News and Information
- Congratulations to our Fall 2011 Banner Bearer Amy Marie Ashby. Amy is a public relations major from Katy, Texas, and will carry the college banner during commencement on Saturday.
- MCOM graduate students will be presenting their papers at the 3rd Annual International Research Conference for Graduate Students at Texas State University on Nov. 3.
- Tech ImPRESSions has gone digital! In addition to increased accessibility, our new online format makes Tech ImPRESSions more interactive than ever. You can start discussions on stories, submit questions or concerns, and even suggest story ideas for us to pursue. As you read this issue's stories about the life, culture and issues at Texas Tech, let us know that you think. We look forward to hearing your feedback!
- Congratulations to the new MCOM Dean's Student Council officers: President Ian Scott, Vice President Sara Krueger, Secretary Darcy Hassler
- Doctoral Student Dane Kiambi recently visited the St. Louis offices of the global public relations firm, Fleishman Hillard. The visit was arranged by the Public Relations Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).
- Congratulations to MCOM student Ioanna Makris for being selected as this year's President's Future Journalist Award winner. Ioanna was chosen for her dedication and involvement with The Light of Day Foundation.
- The Frenship newspaper features an article about the Double T Multimedia University camp that MCOM hosted this summer.
- The College of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University is honored to recognize four of its alumni who have received Pulitzer Prizes for their work in journalism.
- The Dallas Opera has promoted 2011 outstanding alumna Jennifer Schuder to Chief Marketing Officer/Director of Community Outreach.
- We are pleased to announce the 2011 Outstanding Alumni recipients: Kay Bell, Jan Boyle, Eddie Owens, Tod Robberson, Jennifer Schuder and Rita Williams. We will honor these alumni on Saturday, October 15, prior to the Kansas State football game.
- Congratulations to Clay Craig, Chaille Steed and Sherice Gearhart who earned a 2nd place award in the multidisciplinary category of the graduate school's tenth annual research poster competition.
- Congratulations to Sungwon Chung for being selected as the 2011 graduate student recipient of the Kelsey Lauren Kidd Memorial Endowed Scholarship.
- Growing programs. Growing leaders. Mass Communications is moving to a new home.
Faculty and Staff Recognitions
2012
January
- Dr. Autumn Shafer and Dr. Weiwu Zhang were selected to participate in TTU's Transdisciplinary Research Academy, which enhances the research missions of Texas Tech University and tackles issues of global concerns by cultivating interfacing interactions across traditional disciplinary boundaries.
- Our very own Ann Rodriguez and Jessica Smith make media appearances regarding SOPA and PIPA. Find our what these professors have to say about the anti-piracy bills by clicking on the following links.
www.myfoxlubbock.com
www.everythinglubbock.com
2011
December
- We are pleased to announce that Rebecca Ortiz, doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has accepted an offer to join the faculty in the College of Mass Communications.
Ortiz completed her M.A. in Media Studies at Syracuse University and a B.S. in Mass Communications at Virginia Commonwealth University. Ortiz's area of research is in Health Communication, Message Processing and Media Effects. - Josh Grimm and Ann Rodriguez were both honored at the 2011 Mortar Board Apple Polishing Reception for their "excellence and inspiration" in the classroom. Josh was nominated by student Lisa Bruskas and Ann was nominated by student Mallory Allred. During the ceremony, the nominating students personally explain why they nominated their professor.
November
- Dr. Rob Peaslee has been selected as a 2012 National Television Program Executive Faculty Fellow. As part of the program, he will attend the January 2012 NATPE Marketplace and Conference in Miami Beach.
October
- Ph.D. student Jerod Foster's new book, Storytellers: A Photographer's Guide to Developing Themes and Creating Stories with Pictures, is due out in December.
- Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Coy Callison and co-authors Rhonda Gibson and Dolf Zillmann had their manuscript titled "Explicit vs. Implicit Quantification in News Reports: The Effects of Presentation Format and Message Interference on Retention of Numeric Information" accepted for publication in Newspaper Research Journal.
- Seltzer, T., & Zhang, W. (in press). Debating healthcare reform: How political parties' issue-specific communication influences citizens' perceptions of organization-public relationships. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly.
- Melissa Wofford and Josh Robinson were selected as recipients of the Distinguished Staff Awards for 2011.
September
- Dr. Todd Chambers was honored with the College of Mass Communications Billy I. Ross Faculty Achievement Award.
- MCOM Career Center Director Aleesa Ross has been selected to serve as president-elect for the Association for Women in Communications - Lubbock Professional Chapter.
- Dr. Weiwu Zhang was appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of Mass Communication and Journalism.
August
- Assistant Professor John Wirtz shares his view of social media rivals Google+ and Facebook.
- View the listing of the papers our students presented at AEJMC this year.
- Congratulations Dane Kiambi for having his paper selected for publication in the Public Relations Review! Kiambi's paper, "Ethnic Appeal: A Self-Defense Tool for Kenyan Politicians", looks at the apologetic rhetoric strategies that Kenyan politicians use whenever they are accused of any form of wrongdoing.
- Dr. Sam Bradley was appointed to the editorial board of the highly-regarded Media Psychology journal.
July
- Ph.D. student Clay Craig has been chosen to become a TEACH Fellow. Only a select few students receive this honor.
- Assistant professor John Wirtz discusses the relevance of keeping a "low profile" on social media sites.
- Dr. Olan Farnall is a new board member for the AAF Lubbock Chapter of the American Advertising Federation.
June
- Kathy Lindsey is the Staff Excellence award recipient for July through December 2011
April
- Weiwu Zhang was awarded the Texas Tech Alumni Association New Faculty Award.
- Coy Callison received the Outstanding Researcher Award at Texas Tech's Faculty Convocation.
