In this issue Volume 4 June 2009

Editor, Erika Pribanic-Smith

Busy year includes numer-ous workshops, p. 2 Alumnus gives back, p. 3 Bryant honor draws crowd of students, alumni, p. 4 May/August graduates move on to new adventures, p. 6 Baby boom, p. 6 Student gatherings, p. 8 Alumni updates, p. 9 Current students, p. 10 Faculty updates, p. 12 Join our group on Facebook, p. 12 We‘ve got class, p. 12

Welcome from Jennings Bryant, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies The Times, They Are A’ Changing Greetings, y‘all. Change is breaking out all over in the CIS doctoral program. Let me highlight just a few of the things that are happening that will change your doctoral program considerably in the upcoming year and beyond:

During the first 18 years of our doctoral program, we hooded slightly more than 6 students per calen-dar year (mean score = 6.22). In 2009 alone, it is likely that we will graduate 19 doctoral students. That‘s a tremendous emigration in a relatively short period of time.

Prior to this year, we have averaged slightly fewer than 8 entering doctoral students per academic year (mean score = 7.89). In marked contrast, it looks like we will have 20 new doctoral students this fall, plus typically we average 2 to 3 new admits in January. That is on top of the 19 new CIS doctoral stu-dents we enrolled this past year. In other words, not only will our program continue to grow incrementally (we‘ll probably begin the year with 64 doc-toral students overall), the plethora of first- and second-year students will challenge the stability of our program‘s culture. That may be good, or it may be bad; we‘ll just have to wait and see (although you can expect some pro-action from the Office for Graduate Studies).

Our doctoral program will have at least six new full-fellowship doctoral stu-dents next year—including a McNair Fellow and two SREB Fellows. That is more than twice the number of fellowship students we have had in the past, which speaks volumes about the quality of our new cohort group, but it also means that we‘ll be stretched thin to cover requests for Teaching Assistant-ships and Research Assistantships next year. Several of the departmental chairs are already wearing a path to our door attempting to find qualified doc-toral TA‘s to cover their classes next year, and it is relatively slim pickings. Available experienced teachers just are not there, due to the plethora of fel-lowships. Plus it means we will have to pick up at least three of these fellow-ship students—those on Graduate Council Fellowships or National Alumni Asso-ciation Fellowships—on assistantship funding in future years, which will curtail the number of incoming students we can fund in 2010.

We‘re also seeing another shift in our entering class of doctoral students: their area of interest. Historically, roughly 80% of our doctoral students have emphasized mass communication, with 10% choosing information studies and 10% selecting critical, cultural, and rhetorical studies. With our entering class, only 50% initially have declared that they are primarily interested in mass communication, with 10% opting for information studies, and 40% indicating a

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primary interest in critical, cultural, and rhetorical studies (broadly defined). Obviously we will have to shift our curricular offering to accommodate such changing interests.

Our new students bring a wonderful array of successful professional experiences to the doctoral program. On aver-age, our entering students have slightly more than 5 years of professional experience, most in communication or cog-nate fields. Just to pique your interest, here are a few of the interesting job titles members of our entering class have held: Director of Consumer Insights, Tropicana Orange Juice; News Producer, WVTM-TV; Director of Public Af-fairs, AT&T South; Marketing Manager, Bacardi USA; Community Director, California State University-Northridge; In-structor, Art Institute of Atlanta; Account Manager, Bandy Carroll Hellige Advertising; Information Services Specialist, UAB School of Medicine; News Anchor, WBRC-TV; President, FIDU Music Management; Entertainment Host, Holland America Line; Assistant Director, Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel; Marketing Manager, AKG Acoustics; Realtor, Richmond, VA; Radio Talk Show Host, Seattle, WA; Director of Marketing, CURB Records; Reporter and Interpreter, China Radio International; Flight Attendant, Continental Airlines. Our current CIS doctoral students have set some lofty standards for this talented class to emulate. For example, we have had more top-rated (i.e., Top 3) conference papers this year than I ever thought possible, and supporting the travels of these ambitious students to various conferences in order for them to present their papers has drained our coffers to the extent that Diane and I are threatening to hold car washes and bake sales. Whether the conference was ICA, ALISE, NCA, AEJMC, or whatever, our doctoral students were there presenting papers and winning awards. (See page 11 for a list of major conferences our students have attended during the past year.) On a related note, we have been exceedingly fortunate to have CIS graduate faculty members and doctoral alumni step up and help support our current doctoral students. Former Associate Dean Yorgo Pasadeos continues to annually support the Barbara Shoemake Memorial Scholar fund. And, as you will read on page 3, doctoral alumnus Hong-Sik Yu set a wonderful example this year by giving a generous gift to help support doctoral program activities.

