C&IS Leadership Organizations
Academic Honor Council
Advisor: Emily MontgomeryThe Academic Honor Council promotes high ethical standards, educates the C&IS community about academic integrity and encourages others to always act according to the values of the Capstone Creed.
A 3.0 GPA is required for a seat on the Academic Honor Council; the application opens every spring.
C&IS Ambassadors
Advisor: Lexi McMahonC&IS Ambassadors promote interest in the field of communication and assist the College with special events and programs. Ambassadors are responsible for meeting with and providing tours for prospective students, parents, transfer students, alumni and other visitors, and they serve at events like the C&IS Hall of Fame, Board of Visitors meetings, The Tailgate at Reese Phifer and student recruitment events.
Applications are open to all students majoring in C&IS.
C&IS ROOTS
Advisor: Randi HammC&IS ROOTS is a peer-to-peer mentorship program. Upperclass student leaders mentor first-year, second-year, and transfer students based on their majors and interests. Any C&IS student who is engaged with student leadership in C&IS and/or UA is eligible to apply as a mentor. Applications open in the spring semester.
Industry Immersion Leadership Team
Advisor: Alison HolcombeThe Industry Immersion student leadership team helps Industry Immersion plan professional development trips for C&IS students. These student leaders take proactive roles through the entire trip planning process, including: itinerary building and alumni outreach, student recruitment and professional development, event planning, creative content production and more. Applications open each spring.
Social Media Ambassadors
Advisor: Kennedy AllenSocial Media Ambassadors are the faces and voices of the C&IS student social media account. Working alongside College faculty and staff, they share C&IS events, announcements and opportunities and help shape the College’s brand.
Applications open each spring, and membership is open to all students with a major in the College.
Student Executive Council
Advisors: Genesis DrakeThe Student Executive Council exists to coordinate the organizations within the College of Communication and Information Sciences while fostering stronger relationships between the students, faculty and alumni of the College and serving as a place for students to voice their concerns.
The SEC is responsible for the C&IS Student Organization Fund.
Applications for SEC general membership are available in the spring. Once the SEC general members have been selected, they will have an opportunity to run for executive officer (president, VP, secretary, director of events) and departmental delegate positions which will be voted on in a College-wide election.
Collaborative Student Organizations
Capstone Communication Student Society (CCSS)
Advisor: Alison HolcombeThis organization promotes the fields of communication and offers members special invitations and VIP access ranging from social activities to prominent speakers in the field of communication. CCSS is open to all C&IS majors and minors for membership. There is a membership fee. Upon graduation, students can transition their membership into the alumni group, Capstone Communication Society, that follows the same mission.
C&IS ROOTS
Advisor: Randi HammC&IS ROOTS is a peer-to-peer mentorship program designed to help first-year, second-year, and transfer students transition to life on campus at UA and in C&IS. Through C&IS ROOTS, mentees are matched with an upperclass mentor who helps them get acquainted to campus and learn about the resources and opportunities available to them as a C&IS student. First-year, second-year, and transfer students can join ROOTS during the summer and early fall application season.
Kappa Tau Alpha
Advisors: Dr. Dianne Bragg, Dr. Karla GowerKappa Tau Alpha is the national journalism and mass communication honor society. Invitations are issued to juniors, seniors and graduate students in advertising, public relations, news media and creative media who rank in the top 10 percent of their class.
The Oakley Society
Advisor: Alison HolcombeThe Oakley Society professional development program provides students with exclusive access to professional development opportunities and events. These opportunities are designed to grow and develop students into professionals, while connecting participants to industry professionals through mentoring relationships. The program is open to juniors and seniors in all C&IS majors.
Professional Women in Communication and Business
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Keely LatopolskiProfessional Women in Communication and Business develops successful leaders through networking events, professional etiquette lessons and business literacy seminars. Open to all students and majors.
Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM)
Faculty Advisor: Zack TigertThe Association for Women in Sports Media assists any student who is an aspiring sports media professional in mentorship and networking with professionals in the sports media industry and provides an avenue for internships, scholarships and career-enhancing opportunities.
WVUA FM
Faculty Advisor: Terry SiggersWVUA-FM is The University of Alabama’s only student-operated radio station. WVUA-FM is staffed by approximately 70-90 student volunteers from C&IS and across the campus of The University of Alabama.
