C&IS Wins 4 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards

• March 28th, 2018
• in CIS News

C&IS students were awarded four Mark of Excellence Awards by the Society of Professional Journalists, Region 3. The award placement qualifies each of the recipients for competition at the national level.

SPJ Region 3 includes universities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In all, University of Alabama students were finalists in 10 categories of the Region 3 awards. For the full list of finalists, click here.

C&IS’ Montanari Named PRWeek Student of the Year

• March 22nd, 2018
• in CIS News

PRWeek has named C&IS Junior, Maret Montanari, its Public Relations Student of the Year. Montanari, of Beaumont, Texas is the University’s first PRWeek Student of the Year winner. Katie Gatti was runner-up in 2017.

“It still kind of feels like a dream,” said Montanari, “This is such a big honor, and it’s a testament to this College, its outstanding program and its professors who equip their students to excel beyond Tuscaloosa.”

This year’s campaign prompt challenged applicants to create a campaign, using digital channels to increase millennial visitors to the state of Delaware. Montanari’s campaign, “Delaware on Demand,” capitalized on creating a customizable travel experience for interested visitors.

A Journey For Truth

• March 21st, 2018
• in CIS News

Discovering the People Behind “the Media”

For Meredith Cummings, the media is a collection of people­—male and female, rich and struggling, liberal and conservative, optimists and pessimists—working as copywriters, editors, producers, broadcasters and radio personalities. The 20-year news media instructor knows it is virtually impossible to put them all into a box, and she does not try. Instead, she ventured out on a road trip to discover the people behind the media who have, over time, become a faceless, nameless entity used to group together all journalists. Along her journey, she interviewed more than 100 people so she could bring their stories back to the classroom.

Spotlight on Women’s History Month: Honoring Autherine Lucy

• March 6th, 2018
• in CIS News

Every Monday in February, as a way of honoring the legacy of Autherine Lucy and Black History Month, Dr. Meredith Bagley (Professor, communication studies) hosts tours of The University of Alabama’s campus, highlighting key places and moments in Lucy’s brief, first enrollment at UA.

On a flyer advertising the tours, Bagley summarizes Lucy’s experience at UA this way: “On February 3, 1956, Autherine Lucy became the first African American student to enroll at The University of Alabama. She and her support team showed tremendous courage and fortitude in the face of administrative resistance, ill-prepared law enforcement and, eventually, violent segregationist mobs. On Monday, February 6, 1956, the mob violence led UA Board of Trustees to suspend Lucy from campus ‘for her own safety.’ “

C&IS Hosts AEJMC Southeast Colloquium, Diversity Symposium

• March 6th, 2018
• in CIS News

The College of Communication and Information Sciences welcomes to campus mass media and communication scholars from across the Southeast for two separate gatherings on research March 8-10.

Presenters from at least six Southern states will share more than 60 research papers and participate in four panel discussions March 9–10 at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Southeast Colloquium, the longest running regional gathering of its kind. It will be the fifth time in the 43-year history of the Colloquium that it will be hosted at The University of Alabama.

SLIS Breaks Record for Book Bonanza

• March 1st, 2018
• in CIS News

During March 2018,  The University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) will award a record $25,752 in new, free books to elementary, middle, and high school libraries in Alabama via the SLIS Book Bonanza for the BlackBelt & Beyond Program.

School librarians in the Black Belt region were asked to apply for the book give-away program from January to mid-February. We received applications from 62 highly deserving schools. The committee chose 8 school libraries in the Black Belt Region of the state to receive on average $2300 each in brand new children’s and/or young adult books. The  judging of the applications was rigorous, as every school exemplified a significant need.

Research and Creative Activity: Dr. Eyun-Jung Ki

• February 21st, 2018
• in CIS News

Professor of advertising and public relations, Dr. Eyun-Jung Ki, has secured two $15,000 grants from the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE). KOFICE works to increase mutual understanding and relations with nations around the world.

The first grant will allow Ki to pursue her research proposal on “The Impact of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics on Americans’ Intention to Consume Korean Cultural Contents.” The study will investigate the impact of the winter Olympics on Americans’ intentions to consume Korean cultural products including K pop music, products, or K drama after watching the Olympics.

“As the Olympics are a mega-event, there are many opportunities to learn from the mass media coverage and stories about Korean culture, as well as be able to see the impact that watching the Olympics may have on those who tuned in,” said Ki. “Will they want to consume more Korean culture? Will they want to visit the country because of this coverage? These are questions that I hope to answer.”

APR Department up for Top Honors at PRWeek Awards

• February 19th, 2018
• in CIS News

The Department of Advertising and Public Relations has been nominated for two top honors at the 2018 PRWeek Awards. Maret Montanari was selected as a finalist for Public Relations Student of the Year and the department is among the finalists for Top PR Education Program.

Montanari, of Beaumont, Texas, is the second UA student to be a top-two finalist for this award. Montanari currently serves as the director for Capstone Agency, the College’s nationally affiliated, student-run, integrated communications firm.

Research and Creative Activity: Dr. Leah LeFebvre

• February 16th, 2018
• in CIS News

The internet and the advent of the smartphone forever changed the way we explore new relationships, as well as how we end them. Dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble now boast millions of users who are active daily, swiping right (and left) on their next would-be matches.

C&IS’ Dr. Leah LeFebvre (communication studies) conducts research focusing on romantic relationships and emerging technologies, or the interplay of communication, interpersonal relationships and technology.

Recently, her research has focused on what has been coined, “ghosting,” or the sudden end of regular, personal communication between two people, without explanation.

“The first study I did was exploratory and qualitative, talking about what ghosting is and whether or not it’s an issue,” said LeFebvre. “The second study focused more on the non-initiator¹ and how they deal with the suffering, and what mode they find most suffering happening.”

Public Relations Professionals Roundtable

• February 14th, 2018
• in CIS News

A Public Relations Professionals Roundtable, sponsored by the advertising and public relations graduate class and “Platform Magazine,” was held on February 3, 2018. The students began working on the idea after a conversation with Dr. Meg Lamme caused them to think of ways to bring the expertise of the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations board members and the changing nature of public relations together to have conversations about the field.

The structure of the event encouraged conversation and shared learning among the professionals and students attending. The topics were “Traditional PR vs. New-age/Digital PR,” “Issues and Trends in PR” and “Communication in a Polarized Society.”