News and Events
Professor Anita Vangelisti has been named the Jesse H. Jones Centennial Professor in Communication, effective September 1, 2008.
APRIL 2008
Margaret Surratt and Gerry White were honorees at the College of Communication Honors Day on Saturday, April 12, 2008. They are the recipients of the 2008 College of Communication Staff Excellence Award.
The 16th Annual Symposium About Language and Society-Austin was held on April 11-April 13, 2008 on the UT Campus. This is an interdisciplinary conference and supported by the following academic sponsors: Center for East Asian Studies, College of Communication, Department of Anthropology, Department of Communication Studies, Department of English, Department of French and Italian, Department of Linguistics, and the Program in Comparative Literature. For more information, including program and directions, visit http://studentorgs.utexas.edu/salsa
The University of Texas Individual Events Team hosted the 2008 American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament, the collegiate national speech tournament, on the UT campus April 4-7, 2008. UT’s speech team performed exceptionally well while simultaneously hosting the event, placing 3rd overall behind tournament champion Western Kentucky University and runner-up Bradley University of Illinois. Complete results for the competition are available on-line. Members of the team will next travel to Nashville, TN, for the National Forensics Association national competition hosted by Tennessee State University, April 16-22.
Congratulations, to CMS Ph.D. student, Bryan McCann and Dr. Stephen Hartnett at the University of Illinois-Urbana for receiving the Northwest Communication Association 2008 Human Rights Award. While not given every year, the Human Rights Award recognizes personal or professional work that advances human rights and the freedom of speech. It is well-deserved acknowledgment of the significance of their ongoing contributions on behalf of prisoners and in resistance to the prison industrial complex and death penalty. Their work exemplifies academia's capacity to merge communication scholarship and social justice activism. They presented their research at this year's conference in Coeur d'Alene, ID from April 10-12. The theme of this year's conference is "Conviction." Their work interrogated the practices of "convicting" the accused and reminds us that we must act and speak with conviction if we are to be the change we hope to see in the world.
MARCH 2008
Due to the generosity of Dean Roderick Hart, Herbert Simons of Temple University visited the College of Communication. On Tuesday, March 25, 3pm, Dr. Simons had a public dialogue with Professor Robert Jensen of the School of Journalism on the topic, "Power in Teaching/Teaching about Power: Professors' Politics in the Classroom" and on Wednesday, March 26, 3pm, he spoke on the topic "Advancing the Study and Practice of Public Conversation: Case Studies". Both presentations were held in the LBJ Room. Professor Simons is one of the preeminent scholars in Communication.
Margaret Surratt has won the 2007-08 College of Communication Staff Excellence Award. Ms. Surratt will be an honoree and recognized at a college awards ceremony and luncheon on April 12, 2008 at 4:30p.m.
FEBRUARY 2008
A new book on doctoral education, entitled "The Formation of Scholars: Rethinking Doctoral Education for the Twenty-first Century" by G.E. Walker, C. M. Golde, L. Jones, A.C. Bueschel, and P. Hutchings, singles out Professor Cherwitz' Intellectual Entrepreneurship (IE) Consortium as a best practice.
JANUARY 2008
Three departmental professional staff have won the University of Texas Exemplary Service award this year. These three are Susan Corbin, Andrea Poag and Aida Gonzalez. Please join us in congratulating them!
NOVEMBER 2007
On October 9, 2007 in Los Angeles, CA, the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Pre-Graduate School Internship Program at The University of Texas at Austin was announced as a semi-finalist for the 2007 Example of Excelencia award at the Graduate Level by Excelencia in Education. This campus program was selected through their national initiative, Examples of Excelencia, as one of this year’s notable programs in accelerating success for Latino students at this level. Congratulations to Dr. Richard Cherwitz and the IE program.
Eric Green is the recipient of the Texas Exes Teaching Award for Outstanding TA in the College of Communication for 2007-2008
At the annual meeting of NCA 2007, Loril Gossett will be honored with the MCQ Article of the Year Award!
