CCI History
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”
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”
CCI 50th Anniversary: Professors Who Made an Impact – Part I
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.
Marvin West
JEM, 1955
“Willis Tucker, head of the journalism department, convinced me that I could earn a living in the field. It was a close call. I could have been a baseball umpire.”
Mustapha Moussa
CS, 2014
“By far, two professors left a great impression on me. Dr. Dwight Teeter was an example of what every educator should aspire to be. Loved his students, was passionate about … Read more “CCI 50th Anniversary: Professors Who Made an Impact – Part I”
CCI Celebrates 50 Years with Anniversary Gala
Approximately 350 alumni, faculty, staff, and friends attended the College of Communication and Information’s 50th Anniversary Gala, October 11 at the Knoxville Convention Center.
The evening celebrated the past, present, and future of the college, which was founded in 1969. Alumni spoke on the evolution of CCI through the decades, and students told stories of alumni experiences. “Then and Now” videos shared how students and faculty experienced events like graduation and emerging technologies in the past and present.
Longtime Tennessee news anchors Anne Holt Blackburn (JEM ’73, WKRN-News 2 in Nashville) and Josh Smith … Read more “CCI Celebrates 50 Years with Anniversary Gala”
Nannette Baker Receives 2019 Hileman Award
To celebrate a career that has spanned the newsroom and the courtroom, Nannette Baker (JEM ’78) was honored with the 2019 Donald G. Hileman Distinguished Alumni Award at the CCI 50th Anniversary Gala on October 11 at the Knoxville Convention Center.
The Hileman Award, established in 1994, is the highest alumni award presented annually by the college.
Baker began her career as a broadcast journalist before making an about-face and entering the legal profession. Today she serves as chief magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis.
Baker was born in … Read more “Nannette Baker Receives 2019 Hileman Award”
2019 CCI Alumni & Faculty Awards
Five college alumni and six members of the faculty were honored for their accomplishments at the CCI 50th Anniversary Gala, which was held October 11 at the Knoxville Convention Center.
The school and program alumni awards have been given annually since 2013, and the oldest CCI faculty awards were presented in 1982.
Nannette Baker (JEM ’78), the 2019 Donald G. Hileman Distinguished Alumni Award winner, was also honored at the gala.
2019 CCI School/Program Alumni Award Winners
Advertising
Leslie Osborne (’97)
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Watauga Group/CyBear Interactive
Communication Studies
Graham Thomas (’08)
Deputy Director of Partnerships, tnAchieves… Read more “2019 CCI Alumni & Faculty Awards”