Busy year includes numerous workshops We‘ve had a very busy year at Alabama. Not only have we enjoyed the benefits of a having a good football team, but we‘ve also brought a slew of new babies into the world, seen several PhD stu-dents get married, and had several of our col-leagues hooded. Congratulations to everyone! In the chaos of it all, the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) hosted several workshops each semester designed to generate ideas, encourage interac-tion, and foster relationships among faculty and doctoral students. These workshops have been both helpful, and, at times, entertaining. To kick off the workshops last fall, Dr. Jennings Bryant presented us with tips on using APA style. After all, who better to present on APA than the man who has the book memorized? We also had a series of workshops about the ICIR facilities: the media lab (with Dr. Johnny Sparks), BioPack equipment (with Dr. Shuhua Zhou), and the theatre and content analysis room (with Chang Wan Woo and Joe Fewell). Many thanks to Dr. Bill Evans for letting us use and learn about the facilities. Collaboration was a key factor this year. Not only did OGS work with The Graduate School to host a workshop on the new electronic dissertation submission process, but we also collaborated with the C&IS History Forum to host a very successful symposium designed to help PhD students navigate the scary world of the conference and journal submis-sion and review process. The panelists for this event—Dr. Yorgo Pasadeos, Dr. Wilson Lowrey, Dr. Karla Gower and Dr. Laurie Bonnici—made the publication process not only extremely understandable but also a lot less intimidating. I would like to give a big ―THANK YOU‖ (notice how big it is?) to everyone who helped make the workshops a success this year. You are greatly appreciated. We are always looking for new ideas for workshops, so if you have any ideas or suggestions about what you‘d like to see next fall, let us know! — Cynthia Nichols, Doctoral Student Representative

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Above, panelists discuss the process of submitting to jour-nals and conferences at a M a r c h w o r k s h o p c o -sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies and C&IS History Forum. Left, students Dianne Bragg and Ann Bourne have more questions for Dr. Lowrey after the presentation. Photos by Cynthia Nichols and Erika Pribanic-Smith

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As just one example of the aforemen-tioned success of our students in pa-per competitions, our doctoral stu-dents led the region in top papers at the recent Southern States Communica-tion Association conference in Nor-folk, VA, April 1-5. Thirteen CIS doc-toral students had papers accepted for conference presen-tations and repre-sented the University of Alabama in an exemplary manner. Of the 16 SSCA divisions or interest groups, we won five top-paper awards (that‘s 41.67% of the divisional top papers, BTW). Here are some specific results:

Mia Long and Lauren Reichart were two of the three finalists for the Robert Bostrom Young Scholar Award, which is awarded to the best student paper at the conference. The Bostrom Award winner this year was our own Lauren Reichart. Way to go!

The CIS doctoral students who received Top Student Paper Honors in their respective divisions were:

Skye Chance Cooley won top student paper in the Political Com-munication Division for his paper ―Entertainment Media and ‗Backstage‘ Event Framing: How 24 defines Torture‖

Mia Long won top student paper in the Communication Theory Di-vision for her paper ―The Role of Self-categorization Theory in Mass Media‖

Creshema Murray won top student paper in the Intercultural Com-munication Division. Her paper was titled ―The Rhetoric of Hope: The Sculpting of Racial Identity for Barack Obama‖

Creshema Murray and Cynthia Nichols’ paper ―Hip Hop Harry Loves to Learn‖ was one of two student top papers for the Popular Communication Division

Lauren Reichart won top student paper in the Mass Communica-tion Division for her paper ―Type Up and Speak Out: Does the Inter-net Restrict the Spiral of Silence?‖

This SSCA illustration is just the latest in a recurring set of victories for our doctoral students, who have been relentless in submitting papers to various and sundry conferences and conventions and highly successful in getting their papers accepted for presentation.