On Friday, November 9th at 4:00 p.m. at Follett's Intellectual Property bookstore, Dr. Josh Gunn has been asked to read from his recent book, "Modern Occult Rhetoric: Mass Media And The Drama Of Secrecy In The Twentieth Century" as part of a panel discussion on ineffability.
OCTOBER 2007
On October 19, 2007, Entertainer and songwriter Willie Nelson received the inaugural “Bridging Divides” Award from The University of Texas at Austin Project on Conflict Resolution. The award was given at a dinner at 7 p.m. on October 19, 2007 at the Frank Erwin Center. The dinner is being organized with the help of two student organizations, The Society of Professional Mediators and the Willie Nelson Center Students for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Please read more about the center and the project. For information about individual ticket sales or to sponsor a table, please contact Madeline Maxwell at (512) 471-1954 or visit: http://www.utpcr.org.
The University of Texas Vice President for Research has awarded two $6,000 research grants to CMS faculty members. Dr. Sharon Jarvis' grant is entitled, "Casting the Ballot: How the Media Cover Voting and Why it Matters." Dr. Keri Stephens grant is entitled, "Combinatorial Information and Communication Technology Use at Work." (October 2007)
Professor Talia Stroud is receiving the NCA political communication dissertation award this fall. Dr. Stroud is also receiving the 2007 Kyoon Hur Dissertation Award, given by the Mass Communication Division of ICA for her dissertation entitled, "Selective exposure to partisan information." Congratulations, Professor Stroud!
October 5-6, 2007: NEW AGENDAS IN COMMUNICATION CONFERENCE: THE INTERPLAY OF TRUTH AND DECEPTION CONFERENCE. Hosted by CMS faculty members, Dr. Mark Knapp and Dr. Matthew McGlone. Please see the attached for more detailed information about the conference.
SUMMER 2007
Professor Talia Stroud will win the 2007 "Best Dissertation Award" from the APSA (American Political Science Association) Political Psychology Section at their August conference in Chicago.
SPRING 2007
The undergraduate students in CMS 368L (Communication Theory and Application) will be presenting their theory extension papers on Monday April 30th and Wednesday May 2nd. The students have been working very hard all semester pushing the theories and this is their time to show you how they are shaping our discipline! One student has already presented her theory extension at a conference! (April 2007)
Professor Talia Stroud's dissertation "Selective exposure to partisan information" has been selected as the winner of the 2007 Kyoon Hur Dissertation Award, given by the Mass Communication Division of International Communication Association.
Dr. Madeline Maxwell's Conflict and Communication seminar organized a panel on international conflict resolution on April 25th. The panel, titled Violence and Tragedy: How Communities Face the Future, included the broad perspectives of Dr. Philip Bobbit (Columbia Law; UT Law), Dr. Cal Streeter (UT Social Work), and Ms. Sherri Stiles (Doctors Without Borders). It was a great opportunity to talk about international conflict and community rebuilding.
Dr. Joel Rollins, Senior Lecturer, has been awarded a Dad's Association Centennial Teaching Fellowship for Spring 2008. This is a university-wide award based on teaching excellence, particularly teaching of freshmen.
