sixth nationally in the Personality/Profile Writing Competition in the 2019-20 William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards Program.
Her award-winning feature article, “A Roustabout Career: The Forgotten Celebrity of Clarence Brown,” started as a class assignment but eventually appeared in the Torchbearer, the University of Tennessee’s alumni magazine.
Little is now pursuing her Master’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She recently started work on her thesis project, which explores shifts in the collective memory of the Civil War through studying newspaper coverage of Confederacy … Read more “Lexie Little (JEM ’18) Places in Hearst Awards for Clarence Brown Story”
Ask Alumni: Making the Most of Telecommuting
With many professional communicators now working from home because of COVID-19, we asked CCI alumni for their advice on making the most of telecommuting.
For the most updated campus information related to the coronavirus as well as resources for students, faculty, and staff, please visit utk.edu/coronavirus.
Wendy Bishop
JEM, 1995
Copywriter/Editor, Jewelry Television
Have set working hours if you can. Don’t work in the same room where you sleep or relax. Try to set boundaries so you don’t feel “on” all the time and take breaks during the day to get up, step away or go outside. My husband … Read more “Ask Alumni: Making the Most of Telecommuting”
Peyton Manning Surprises CMST Students in Online Class
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students received a big surprise today when Peyton Manning dropped in on John Haas’ Communication Studies Senior Capstone class.
“I realize this a unique time and probably not the ideal way you guys expected to spend your senior year,” Manning said. “I just encourage you to keep a positive attitude, keep doing what you’re doing, and try to take advantage of the little bit of extra time you have to accomplish something else or help out somebody in need.
“There are a lot people hurting out there during this time. Be thankful for what you have … Read more “Peyton Manning Surprises CMST Students in Online Class”
CCI 50th Anniversary: My Proudest Moment – Part II
To celebrate the College of Communication and Information’s 50th anniversary, we asked our alumni about their proudest accomplishments. Before beginning professional careers, they learned to deliver speeches, meet deadlines, and tell stories about the Knoxville campus and beyond.
Sandra Frost Dickerson
JEM, 1969
I graduated in the Spring of 1969, just before CCI opened. My classes were in the lower level of the Glocker Business Building, and the Daily Beacon office was in an old house not far from Krystal and ‘the Strip.’ My best memories while earning my degree in journalism were associated with working on the Daily Beacon… Read more “CCI 50th Anniversary: My Proudest Moment – Part II”
John Jackson Miller: From Daily Beacon Editor to Star Fantasy Writer
After graduating from the University of Tennessee where he served as editor of The Daily Beacon, John Jackson Miller (JEM ’90) set his sights on the stars.
Specifically, the stars in a galaxy far, far away and the ones in the far-flung future where no man has gone before.
Miller turned his lifelong passion for comic books and science fiction into a career, evolving from a trade publication editor to a creator. Today, he is a New York Times bestselling novelist and comic writer for Star Wars, Star Trek, and many other fantasy licenses and original works in between. … Read more “John Jackson Miller: From Daily Beacon Editor to Star Fantasy Writer”
CCI 50th Anniversary: My Proudest Moment – Part I
To celebrate the College of Communication and Information’s 50th anniversary, we asked our alumni about their proudest accomplishments. Before beginning professional careers, they learned to deliver speeches, meet deadlines, and tell stories about the Knoxville campus and beyond.
N. Steve Tinder
JEM, 1972
“The day I graduated from UT with a job awaiting me, knowing that CCI had prepared me for what I was to face in my future.”
Samantha Lane
PR, 2007
“So many great memories! I loved spending days in Circle Park as a student and returning on occasion to talk to a class as an alum. One … Read more “CCI 50th Anniversary: My Proudest Moment – Part I”
CCI 50th Anniversary: Professors Who Made an Impact – Part II
To celebrate the College of Communication and Information’s 50th anniversary, we asked our alumni about their most impactful professors. From genuinely caring to fiercely motivating, these professors shaped students’ careers and lives.
Michael O’Brien
JEM, 2010
“Alice Wirth brought me into the Diversity Student Leaders Society my junior year by bribing me with free food. It was a new organization and I immediately got involved. I ended up being the Vice President my senior year and the lessons I learned and friends I made during that time taught me a lot about seeing things from a different view point. … Read more “CCI 50th Anniversary: Professors Who Made an Impact – Part II”