Category Archives: Faculty News
Laura Miller Selected for Swain Professorship
School of Communication Studies Associate Professor Laura Miller has been selected as the second recipient of the William H. Swain Endowed Professorship.
Miller’s scholarship intersects interpersonal and health communication, specifically exploring illness-related uncertainty, identity negotiations, and conversations with close others in various disease contexts. She teaches courses in health communication, communication theory, and qualitative methods.
The Swain Professorship was made possible by a generous gift from CCI Board of Visitors member and former chair Martha S. “Missy” Wallen (BS/CS ’74) in honor of her father, William H. Swain. This endowed professorship was established to reward and recognize an outstanding School … Read more “Laura Miller Selected for Swain Professorship”
Rob Heller Selected for CCI Board of Visitors Professorship
School of Journalism and Electronic Media Professor Rob Heller has been selected as the fourth recipient of the CCI Board of Visitors Professorship.
The BOV Professorship, currently held by Suzie Allard, Chancellor’s Professor in Information Sciences and CCI Associate Dean for Research, was made possible by generous gifts from donors including current and emeritus members of the college’s Board of Visitors. The three-year rotating professorship was established to recognize and reward outstanding CCI faculty members whose research, creative activity, teaching, and academic and professional service have uniquely contributed to the mission of their school, the college and the university.
Heller … Read more “Rob Heller Selected for CCI Board of Visitors Professorship”
Abebe Rorissa to Lead School of Information Sciences
Abebe Rorissa will be the new director of the School of Information Sciences on July 1, 2021. He is currently Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Associate Professor in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany.
“Serving as the Director of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee is my greatest honor and privilege,” Rorissa said. “We are a leading iSchool with excellent students, world-class faculty, highly qualified and dedicated staff, and alumni who are leaders in the field. Building on the strong foundation laid by … Read more “Abebe Rorissa to Lead School of Information Sciences”
Swam Swan Honored with Tennessee Association of Broadcasters’ Distinguished Service Award
KNOXVILLE – The Tennessee Association of Broadcasters’ (TAB) Distinguished Service Award, TAB’s highest honor for service to the industry and community, was presented to Dr. Sam Swan.
Dr. Swan’s background encompasses over 50 years in broadcast journalism, broadcast management, broadcast education, and international media training. Dr. Swan began his broadcasting career in 1967 as a radio news reporter and anchor at KFVS-AM in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He also performed many other duties including sales, production, and on-air music announcing. Swan later served as the anchor/host for a two-hour morning show on KFVS-TV in the late 1960s. From 1968-1970 he served … Read more “Swam Swan Honored with Tennessee Association of Broadcasters’ Distinguished Service Award”
Courtney Wright Receives 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award from UT
Communication Studies Associate Professor Courtney Wright was one of four University of Tennessee faculty members to receive a 2021 Excellence in Teaching award. The award is bestowed by the Office of the Chancellor and the Teaching Council of the Faculty Senate to honor outstanding work in the classroom.
Read more about 2021 Chancellor’s Honors Banquet award recipients.
Wright joined the faculty in 2008. She is an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies and the honors program in the School of Communication Studies and co-director of UTK’s Intergroup Dialogue and Conflict Resolution (IGD+CR) Program. Her teaching and research activities focus … Read more “Courtney Wright Receives 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award from UT”
2021 BEA Distinguished Education Service Award (DESA) Presented to Dean Wirth
Washington, D.C. – Dr. Michael O. Wirth, Professor and Dean of the College of Communication & Information at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been named the 2021 Broadcast Education Association’s Distinguished Education Service Award (DESA) winner.
An internationally known expert in the field of cable telecommunication and broadcast economics, law and management, Dr. Wirth has conducted research under grants from a number of organizations, including the National Science Foundation and the National Association of Broadcasters. He was the first Guest Professor from the United States to the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University in Beijing, China (1997), … Read more “2021 BEA Distinguished Education Service Award (DESA) Presented to Dean Wirth”
Dr. Michael Hoefges, who taught from 2001-03 in the Department of Advertising (now the School of Advertising and Public Relations), died March 9 at age 61. He had served as an associate professor at New CCI Faculty, Staff for 2021
CCI welcomes two faculty and two staff members to the college. In addition, a current faculty member is adding a new role.
There are many new faces in the CCI directory since the beginning of the school year; the college welcomed seven faculty and staff members before the fall semester.
New Faculty
Joy Doan (Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Information Sciences) joined the faculty on Jan. 1 and previously served as head of the Marta & Austin Weeks Music Library at the University of Miami; a lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Sciences at the University of … Read more “New CCI Faculty, Staff for 2021”
2020 CCI Faculty & Staff Awards
Five faculty and two staff members earned 2020 College of Communication and Information annual awards. They were honored during the CCI Faculty/Staff meeting Nov. 20.
Faculty award winners included: Communication Studies Assistant Professor Jenny Crowley (Faculty Research Award), Information Sciences Associate Professor Devendra Potnis (Faculty Teaching Award), Communication Studies Assistant Professor Emily Paskewitz (Faculty Service/Outreach Award), Information Sciences Clinical Associate Professor Cindy Welch (Non-Tenure Track Faculty Service/Outreach Award), and Information Sciences Lecturer Scot Smith (Part-Time Lecturer Teaching Award).
The Non-Tenure Track Service/Outreach Award and the Part-Time Lecturer Teaching Award are new categories for 2020. The Lecturer Teaching Award was … Read more “2020 CCI Faculty & Staff Awards”
Heller’s Media Graphics Class Creates Billboards for 2020 Election
In what has become a tradition every four years, journalism and electronic media students in Professor Rob Heller’s Media Graphics class (JEM 380) created billboard designs to encourage voter participation in the presidential election.
Heller’s class partnered with Lamar Advertising, which ran student billboard advertisements prior to the 2016 presidential election. This year, Lamar Advertising cycled through four student designs on an electronic billboard in Memphis.
The idea for this project began in 2012 when the class worked with the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy to post 12 designs around campus.
“I’ve given this assignment during the … Read more “Heller’s Media Graphics Class Creates Billboards for 2020 Election”