School of Communication Studies

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”

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

… Read more... “CCI Alum Gives $4.5 Million to Establish the Alan and Wendy Wilson Communication and Leadership Academy”

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”

TV Producer James Glover Makes an Impact with Annual Giving

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When James Glover (’00) was a speech communication major at the College of Communication and Information, he had no idea that one day he’d work for legendary Judge Judy of the eponymous court television show. But that’s exactly where he landed several years after he packed up his bags and moved from Knoxville to Los Angeles after graduating.

Discovering a Career

It all started with one small job posting in the career resources center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, seeking someone to be a researcher and pull local court records for a court tv show in Burbank, Calif., to … Read more... “TV Producer James Glover Makes an Impact with Annual Giving”

Communication Studies Alumna and Restaurant Owner Anna Myint is a 2024 Volunteer 40 Under 40

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Anna Myint (‘08) owns and manages International Market, a business her parents opened in Nashville in 1975—the first Thai restaurant and market ever in the city. It has introduced Thai cuisine to generations of Nashvillians and, after closing the old relocation and opening a new one, landed on Southern Living’s The South’s Best New Restaurants of 2023. Her leadership in building the new location and pulling her brother, Arnold Myint, in as its chef, as well as her involvement in various community efforts, are just a few reasons she landed on her own lauded list: the 2024 Volunteer 40 … Read more... “Communication Studies Alumna and Restaurant Owner Anna Myint is a 2024 Volunteer 40 Under 40”

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 ”