We also have continued to garner recognition on campus and beyond for outstanding dissertations. As Crimson Tidings Newsletter editor Erika Pri-banic-Smith profiles on page 9, Karen Cook won The University of Ala-

Lauren Reichart, Creshema Murray and Mia Long show off their top paper awards from SSCA. Photo courtesy of Lauren Reichart

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Hong-Sik Yu (‗02) has offered to fund an annual award of $500 for the next three years to support doctoral stu-dents. Following is his explanation for the donation: ―Alabama is always on my mind! When-ever I trace my memories, Alabama-related ones always come up first. While studying at The University of Alabama‘s College of Communica-tion and Information Sciences in the process of earning my master‘s and doctoral degrees, I met lots of good people who showed precious intellec-tual insights and unforgettable warmth (e.g., Professors Jennings Bryant, Dolf Zillmann, Loy Singleton, Gary Cope-land, Jeremy Butler, Shuhua Zhou, Pam Doyle, and Robert Potter, to name a few). Also, I cannot forget Jewel Kemp, Diane Shaddix, and Mary Max-

well, who always were my supporters.

―Especially I want to underscore won-derful memories with Professor Bryant. He always helped me academically and personally. He was my hero, teacher, and mentor. He has been my role model. Even though I have fewer capa-bilities, I‘m always trying to be like

him.

―The University of Alabama helped me financially when my family had busi-ness difficulties due to the financial crisis of Korea in 1998. If I had not re-ceived continuous financial aid from The University at that time, I could not have finished my degrees, which opened the door to my cur-rent most satisfy-ing life. That‘s why I have to re-pay to the Uni-

versity.

―From the bottom of my heart, I really, really appreciate the help and love that professors, staff, and the Univer-sity showed me. The good memories of the University, professors, staff, and BAMA football will be on my mind for-

ever!‖

Alumnus gives back

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bama‘s top dissertation award for the year. Our sincere congratulations are extended to Karen and to her advi-sor, Dr. Margaret Dalton.

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same I began this column by profiling changes in our doctoral program. What has remained the same is equally impor-tant:

We have continued to receive tremendous sup-port from Dean Loy Singleton and his staff.

Ditto from Graduate School Dean David A. Francko and his wonderful staff.

Diane Shaddix continues to floor me with her knowledge, her talent, and her dedication. We all owe Diane so very much.

The CIS Graduate Faculty members have contin-ued to perform admirably in teaching and advis-ing, receiving rave reviews from the current stu-dents for their support, nurturance, and wisdom.

We are incredibly fortunate to have the services of newsletter editor Erika Pribanic-Smith for another year. Thank you so much, Erika.

Many thanks to our talented and dedicated Doc-toral Student Representative Cynthia Nichols, who in addition to her myriad other duties has sponsored, organized, and promoted a series of wonderful workshops throughout the year (see page 2) and has represented student interests to the Graduate Faculty, the Graduate Studies Com-mittee, and the Office for Graduate Studies in an exemplary manner.

And we are eternally grateful to our rapidly grow-ing alumni nation. You honor us with your tre-mendous achievements, your loyalty, and your exemplary support. Thank you.

One final bit of news: As time for my retirement grew nearer, my love for what I get to do here grew stronger. So I have decided to stay on at UA for at least another year or two. I look forward to seeing all of you when you revisit the Capstone.

Warm best wishes,

Bryant honor draws crowd of students, alumni

Current and former students turned out en masse on April 7 to see our own Dr. Jennings Bryant, Reagan Endowed Chair of Broadcast-ing and associate dean for graduate studies and research, receive the University‘s Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award. Among the familiar faces in the audience at UA‘s Child Develop-ment Center were Bryant‘s wife Sara and daughter Alison, TCF master‘s alumnus Chris Wood, and PhD program alumni Courtney Carpenter Childers (‗06), Dorina Miron (‗99), John Owens (‗96), Jacque Shaia (‗07), Bill Swain (‗92), Susan Thompson (‗02) and Glenda Williams (‗99). That so many alumni traveled from far and wide to witness Bry-ant‘s honor came as no surprise to David Francko, assistant vice president of academic affairs and dean of the Graduate School, who noted the profound effect Bryant has had not only as a re-searcher but also as a mentor. ―His greatest legacy may be as a teacher who is dynamic and spell-binding, and as a mentor who is unselfish with his time and en-ergy,‖ Francko said. ―He has encouraged and enabled his students to reach higher goals than they thought possible.‖ Long-time colleague Loy Singleton, dean of the College of Commu-nication & Information Sciences, noted that Bryant‘s teaching skills run the gamut of academia. ―He can deliver the essence of his research in a meaningful way to students at any level – from freshmen to doctoral candidates,‖ Sin-gleton said. ―His patience and persistence are marvelous.‖