Congratulations to fellowship award winners for 2007-2008: Graduate School Fellowship: Abigail Pfiester, Continuing Fellowship: Jessica Parker-Raley, Bruton Fellowship: Matt Koschmann, Jones Fellowship: James Roberts. The Women & Gender Studies Center presented Meredith Bagley with the Ellen Clarke Temple Award (April 2007)
Congratulations to the UT Speech Team, who placed 2nd at the American Forensic Association national speech tournament. Senior Jill Collum was recognized as the 2007 National Champion in Impromptu Speaking, and was also recognized, along with Rina Shah, as an All-American. UT students were recognized with 39 individual awards at the tournament, the most ever for the University of Texas Individual Events program. For a complete listing, please see Results. (April 2007)
Dr. Keri Stephens has accepted an offer to join our faculty in Organizational Communication. (April 2007)
Drs. Joshua Gunn and Matthew McGlone will be receiving Dean's Fellowships for next year. (April 2007)
News story from The Daily Texan, April 3, 2007— Communication Studies professor Richard Cherwitz created a program titled, Intellectual Entrepreneurship to give students an opportunity to study issues in depth that interest them in preparation for graduate studies. Read more about it
Margaret Surratt has been awarded the Staff Excellence Award. Deanna Matthews will receive a 25-year service award and Jennifer Betancourt will receive a 10-year service award at the Staff Recognition Program and President's Reception on May 3, 2007, from 2-4 p.m. in the Texas Union Ballroom. (March 2007)
Psychology Undergraduate Becomes "Citizen-Scholar" — In 2006 Ana Lucia Hurtado received her BA in psychology and communication from The University of Texas at Austin. In the March 2007 issue of UT's OnCampus magazine she writes about her experience with the University of Texas at Austin’s Intellectual Entrepreneurship, a Cross-Disciplinary Consortium dedicated to the development of "citizen-scholars". (March 2007)
Dean Hart has awarded Professor Loril Gossett a Joe Neal Faculty Fellowship in International Communication for the summer of 2007, to facilitate her research.
Jennifer Betancourt has been selected as the February 2007 College of Communication Staff Merit Award winner.
Dr. Jorge Peña has accepted our offer of an Assistant Professor faculty position in the area of Organizational Communication. Please join us in welcoming him to our community. (January 2007)
FALL 2006
The President of the University has approved Dr. Dawna Ballard for tenure and promotion. Please congratulate Associate Professor Ballard on this wonderful and highly deserved accomplishment.
Drs. Josh Gunn and René Dailey have been awarded Summer Research Assignments for Summer 2006. (December 2006)
The CMS 306M textbook, Professional Communication Skills (ISBN: 0-536-16998-5, Pearson Custom Publishing) that Professor Daly and Ph.D. student, Amy Young have labored over for the past few years has been printed. (December 2006)
Professor Larry Browning has been named the John T. Jones, Jr. Centennial Fellow in Communication for the next two years. (December 2006)
Dr. Rachel Smith is receiving a 2007 Texas Exes Teaching Award!
The College of Communication presented the inaugural Robert Jeffrey awards, in honor of the former dean who was a member of CMS and much beloved. This is a major, lifetime achievement sort of award, and will continue over the years. They called up all sorts of heavy-hitters, major contributors and big players such as Eddie Safady, former Provost Ekland-Olson, and Jeff Hunt.... and our own Margaret Surratt. The award was to honor extraordinary service to the College. Congratulations Margaret! (November 2006)
Ms. Deanna Matthews and Ms. Jennifer Betancourt have received a UT Exemplary Service Award. This was for, now follow me closely here, exemplary service. A number of special projects over the last year have given them both pain and grief, so these are well deserved! (November 2006)
The National Communication Association has created an award in honor of Professor Mark Knapp who is retiring this fall. The Mark L. Knapp Award in Interpersonal Communication will be presented annually. The award will be inaugurated at the annual meeting in San Antonio in November.
Professor Dana Cloud is the 2006-2007 winner of the College of Communication Teaching Excellence Award. (October 2006)
M. Randy Cox has been named 2006-07 Texas Speech Communication Association University Educator of the Year. (October 2006)
Margaret Surratt is the College staff merit award winner for September 2006. (August 2006)
Josh Gunn will receive the Rhetoric and Communication Theory Division New Investigator Award at the NCA convention this year! (August 2006)
Departmental newsletter goes electronic. Lone Star Locutions Newsletter, Issue 13, Vol. 1, July 2006 (PDF). This newsletter link was sent via email to departmental alumni.