- Trent Seltzer received the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award at Texas Tech's Faculty Convocation.
- Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Gardner. Her dissertation was selected as the winner of this year's NCA / ICA Health Communication Division Dissertation of the Year Award. She officially will receive the recognition at the ICA conference in Boston this year.
March
- Congratulations to Aleesa Ross who was honored for her valuable service to students by the Mortar Board on March 29th at their Apple Polishing Ceremony.
- Doctoral student Brandon Nutting and Instructor Ann Rodriguez were honored as Texas Tech softball guest coaches for the Missouri game on March 26. They were nominated as favorite faculty members by players.
- Instructor Ann Rodriguez was named a “Raider Who Rocks” and will be honored at a banquet at the Merket Alumni Banquet Hall on April 7. The purpose of the Raiders Who Rock program is to recognize students, faculty and staff members who exemplify values promoted by The Foundation for a Better Life through their actions and services within the Lubbock and Tech communities.
- Doctoral candidate Simon Sinaga accepted a position as an assistant professor of communication at the University of Northern Arizona.
- Congratulations to Department of Public Relations faculty members Coy Callison, Liz Gardner, Trent Seltzer, John Wirtz, and Weiwu Zhang for having papers accepted for presentation at the 14th Annual International Public Relations Research Conference in Miami, FL. Two of these papers were co-authored with College of Mass Communications doctoral students, including Dane Kiambi, Daewook Kim, and Prisca Ngondo.
- Seltzer, T., & Zhang, W. (2011). Toward a model of political organization-public relationships: Antecedent and cultivation strategy influence on citizens' relationships with political parties. Journal of Public Relations Research, 23 (1), 24-45.
- Choi, M. I., Kim, D., & Park, S, B.(2011). Impacts of humorous radio advertising on attitude toward advertising: mediating effect of perceived humorous and moderating effect of need for cognition. Korean Journal of Advertising and Public Relations, 13(1), 138-162.
- Congratulations to Kevin Stoker, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs for Texas Tech University College of Mass Communications, for being selected as a participant for the 2011 Scripps Howard Leadership Academy (SHLA). He will join other current and rising mass communication administrators for four days of training and leadership development, with exciting speakers and sessions lined up.
- Congratulations to Dr. Shannon Bichard and her AAF student completion team for winning two ADDY awards for their NSAC State Farm Campaign for Mixed Media.
- Ph.D. student Patrick Merle has been notified his paper titled‚ The U.S. Correspondents in Paris: A longitudinal study of the profession 1998-2010, has been accepted for presentation at the AEJMC/ICD Midwinter Conference, which will take place in March 4-5.
- Congratulations to Dr. Weiwu Zhang who has been selected to attend the 2011 Institute for Inclusive Excellence. He was informed that "the selection committee found your application to be an excellent demonstration of how superior scholarship contributes to diversity at Texas Tech".
- PytlikZillig, Lisa M., Alan J. Tomkins, Peter Muhlberger, Rosevelt L. Pardy, Thomas J. Morris, Yuris A. Dzenis, Joseph A. Turner, and Timothy P. Collins. 2011. Using Public Engagements to Provide Input and Insights into Policy, Legal, Ethical, and Other Impacts of Science. Science in Society (In Press).
2010
- Congratulations to Dept. of Public Relations faculty members Lori Boyer, Coy Callison, Trent Seltzer, John Wirtz, and Weiwu Zhang for having papers accepted for presentation at the AEJMC 2010 convention in Denver, CO. Several of these papers were co-authored with Mass Communications doctoral students, including Jerod Foster, Prisca Ngondo, Phillip Poe, and Austin Sims. Dr. John Wirtz has also received a Top Faculty Paper award from the Religion and Media Interest Group.
- Peaslee, R.M. (2010) The man from New Line knocked on the door: Tourism, media power, and Hobbiton/Matamata as boundaried space. Tourist Studies 10(1), pp. 57-73.
Department of Public Relations AEJMC Papers
- Buck, E. L., Callison, C., & Seltzer, T. Influence of Public Relations Communication Strategies and Training on Perceptions of Hospital Crisis Readiness. Paper to be presented in the Public Relations Division of the 2010 annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Denver, CO.
- Callison, C., Gibson, R., & Zillmann, D. Effects of Quantitative Literacy and Information Interference on the Processing of Numbers in the News. Paper to be presented in the Newspaper Division of the 2010 annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Denver, CO.
- Gallagher, A., Clark, N., & Boyer, L. Shining a bright light: An analysis of race and identity in online messages. Paper to be presented in the Entertainment Studies Interest Group of the 2010 annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Denver, CO.
- Seltzer, T., & Zhang, W. Talking health care reform: The influence of issue-specific communication on political organization-public relationships and attitudes. Paper to be presented in the Public Relations Division of the 2010 annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Denver, CO.
- Wigley, S., & Zhang, W. A study of PR practitioners’ use of social media in crisis planning. Paper to be presented in the Public Relations Division of the 2010 annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Denver, CO.
- Wirtz, J. G., Poe, P., Ngondo, P.S. Do denominations talk with us or at us? A content analysis of U.S. denominational websites. Religion and Media Interest Group. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication national conference; Denver, Colorado; accepted for presentation in August 2010; Top Faculty Paper award
- Wirtz, J. G., Sims, A., & Anderson, B. D. ‘Hey BikerGal: Using ALL CAPS=EPIC FAIL!’ Identifying message factors that influence the persuasiveness of online comments. Communication and Technology Division; Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication national conference; Denver, Colorado; accepted for presentation in August 2010.
- Zhang, W., & Foster, J.W. Multivariate testing of the dark side of social capital. Paper to be presented in the Mass Communication & Society Division of the 2010 annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Denver, CO.
College of Mass Communication, Box 43082, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409
806.742.3385