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Alumni on hand to see Dr. Bry-ant (above, cen-ter) receive the Burnum award included Susan T h o m p s o n (above, left), Dorina Miron (above, right), Jacque Shaia (far left) and Courtney Car-penter Childers (left). Photos by Erika Pribanic-Smith

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In his letter nominating Bryant for the Burnum prize, Singleton also wondered at Bryant‘s scholarly achievements, calling him one of the most widely read and prolific scholars of media effects, particu-larly effects on children. Established by Dr. and Mrs. John F. Burnum of Tuscaloosa to recog-nize and promote excellence in research, scholarship and teach-ing, the award is one of the high-est honors the University bestows on its faculty. It is presented an-

nually to a professor who is judged by a faculty selection committee to have demonstrated superior scholarly or artis-tic achievements and profound dedication to the art of teach-ing.

After accepting the plaque from Provost Judy Bonner, a humble Bry-ant called the recognition a double honor. He said it was a privilege to be associated with the Burnum family, and a great distinction to be selected for the recognition by many of the University‘s most es-teemed scholars across many different disciplines. The ceremony featured Bryant‘s lecture entitled ―Media and Me – A Convergence of Research Perspectives.‖ The presentation offered a timeline of ―differences that have made a difference‖ in his scholar-ship—ranging from the marriage of entertainment and homiletics at seminary to the combination of research in media and psychology—and was received with a standing ovation.

- Erika Pribanic-Smith

Provost Judy Bonner presents Dr. Bryant with his plaque.

Current students Terra Moody and Cynthia Nich-ols join the throngs of alumni in applauding Dr. Bryant’s lecture.

Following the awards presentation, ceremony at-tendees—including (from the far left) current stu-dents Oliver Shao, Jung Kyu Kim and Patrick O’Rourke—enjoyed a reception in the Child Devel-opment Center lobby.

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May/August graduates move on to new adventures Six women from the College of Communication & Information Sciences PhD program crossed the Coleman Coliseum stage during commencement exercises on May 9. (Talk about girl power!) A few more of our students have defended their dissertations and are confirmed as August graduates, and others have hopes of completing their degrees in time to be hooded at summer‘s end (see Current Student updates for more on the latter). Although a couple members of our illustrious 2009 class will be staying close, others have accepted positions throughout the country. May graduates Dr. Seonkyoung An moved in April to Austin, Texas, to begin a research fellowship at Media Research Labs, which conducts advertising research for commercial clients such as Disney, ABC, and ESPN. Seonkyoung is working with Amy Tilley Rask (‗08), who is the Research Manager there. Dr. Amy Carwile continues lurking around the hallowed halls of Reese Phifer. Come August, we can call her assistant professor of Communication Studies and director of public speaking. Amy already has had an exciting year. In January, she delivered Media Relations training at the United States Border Patrol Academy in New Mexico. Last month, an article she co-authored with Dr. Carol Mills appeared in the journal Communication Education. Recipient of our College‘s 2009 award for Outstanding Teaching by a Doctoral Student, Dr. Alexa Chilcutt has become somewhat of a fix-ture at the University of Alabama-Birmingham‘s Dental School. She was a featured speaker for its Alumni Association Annual Meeting in January and guest lectured there on Interpersonal Conflict Management Tactics in March. Apparently, the Dental School folks were impressed; they‘ve hired her as Director of Communication Skills, which will include teaching 3rd year dental students interper- Alexa Chilcutt and Amy Carwile. Photo courtesy

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At least six new babies joined the C&IS family over the past year. Clockwise from the left: Caroline, born to Ignatius Fosu (‗05) in September 2008; Cole (pictured with sister Dominique), born to Cynthia King (‗95) in 2008; Noah, born to Andrea Duke (‗08) on 7/15/08; Ava, born to Amy Rask (‗08) on 8/23/08; Allison, born to 2nd-year stu-dent Jung Kyu Kim on 8/20/08; Eli, born to PhD candidate Wes Fondren in November 2008.

