Faculty News

Communication Studies Senior Donté Mullins Aims for Great Heights in the Sports Industry

“When it comes to the sports industry, so many people want to work in it. I just want to make sure that when my resume comes across the table, it’ll be something you haven’t seen before,” said Donté Mullins, a senior and communication studies major at the College of Communication and Information. Mullins has an…
CCI Faculty Brittany Tarwater 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40

From the moment Brittany Tarwater (‘09, ‘13) stepped into the College of Communication and Information to where she is today in her career, there’s been a network of supportive faculty pushing her to succeed. She didn’t realize when she arrived at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus on her 18th birthday that CCI and UT would…
CCI Makes Impact at NCA Convention; Iannacone Earns Top Paper Honor

Assistant Professor Jeannette Iannacone, right, receives her Top Faculty Paper award from Laura Lemon (’17), an associate professor at the University of Alabama who graduated from CCI’s doctoral program. Twenty-nine faculty and graduate students from the College of Communication and Information participated in the 2024 annual convention of the National Communication Association in New Orleans…
CCI Professor Awarded Office Of Naval Research Grants To Study Russian Disinformation Campaigns

The Department of Defense Office of Naval Research has awarded nearly $1.7 million across two grants to School of Journalism and Media Professor and Director of the Information Integrity Institute Catherine Luther to research Russian disinformation campaigns and their influence on Russian diasporas. Luther is the principal investigator for both grants with several College of…
CCI Welcomes 12 New Faculty in Fall 2024

Twelve faculty joined the College of Communication and Information this year, ready to add their expertise, scholarship, and instruction to their respective schools, the college, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Here’s a little bit more about them: School of Communication Studies Assistant Professor Elizabeth Carlson Carlson made the move to the University of Tennessee,…
Tennessee Speech and Debate Society Wraps up First Year at CCI with Several Wins

The Tennessee Speech and Debate Society (TSDS) had a successful year competing under the direction of their first-ever faculty coach and with the support of their new home, the School of Communication Studies. The varsity squad had qualifiers advance to the final round at every competition below the national tournament level. “I was more than…
PhD Grad James Cartee Hopes to Help College Students Attain Mental Health Services

James Cartee has been in the business of communication for a while now and has even been teaching in the field at higher education institutions for several years. But, four years ago, he decided it was time to take the next step and follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and father and become a…
Graduating Senior Skylar Brown Reflects on Leadership, the Volunteer Spirit, and the Future

All it took was stepping on to the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for graduating senior Skylar Brown to make it her top pick. Previously deadset on attending her mother’s alma mater, Auburn University, Brown quickly changed her mind after getting the Rocky Top tour her senior year of high school. “I feel…
PhD Grad Tori Bertram Pursues Passion in Teaching Organizational Communication

“I showed up the first day to class knowing nothing about organizational communication and I got goosebumps. I was totally hooked,” said Tori Bertram as she recounted how she got where she is today, a graduate of the College of Communication and Information PhD program. Though Bertram minored in mass communication, her major was in…
CCI Recognizes 2024 Retirees, Students, and Award Winners

Every spring, the College of Communication and Information recognizes and honors those who have made significant achievements in their work, whether it be excellence in teaching, research, or volunteering, or the time that they have contributed before retiring. In 2023, CCI has had much to celebrate from its graduate students, faculty, and staff. The following…