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”

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 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 Professor Awarded Office Of Naval Research Grants To Study Russian Disinformation Campaigns

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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 Communication and Information and University of Tennessee, Knoxville, faculty from various departments making up the research teams.

Luther and U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jahara Matisek of the U.S. Naval War College created a proposal for a Defense Education and Civilian University Research (DECUR) Partnership … Read more... “CCI Professor Awarded Office Of Naval Research Grants To Study Russian Disinformation Campaigns”

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”

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”

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

… Read more... “Graduating Senior Skylar Brown Reflects on Leadership, the Volunteer Spirit, and the Future”