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Program-mates wed Juan Meng and Po-Lin Pan, who came to the program as a dating couple, will leave it as husband and wife. The pair (pictured above in Cannes) surprised col-leagues in January with a Facebook announcement that they‘d tied the knot before a judge. They are traveling to Taiwan for a family wedding this summer and will honeymoon in Europe before embarking on a long-distance marriage. As you can see from their updates on this page, Po-Lin will be teaching in Arkan-sas, Juan in Ohio. Photo courtesy of Juan Meng

sonal communication skills, evaluating 3rd and 4th year students' communication skills during clinical rotations, and aiding faculty in incorporating small group learning into the classroom. Dr. Elina Erzikova is leaving the balmy South for Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant), where she will be an assistant professor of Public Relations in the Depart-ment of Journalism. Dr. Ginger Miller Loggins reported in from Manhattan, Kansas, where she completed her dissertation while teaching Mass Communication & Society, Video Tech-niques and Video News Production at the A.Q. Miller School for Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State. Ginger, who had a long-distance marriage for sev-eral months, is happy that husband C. J. finally has been able to follow her to the Midwest and that all four of the couple‘s animals (two ferrets, a dog and a new cat) seem to be getting along fine. Dr. Mia Poston tossed her graduation cap just in time to don the bridal veil. On June 7, she will wed fiancé Andy (pictured with her at right) in Southern Illinois. In lieu of a honeymoon, the couple will return to Tuscaloosa for Mia to teach a course during the first session of summer school while packing for their impend-ing move to Georgia. She has accepted a job at Gordon College, just south of Atlanta. (Photo courtesy of Mia Poston) Confirmed for August World traveler Juan Meng spent much of this academic year abroad, interviewing senior Public Relations profes-sionals for her dissertation. Among other recent achieve-ments, she received the Red Raider Award (sponsored by Texas Tech University) at the 12th International Public Relations Research Conference in Miami, Florida, this March and has had a paper accepted for publication in the

Journal of World Business. A May 9 graduate from UA‘s College of Business & Administration with an M.S. in Marketing (her second master‘s degree), Juan is working with the International Association for Business Commu-nication on a funded project about the measurement issue in communication effectiveness. After a summer wedding and honeymoon (see below), she will move to Ohio for her new job as assistant professor in Public Re-lations at the University of Dayton. Newlywed Po-Lin Pan (see below) is headed to Jones-boro, where he will become an assistant professor of radio and television in the College of Communications at Arkansas State University. In addition to presenting his research at various conferences (see page 11), Po-Lin has been published this year in the Journal of Develop-ment Communication as well as Public Relations Re-view. In August, Guosong “Oliver” Shao will join the Depart-ment of Communication at Pittsburg State University as an assistant professor. He recently had an article on user-generated media published in the journal Internet Research. Chang Wan Woo also will begin a new position in Au-gust. He is moving to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where he will teach general and sports Public Relations classes in the University of Wisconsin‘s College of Fine Arts and Communication.

Ginger Miller Loggins, Po-Lin Pan, Juan Meng and Elina Erzikova. Photo courtesy of Juan Meng

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Alexa Chilcutt (above, far right) opened her home to fellow graduate students for a potluck dinner on a balmy Friday night in Sep-tember. Dr. Shuhua Zhou, Jeff Naidoo and Ann Bourne were among the attendees who enjoyed the delicious food and fes-tive atmosphere.

Friday night potluck

History forum study break Graduate students in the C&IS His-tory Forum coordinated an after-noon study break for fellow students on a Friday in October. Patrick O’Rourke and Hyuk Soo Kim were among the students who stopped in to savor the fall-themed treats. All photos by Erika Pribanic-Smith

Pizza Party The Office of Graduate Studies sponsored a Thursday afternoon pizza party in the fall. 1. Seonkyoung An, Hyuk Soo Kim and Charles Meadows

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2. Elina Erzikova, Josh Dickhaus, Cynthia Nich-ols, Creshema Murray, Lauren Reichart, Jenni-fer Mathews Land and John Burgess 3. Dr. Shuhua Zhou, Jung Kyu Kim and Chang Wan Woo 4. Dr. Yorgo Pasadeos, Dr. Jennings Bryant, Dr. Jennifer Greer, Joe Fewell and Jeff Naidoo

