News
Student Media joins the College of Communication and Information
The College of Communication and Information is pleased to announce that Student Media, which includes The Daily Beacon, has transitioned from the Division of Student Life to CCI.
Learn more about the transition by viewing the video below and reading the article here: tiny.utk.edu/S1Fwp.
Meet the Sanders, a Family of CCI Alumni
Siblings Ford (’20) and Cara Sanders (’16), aren’t just fourth generation Volunteers, but they’re second generation College of Communication and Information alumni who followed in the footsteps of their mother, Cindy Sanders (‘86). Drawn by a love of storytelling, Cindy earned her degree in public relations with a minor in journalism, and her children have also found their niche in the field, as well.
Cindy Sanders & Storytelling
Cindy started out at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as an architecture major. As much as she loved the idea of being an architect, she quickly realized her skillset wasn’t suited to … Read more “Meet the Sanders, a Family of CCI Alumni ”
Comm Studies’ John Haas Creates Public Speaking App
The first university-developed public speaking app, created by University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Associate Professor John Haas, aims to boost students’ confidence in their oratory skills outside of the classroom.
Each semester, around 1,700 students take a public speaking course at UT, learning oratory skills and techniques that prepare them for presentations, speeches, or confidence in casual and business conversations. However, no course seems to calm the fear of speaking in front of an audience.
UT TOPS—short for Tennessee Online Public Speaking—engages users through its searchable topics feature, offering bit-sized insights into situations such as dressing for success, public speaking for … Read more “Comm Studies’ John Haas Creates Public Speaking App”
CCI Welcomes 12 New Faculty Members in Fall 2022
The College of Communication and Information is welcoming 12 new faculty members to its ranks this fall to support its growing student body. These faculty members bring a wealth of expertise and experience to CCI’s four schools and will help CCI to continue achieving its mission and fulfill the goals in its five-year strategic plan. Here’s a little bit more about each of CCI’s new faculty members:
Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations
Assistant Professor Minjie Li
Li brings a passion for social justice issues in advertising to his work, and his research is in the areas of multicultural … Read more “CCI Welcomes 12 New Faculty Members in Fall 2022”
Two SIS Grads Lead the Newly Relocated World Data System
Two alumni of the School of Information Sciences master’s program have taken the lead at World Data System (WDS) International Program Office (IPO), which relocated headquarters to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville this year after a successful bid to have the international institution move from Japan to East Tennessee.
Meredith Goins, who not only graduated with her master’s degree from SIS but is also a doctoral student at the College of Communication and Information, is executive director of WDS. Sarah Gonzalez, a UT employee of 20 years, earned her SIS graduate degree in 2020 and is program manager for WDS. … Read more “Two SIS Grads Lead the Newly Relocated World Data System”
JEM Launches New Major Concentrations, New Minors
The School of Journalism and Electronic Media has added four new concentrations to its major and two new minors starting in fall 2022. The new concentrations are: creative media, news, science communication, and sports communication. The new minors are: digital media and broadcast meteorology—the latter of which is offered in collaboration with the Department of Geography.
“The new concentrations are designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop important areas of expertise in our fields,” JEM School Director and Professor Catherine Luther said. “While the concentrations are predominately made up of existing courses, they provide focused pathways for … Read more “JEM Launches New Major Concentrations, New Minors”
JEM Faculty’s ‘On the Sidelines’ Recognized as Outstanding Book by NCA
When Journalism & Electronic Media Assistant Professor Guy Harrison was in his undergrad years, he wanted to be a sportscaster. As his knowledge and interests grew, he switched to studying the social aspects of sportscasting, specifically gender and race. Now, years of research that went into his book, “On the Sidelines” has been honored with the Outstanding Book Award from the National Communication Association’s Communication and Sports Division.
“The book is a feminist examination of women who work in electronic sports media–tv, radio, and podcasting. It explains how, even though there are more women working in the industry now … Read more “JEM Faculty’s ‘On the Sidelines’ Recognized as Outstanding Book by NCA”
JEM Duo Awarded AEJMC Collaborative Scholars Grant
College of Communication and Information PhD student Teodora Trifonova and Journalism and Electronic Media Assistant Professor Joy Jenkins were awarded the highly competitive Collaborative Scholars Grant by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. They will be studying the experiences of Eastern European foreign correspondents reporting on the war in Ukraine.
Trifonova, who is from Bulgaria and works as a reporter for the country’s leading TV network, said she wants to explore how journalists from seven countries are covering the Ukraine war because it aligns with her interest in research around foreign correspondents as well as freedom of … Read more “JEM Duo Awarded AEJMC Collaborative Scholars Grant”
ADPR Alum Mary Beth West Named PRCA International Fellow
July 5, 2022 / Knoxville, Tennessee – The Public Relations & Communications Association (PRCA) – the largest global public relations body, based in London – recently honored two East Tennessee public relations executives as inaugural members of its International Fellows: Fletcher Marketing PR CEO Kelly Fletcher and Senior Strategist Mary Beth West.
For more than 20 years, Fletcher and West have served in various leadership positions in the industry. They manage a public relations podcast, “Ms. InterPReted,” which focuses on leadership, ethics and strategic issues in the PR industry – including marketing to women and advancing women in career … Read more “ADPR Alum Mary Beth West Named PRCA International Fellow”