SPRING 2006
Professor John Daly will be named a Fellow of the International Communication Association. This is a major award, a "lifetime achievement" honor. Very few receive it. In this college, only Drs. Hart, Knapp, McCombs (Journalism) Williams (RTF), and former Dean Wartella have received this honor. (May 1, 2006)
UT Speech Captures Two National Titles
The UT Speech Team traveled to the University of Florida in Gainesville for the American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament from March 31-April 3.
The University of Texas finished 2nd overall, behind Western Kentucky University. Bradley University placed 3rd, with Illinois State University and the University of Alabama rounding out the top 5. Big 12 schools Kansas State University and the University of Nebraska finished 6th and 9th respectively, with Arizona State University placing 7th and George Mason University placing 8th. California State University at Long Beach completes the top 10.
The team was awarded 2 national titles, in Impromptu Speaking and Communication Analysis. The team also showcased 2 national runners-up, nearly matching last year’s record four national event titles.
Of the 18 UT students who competed at the tournament, 15 were recognized with major honors. Stephanie Cagniart was recognized as an All-American, UT’s third student to win that honor since the All-American listings were begun in 2001. Additionally, Rina Shah was elected the National Student Representative to the Executive Council of the National Individual Events Tournament. Rina is only the second UT student to be elected to that position, which will require her attendance at the National Communication Association convention in November.
The University of Texas was also selected as the host school for the 2008 competition, winning the final bid selection between UT and the University of Akron. UT becomes the third Big 12 school to host the competition (Kansas State University has hosted it twice, in 1984 and 2005, and the University of Nebraska hosted in 2000). That competition will bring approximately 100 colleges and universities to the University of Texas April 4-7, 2008, and will coincide with the 20th anniversary of the team's founding as a separate program from UT's Debate Team. MORE-See Individual Awards
Aida González, the CMS departmental undergraduate advisor, has been awarded the annual College of Communication Staff Excellence Award.
The 14 annual Symposium About Language and Society-Austin (SALSA) will be held April 7-9, 2006 at the University of Texas.
Dr. John Daly and Amanda Davis, Assistant Instructor and PhD student in Rhetoric & Language, have been recognized in the Daily Texan Supplement, UTMOST.
Through the Norwegian Research Council's Mobility scholarship scheme, Leiv Eriksson, Bodø Graduate School of Business has succeeded in "capturing" an international capacity in Dr. Larry Browning from Texas as a lecturer, guest lecturer and co-operation partner for the coming half year.
Dr. Dana Cloud will be a Fellow in the Humanities Institute in 2006-2007.
Dr. Joshua Gunn has won the Rhetoric Society of America’s Kneupper Award for his publications in their Quarterly. Congratulations!
Dr. Barry Brummett presented the inaugural Gravlee Lecture at Colorado State University on February 3, 2006.
Our visiting professor for this semester, Birte Asmuss, has arrived. She will be teaching one graduate course, CMS 383L Talk at Work and one undergraduate class, CMS 367 Language & Social Interaction.
Dr. Sharon Jarvis has been promoted to Associate Professor effective Fall 2006.
Dr. Craig Scott and Dr. Laurie Lewis, faculty members in the area of Organizational Communication, will be leaving UT and going to Rutgers University to start the Fall 2006 semester.
Dr. Joshua Gunn's research is highlighted on the University of Texas Feature Story, October 25, 2005.
Margaret Surratt is this year's winner of a UT exemplary service award.
M. Randy Cox, Individual Events coach, has received the National Forensic League Distinguished Service Plaque. Since 1925 only 119 coaches nationally have received this award.
The Department of Communication Studies has two Award winners of the University Co-operative Society - The University of Texas at Austin Fall 2005 Undergraduate Research Fellowship Competition.
• Amir Maki, "Learning to Fail to Succeed: Evaluating Cross-Cultural Training"
• Wendi Miller, "The Advanced Chain Letter: Investigating Stigma Communication"
Dr. Rachel Smith is the faculty advisor for these projects. She has also received the Eyes of Texas Excellence Award!