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Butler Cain (‗07) left his position in January as long-time news director for Alabama Public Radio (on the first floor of Reese Phifer) for a new adven-ture overseas. He and his wife Lisa moved to Seoul, South Korea, where they both are teaching for Chung Dahm Learning. Cain is teaching reading analysis skills, literature,

and writing to students who range in age from elementary to high school. He said many of these students choose ex-tra English studies with the hopes of attending a univer-sity in an English-speaking country, and they work very, very hard on their education. Cain also is developing course materials for his employer. Although the couple teaches afternoons and evenings, they have had plenty of time to explore their temporary home. They‘ve done a lot of sight-seeing, attended a Ko-rean baseball game, and are enjoying plenty of good food. Karen Cook (‗08) saw her years of hard work pay off when her dissertation recently received two prestigious awards. Entitled ―Freedom Libraries in the 1964 Mississippi Free-dom Summer Project: A History‖ and chaired by School of Library and Information Studies professor Dr. Margaret Dalton, the tome earned Cook the 2009 Phyllis Dain Li-brary History Dissertation Award. Sponsored by the American Library Association‘s Library History Round Table, the biennial award is given in odd-numbered years. Dissertations completed during the pre-ceding two academic years are eligible and are judged on clear definition of research questions; use of appropriate source materials; depth of research; superior quality of writing; ability to place the subject within its broader historical context and significance of conclusions. In addition to a certificate, the national Dain award comes with a $500 cash prize. Cook also received a check and certificate on April 10 from UA‘s Graduate School in recognition of her work‘s selection as the University‘s Outstanding Dissertation for 2008-2009. This feat makes Cook the third College of Communication & Information Sciences grad in the past seven years to earn the University-wide dissertation honor.

Andrea Duke (‗08) is beginning a new position as Youth Program Manager for San Antonio Sports, which entails the coordination and management of all youth pro-grams, including the CODP program and the new School Rock challenge for 160,000 elementary school kids in San Antonio. Duke is remaining active herself. In addi-tion to chasing after 10-month old Noah (see page 6), she ran the Boston Marathon in April. Maury Breecher’s (‗96) new co-authored book, Wake Up Moments of Inspiration, was published on March 10. Breecher describes the instant decision to fight Type 2 diabetes and take control of his life, as well as the long journey that followed. His story combines with those of 26 other authors in an anthology that aims to help read-ers ―prepare for that instant of enlightenment when you discover the best path for a life filled with significance, achievement and joy.‖ Julie Hedgepeth Williams (‗97) assumed the presidency of American Journalism Historians Association at the organization‘s October national convention in Seattle. Williams‘ role includes preparations for the 2009 confer-ence, which will be in her hometown of Birmingham. Glenda Williams (‗99), associate professor of telecom-munication and film in the College of Communication & Information Sciences, was elected president of the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) at the organiza-tion‘s 2009 conference in Las Vegas. Laura Ware (‗08; pictured below, center) was married on May 23. Among the wedding guests were Jennifer Mackay (‗08; below, left) and PhD candidate Erika Pri-banic-Smith (below, right).

Alumni Updates

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Current students Dianne Bragg’s many conference appearances this year included the southeast regional meetings of AEJMC and AJHA, as well as the Symposium on 19th Century Press, Civil War, and Free Expression, where she received the Student Paper Award of Excellence. Co-author on a chapter in the 7th edition of Dr. Wm. David Sloan‘s Me-dia in America and recent inductee into two academic honor societies, Dianne passed her comps in the fall and is working on her dissertation proposal. Amanda C. R. Clark has moved to Spokane, Washington, where her husband accepted a job. She‘ll be finishing the doctoral program ―telecommute style,‖ a concept with which Amanda is familiar after spending the fall 2008 semester studying literacy, schooling, and libraries in rural China. Chandra Clark, who recently presented at BEA‘s annual convention, has her fingers crossed for a successful dis-sertation defense in the coming weeks so she can gradu-ate in August. After spending the past year as a visiting professor at Samford University, she will assume an as-sistant professor position at Montevallo in the fall.

Skye Cooley received three awards at the 2008 AEJMC conference in Chicago and has continued his award winning ways this year (see page 3). He recently had co-authored papers published in American Journalism and Journalism Studies. Skye also presented work in the Graduate Student Associa-tion‘s 12th Annual Research

and Thesis Conference. Robert Andrew Dunn is serving as the listserv coordina-tor for the Communication and Technology (CTEC) divi-sion of AEJMC and wrote an article for the CTEC spring newsletter titled, "Moving on to Mobile Media." Wes Fondren notes that the birth of his son Eli (see page 6) gives his family an equal distribution of sons (N=2) and daughters (N=2). The whole Fondren clan is in the process of moving to Myrtle Beach, where Wes ac-cepted an assistant professor position at Coastal Caro-lina University. He hopes to graduate in August. Hyuk Soo Kim was married on May 22 in Seoul, Korea, to Hye Won Lee. Jennifer Mathews Land was second author with Dr. Meg Lamme on an article published in the Journal of Communication Management.

