School of Communication Studies

CCI Alum Gives $4.5 Million to Establish the Alan and Wendy Wilson Communication and Leadership Academy

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Alan Wilson (’80) used communication skills he learned at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, every day of his storied business career, which culminated as Chairman and CEO of McCormick and Company. 

“The most important part of my job as CEO was communicating. I spent most of my time doing that, but leadership really is about communication—it’s about helping people understand what your strategies are and bringing them into alignment with those strategies,” he said.

The importance of communication in business and leadership is why he and his wife, Wendy Wilson, are investing $4.5 million to establish the Alan and Wendy

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Alumna Cecelia Prewett Sees Her Study Abroad Scholarship Impact by Joining Ireland Trip

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When Cecelia Prewett (’93) was studying journalism at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she had one of the most impactful experiences of her life when she participated in a study abroad trip to the Netherlands.

“It changed my life. So, when I was asked to join the Board of Visitors and they said, ‘You can do direct giving or give to the general fund.’ I said immediately I want to help change somebody’s life like mine was,” she said.

With that knowledge, Prewett established a scholarship specifically earmarked to support students at the College of Communication and Information who want … Read more... “Alumna Cecelia Prewett Sees Her Study Abroad Scholarship Impact by Joining Ireland Trip”

Tennessee Speech and Debate Society Wraps up First Year at CCI with Several Wins

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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 pleased. I’ve always had the utmost respect for the Tennessee Speech and Debate Society, because just the amount of intrinsic motivation they have to be good leaders and good teammates to each other,” said Lecturer of Practice Abbey Barnes, the group’s coach and director. 

She … Read more... “Tennessee Speech and Debate Society Wraps up First Year at CCI with Several Wins”

PhD Grad James Cartee Hopes to Help College Students Attain Mental Health Services

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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 Volunteer.

So, he applied and was accepted to the College of Communication and Information’s PhD program, which he graduated from this spring. In March he successfully defended his dissertation, Help-Seeking Tendencies and Motivations Among College Students in The Utilization of Professional Psychological Services. 

The … Read more... “PhD Grad James Cartee Hopes to Help College Students Attain Mental Health Services”

Graduating Senior Skylar Brown Reflects on Leadership, the Volunteer Spirit, and the Future

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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 it’s a universal feeling, how most people will talk about how they just come here and there’s something about it that just feels like home. I know it sounds cheesy, ‘home sweet home’ like the song,” she said. “I was walking around and seeing the

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PhD Grad Tori Bertram Pursues Passion in Teaching Organizational Communication

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“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 creative writing, and she didn’t know what she wanted to do. Someone suggested she pursue a master’s in organizational communication, and that’s when she got hooked and decided to take her education all the way to a doctoral degree. 

“I couldn’t get enough. I didn’t … Read more... “PhD Grad Tori Bertram Pursues Passion in Teaching Organizational Communication”

CCI Recognizes 2024 Retirees, Students, and Award Winners

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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 are those who were recognized this spring.

Celebrating CCI Graduate Students

The CCI Graduate Student Research Award recognizes outstanding research and creative activity by a current graduate student in the college. This year’s recipient is Kibum Youn with the Tombras School of Advertising and Public … Read more... “CCI Recognizes 2024 Retirees, Students, and Award Winners”

Master’s Student Traci Lively’s Delayed Return to UT Turns into Pursuit of a PhD

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Traci Lively entered the master’s program at the College of Communication and Information in 2004 but put it on hold when she was also accepted into the film studies program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Fast forward several years and Lively is back in the CCI program, with a concentration in communication studies, and she’s flourishing.

“Life happened and I decided I hated my job and I just wanted to go back and finish what I started,” she said.

As any master’s student heading into a PhD program does, Lively has thrown herself into conducting research. She recently

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Comm Studies Student Heads to Italy on Gilman Scholarship

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When communication studies junior Jonathan Morrell flies to Italy this summer for a month-long study abroad program, it won’t be the first time he has visited the European country—but since he was an active-duty Marine the last time he was there in 2018, he expects this experience to be very different.

“Then, it was a more controlled experience. I feel good knowing that I have the maturity level to go over there now,” he said, noting he and other students in the program will attend classes during the week but have weekends to explore on their own.

His visit to … Read more... “Comm Studies Student Heads to Italy on Gilman Scholarship”

Undergrad Ava Franzoy Gets First Research Paper Published

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When junior Ava Franzoy was approached by School of Communication Studies Assistant Professor Jessica Frampton about conducting research, she had no idea that saying yes would eventually lead to the resulting paper, “An Investigation of Technology’s Role in Coping with Infidelity,” being published in the Qualitative Research Reports in Communication journal.

“I honestly didn’t even know what I was getting into. It was completely new, and I learned along the way and threw myself into the project,” Franzoy said. “It was definitely interesting, it was fun, and a lot more work than I thought it would be—especially when I went … Read more... “Undergrad Ava Franzoy Gets First Research Paper Published”