Major-specific Organizations
Advertising & Public Relations
AAF-UA
Faculty Advisor: Mike LittleThe University of Alabama’s student chapter of the American Advertising Federation is dedicated to preparing students for careers in the advertising industry. From meeting with industry professionals to hands-on opportunities to build portfolios, students will be exposed to all things advertising post-graduation.
Advertising and Public Relations Student Initiative Board (SIB)
Faculty Advisor: Susan DariaThe purpose of the Student Initiative Board is to act as a liaison between students and faculty of the Advertising and Public Relations Department in C&IS. SIB prepares members to become leaders now and in the future by working alongside students as a mentor, as well as working alongside faculty to perform duties such as conducting interviews for candidates for positions in the A+PR Department.
Capstone Agency
Faculty Advisor: Randall HuffakerCapstone Agency is a student-run integrated communications firm where student members produce work for local, statewide and national clients. Visit capstoneagency.org to learn more.
National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC)
Faculty Advisor: Jay WatersJuniors and seniors are competitively selected to compete in the American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition.
The Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA)
Faculty Advisor: Matt WislaAs members of this statewide organization that’s part of the Southern Public Relations Federation, students participate in competitions and annual conferences.
The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)
Faculty Advisor: Courtney BomanThis nationally recognized organization’s chapter offers career-building activities, scholarships, mentorship programs, national conferences and more.
Communication Studies
Alabama Debate Society
The Alabama Debate Society is an organization aimed at bringing debate and its educational benefits to high school students in the Tuscaloosa community and across Alabama.
Alabama Forensic Council (AFC)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ben PyleAs part of the University’s competitive speech program, members attend regional and national intercollegiate forensic competitions. Thirty scholarships are awarded each year to active students.
Delta Sigma Rho / Tau Kappa Alpha
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ben PyleThis national honor society is for those who have excelled in forensics and have distinguished academic records.
Lambda Pi Eta
Faculty Advisor: Jeremy HendersonInvitations to join this national communication studies honor society are issued to juniors and seniors in communication studies who rank in the top 10 percent of their class.
Journalism & Creative Media
The Associated Press Sports Editors Tuscaloosa Student Chapter
The APSE Tuscaloosa Student Chapter provides UA students with career-building tools and opportunities in the sports media world by hosting guest speakers, workshops and other creative learning and networking events.
Rising Tide Film Festival
The Rising Tide Film Festival is a competitive, annual showcase of student films and emerging talent from college students across the South. The film festival is an annual event produced by students, for students.
The Capstone Association of Black Journalists (CABJ)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. AJ Bauer and Dr. Kaitlin MillerAffiliated with a national organization, this club provides information to all students on careers, jobs, internships, scholarships and other opportunities.
The Radio-Television Digital News Association (RTDNA)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chandra ClarkPart of the world’s largest professional organization exclusively serving the electronic news profession, this club is open to all students.
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
This group is open to all students interested in all areas of professional news media regardless of medium.
Office of Student Media
Director: Jessie JonesHome to Alice, Bama Life, the Black Warrior Review, The Crimson White, Marr’s Field Journal, Nineteen Fifty-Six, Southern Historian and WVUA-FM, Student Media trains students through hands-on experience and informs the campus with a variety of student-run broadcast, digital, online and print media.
Travel Programs
C&IS Abroad
C&IS faculty lead several Education Abroad trips each summer. Through these programs, University of Alabama students travel to various destinations to learn more about specific topics in communications while earning course credit and exploring new cultures. In 2025, students traveled to the Carribean, France, Italy, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
Industry Immersion
Faculty Advisor: Alison HolcombeIndustry Immersion strengthens relationships between students, alumni and industry professionals, by giving motivated students an opportunity to explore industry and leading job markets and engage with high-powered C&IS alumni and leaders.
JCM in LA
Faculty Advisor: Allison JordanIn this one-week summer course, students will learn about film, television, new media and industry through internships and required class activities in Los Angeles. We will network with professionals, attend industry events, film festivals, screenings and master classes, tour graduate film programs, visit working Hollywood studios, and network with many UA alumni. This application-based course aims to help students gain insight in and preparation for careers in creative media industries.
UA Organizations
UA has hundreds of student organizations to choose from, so you’re sure to find one that fits your interests. Visit mySOURCE to search organizations by categories of interest, which range from arts, advocacy, cultural/identity-based, athletic, academic, spiritual, honor societies and more!