Terra Moody has presented her research at several con-ferences (see page 11), including the BACHE Women‘s Conference, where she was an invited panelist. In addi-tion to running a nonprofit organization in Birmingham that recently received tax-exempt status, Terra has ac-cepted a six-month internship with the National Cancer Institute‘s Office of Market Research and Evaluation. Cynthia Nichols has had a very busy year. She had papers accepted at several conferences (see page 11), passed comps, coordinated various workshops and events as the graduate faculty liaison (see page 2), and started on her dissertation. In March, she fulfilled a life-long dream of seeing a space shuttle launch. Patrick O’Rourke has been serving as founding president of the student-initiated organization LITE - Literacy is the Edge, which trains volunteer tutors to teach adults and children to read. O‘Rourke presented a keynote lecture on LITE at the Public Relations Council of Alabama‘s May meeting, and he has accepted numerous awards on the organization‘s behalf. Meanwhile, the newlywed (he and Terry Jean O‘Neal-O‘Rourke married last August in Chi-cago) has been working with West Virginia legislators to enact changes to the state‘s cable franchise and telecom-munications acts. In his spare time, he has completed coursework and is preparing to take comps. Erika Pribanic-Smith is beaming with pride upon receiving her copy of The Handbook of Communication Science, 2nd ed., in which she co-authored a chapter with Dr. Jennings Bryant. She also had a book review published in Journal-ism History and a paper accepted for publication in the Atlanta Review of Journalism History. Erika is most ex-cited, however, to be writing her dissertation, after nearly two years of data collection. The end is near! Lauren Reichart found herself on the road quite often this year, presenting papers—some award-winning—at nu-merous conferences (see page 11). She successfully de-fended comps at the beginning of May and is diving head-first into her dissertation. As if her plate wasn't full enough, she also has been planning a wedding; she and first-year PhD student Kenny Smith (with whom she is pictured) are getting married June 20 in Savan-nah, Georgia. Lauren notes that she is looking forward to taking on a new last name that people ac-tually can spell and pro-nounce.

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Winner of the 2009 Knox Hagood Doctoral Student Award, Lu Zheng recently was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi honor society and has co-authored articles in press in International Journal of Advertising and Asian Journal of Communica-tion. In August, the U.S. Olympic Committee awarded her a ―Certificate of Appreciation‖ for outstanding support of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. Her blog from Beijing, where she worked as a trilingual reporter for the Village Life (the official publication of the Olympic Village), still is online at http://uanews.ua.edu/blogs/olympics/index.html. She recently returned to Beijing to present two papers in the 2009 American Academy of Advertising‘s Asia-Pacific Conference.

Following is a list of major conferences to which cur-rent students and recent graduates have had research accepted since the last newsletter. American Journalism Historians Association 2008 National Convention (October 1-4; Seattle): Dianne Bragg, Jonathan Ezell, Erika Pribanic-Smith. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication 2008 National Convention (August 6-9; Chicago): Dohyun Ahn, Seonkyoung An, Jee Young Chung, Skye Cooley, Robert Andrew Dunn, Hal Hays, Jinae Kang, Jung Kyu Kim, Carly McKenzie, Juan Meng, Jon Mills, Lauren Reichart, Chang Wan Woo. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication 2009 Midwinter Conference (March 6-8, Norman, OK): Robert Andrew Dunn, Jung Kyu Kim, Carly McKenzie, Creshema Murray, Cynthia Nich-ols, Lauren Reichart, Chang Wan Woo. International Communication Association 2009 Na-tional Convention (May 21-25; Chicago): Seokyoung An, Skye Cooley, Robert Andrew Dunn (Top Student Paper, Children, Adolescents and Media Division), Ji-nae Kang, Juan Meng (Top Student Paper, PR Divi-sion), Cynthia Nichols, Po-Lin Pan, Lauren Reichart, Guosong Shao, Chang Wan Woo. National Communication Association 2008 National Convention (November 21-24, San Diego): Dohyun Ahn, Seonkyoung An, Amy Carwile (Top 4 Student Pa-pers in Public Relations), Robert Andrew Dunn, Elina Erzikova, Jackson Hataway, Jinae Kang, Carly McKenzie, Juan Meng, Terra Moody, Creshema Murray, Po-Lin Pan, Guosong Shao, Song Tian (Top Papers in Association for Chinese Communication Studies). Pop Culture Association/American Culture Associa-tion 2009 National Convention (April 8-11, New Or-leans): Ann Bourne, Dianne Bragg, Amy Carwile, Alexa Chilcutt, Mia Long, Creshema Murray, Cynthia Nichols, Mia Poston, Wendy Reed. Southern States Communication Association 2009 National Convention (April 1-5; Norfolk, VA; see page 3 for awards won): Dohyun Ahn, Skye Cooley, Eric Dunning, Jinae Kang, Jung Kyu Kim, Terra Moody, Creshema Murray, Cynthia Nichols, Mia Long, Mia Poston, Lauren Reichart, Kenny Smith.

