School of Communication Studies

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

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“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 unflappable ambition to achieve his goals, even if that means sending out cold emails to 50 different sports agencies at the end of his sophomore year asking for a job or internship. That initiative and drive resulted in the communication studies major landing an interview … Read more... “Communication Studies Senior Donté Mullins Aims for Great Heights in the Sports Industry”

Junior Sana Boghani is Blazing a Path to a Career in Public Health Communications

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When junior Sana Boghani first came to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she immediately began investigating opportunities on and off campus that could benefit her long-term goals and interests. She declared her major in communication studies as an incoming freshman, but the academic and extracurricular endeavors she’s undertaken since becoming a Vol have helped develop  a clearer idea of what her future career could look like.

“I always enjoyed my English and research courses in high school, so no other major  resonated with me except communication studies. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with the major initially and … Read more... “Junior Sana Boghani is Blazing a Path to a Career in Public Health Communications”

CCI Faculty Brittany Tarwater 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40

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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 become intertwined with her life and career for years to come. Now, she joins seven other CCI alumni as one of the class of 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40.

Tarwater is a full-time assistant professor of practice at the School of Journalism and … Read more... “CCI Faculty Brittany Tarwater 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40”

Graduating Master’s Student, Dental Hygiene Educator Teresa O’Daniel Says Communication Courses Made Her a Better Teacher

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When Teresa O’Daniel first became a dental hygienist, she never thought she would be working in public health much less as an educator in the field. But public health eventually became more than just a career option for O’Daniel, who is a dental hygiene instructor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. She’s also graduating this semester with her master’s from the College of Communication and Information with a concentration in strategic and digital communication (SDC). 

“When I was in school, I thought, ‘I’m never going into public health.’ But working in public health, I saw what … Read more... “Graduating Master’s Student, Dental Hygiene Educator Teresa O’Daniel Says Communication Courses Made Her a Better Teacher”

CCI Makes Impact at NCA Convention; Iannacone Earns Top Paper Honor

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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 at the end of November, and they were actively engaged as presenters, respondents, panelists, chairs, co-chairs, and more. 

One of the stand-out moments for CCI is Assistant Professor Jeannette Iannacone winning the Top Faculty Paper award in the Public Relations Division at the convention for … Read more... “CCI Makes Impact at NCA Convention; Iannacone Earns Top Paper Honor”

CCI Alumna Cierra Burdick Wins Olympic Bronze for USA 3×3 Basketball

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Olympic bronze medalist and former Lady Vols star Cierra Burdick (’15) rarely slows down, on and off the basketball court. Between traveling to play internationally, visiting with family, and making appearances, the personable power forward made time to give an interview with her alma mater just weeks after winning a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Almost always on the go, she was taking a two-week breather to spend time with her family in Charlotte, North Carolina before heading back to Europe to join her newest team in Spain.

“It’s non-stop, I need to learn how to … Read more... “CCI Alumna Cierra Burdick Wins Olympic Bronze for USA 3×3 Basketball”

CCI Welcomes 12 New Faculty in Fall 2024

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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, Knoxville, to be in a more research-intensive environment. Her area of expertise studies how people learn to work together, and public safety communication, including disaster-preparedness, mobile warning messages, and more. Carlson hopes to broaden her research and use that to keep her teaching fresh. 

She’s

… Read more... “CCI Welcomes 12 New Faculty in Fall 2024”

Comm Studies Alum John Tupps Comes Home to Knoxville and Lands on the Volunteer 40 Under 40 

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Caption: John Tupps, right, works as communication director for then-Florida Governor Rick Scott as they respond to storm damage in Pensacola in 2014. 

School of Communication Studies alumnus John Tupps (’07) always knew that he’d pursue his higher education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Even though he was an Army brat who spent the first 11 years of his life in Germany, Belgium, and Maryland, Knoxville held a special place in his heart as home since so  much of his family resides in the city. He and his wife, Emily, and their two daughters moved back to Knoxville in … Read more... “Comm Studies Alum John Tupps Comes Home to Knoxville and Lands on the Volunteer 40 Under 40 ”