CONFERENCES

Per recent tradition, we celebrated the academic year‘s end and thanked Dr. Bryant and Diane for all their tireless work with a potluck lunch on May 1. In addition to bringing treats, we all pitched in to give the guests of honor $50 gift cards to Chuck‘s Fish.

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1. Jeff Naidoo, Wes Fondren and Hal Hays 2. Dr. Bryant and Ann Bourne 3. Diane Shaddix 4. Oliver Shao and Lu Zheng

Photos by Cynthia Nichols and Erika

Pribanic-Smith

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Stay up-to-date on who’s who in the CC&IS Doctoral program. Go to http://www.cis.ua.edu/

sservices/grad/ and select Doctoral Student Profiles from the menu bar.

Dr. Kim Bissell, associate professor of journalism, will receive the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication‘s annual Krieghbaum Under-40 Award at the organization‘s 2009 national convention this August in Boston. The award honors AEJMC mem-bers under 40 years of age who have shown outstanding achievement and effort in all three areas of teaching, research, and public service. Dr. Bissell was nominated for this award by her department chair, Jennifer Greer.

Dr. Margaret Stieg Dalton, professor of library and in-formation studies, received the 2008 Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award. This prize, consisting of a citation and a substantial cash award, was conferred at the annual meeting of the American Library Association last June in Anaheim, CA. Gale Cengage Learning sponsors the award that is given annually to ―an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to reference librari-anship.‖

Dr. Wm. David Sloan, professor of journalism, recently retired as adviser of UA‘s chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha, the mass communication honor society. The national organization recognized him for 35 years of service as an adviser. His tenure was the longest in the 99-year history of KTA and was among the 10 longest terms as an adviser of all honor societies in the U.S. Dr. Sloan also was selected as a 2009 Outstanding Alum-nus of his undergraduate alma mater, Texas A&M Uni-versity-Commerce, and was featured in an 11-page article in American Journalism that covered his background and philosophy about historical study.

Faculty Updates Join our group on Facebook

As social networking sites become increas-ingly prevalent, more and more of our illustrious alumni are connecting with each other online. To that end, we asked our graduates to let us know if they were on Facebook. Below are the names of those who gave us the go-ahead to publish their ―status,‖ but it is by no means an exhaustive list: Brian Brantley (‗05) Butler Cain (‗07; as ButlerandLisa Cain) Alexa Chilcutt (‗09) Andrea Duke (‗08) Ignatius Fosu (‗05) Chad Harriss (‗05) Marty Hatton (‗01) Ed Johnson (‗95) Tracy Lauder (‗04) Ginger Loggins (‗09; also on LinkedIn) Melissa McElroy Smith (‗03) Patrice Opplinger (‗96) Janice Pope (‗95) Mia Poston (‗09) Amy Tilley Rask (‗08) Jenny Robinson (‗05) Barry Smith (‗06) C. A. Tuggle (‗96) Glenda Williams (‗99) Julie Hedgepeth Williams (‗97) We know there are more out there, be-cause upon creating a Facebook group for current and former C&IS PhD students, 40 folks joined in a jiffy (and the number is on the rise). Please join us to connect with former col-leagues and network with new ones at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=83611599266. Graduate faculty are welcome, too.

We’ve got class First– and second-year students take a break from Dr. Johnny Sparks‘ Media Psychology class in the spring. From the left: Amanda Clark, Jung Kyu Kim, Joe Fewell, Mary Katherine Alsip, Sparks, Grace Thornton, Jonathan Ezell, and Kenny Smith. Photo courtesy of Joe Fewell