Congratulations to Associate Professor, Dr. Holley Vaughn, for winning the Outreach Award from the Southern States Communication Association. This award recognizes association members who have made significant contributions to the profession of Communication Studies. Recipients of this award facilitate the success and access of under-represented populations or the integration of specific groups of students, professionals, or scholars into the communication discipline or professional organizations.

Dr. Vaughn serves the department in a multitude of ways, such as the Director Undergraduate Advising, Retention and Recruitment, Internship Coordinator, Graduate faculty member, undergraduate instructor, Managing Director of the Black Box Performance Space, and also administers our undergraduate ambassador and peer mentor program. She has created a holistic advising system for our majors as well as increased the number of majors from 250 to over 400 students. Dr. Vaughn has also contributed to making this campusa more inclusive space with her work in What We Talk About When We Talk About Race. Dr. Vaughn's contributions within the department directly impacts the learning environment and quality of education that students come into contact with every day.

Her dedication to providing a high quality experience to students and the overall discipline of Communication Studies does not go unnoticed by the other members of the department. "Dr. Vaughn is the glue of this department. She is constantly putting students first and offering a welcoming ear to any student who just needs to be heard. Dr. Vaughn's devotion to the Department of Communication Studies has made my experience as a student phenomenal", said Communication Studies Ambassador and senior Ian Etheridge. Dr. Megan Morrissey, Chair of the Department's Award Committee, said "I can think of no one more deserving than Dr. Vaughn for such an honor. She works tirelessly on behalf of our students and extends herself in superhuman ways to serve students, bot administratively and intellectually. We are lucky to have her here at UNT". Department Chair, Dr. Brian Richardson, recognized the success by saying "Dr. Vaughn is such a worthy recipient of this award! Her passion for the department and our students spills over into everything she does".

When interviewed about winning the Outreach Award, Dr. Vaughn stated "I am very grateful to receive this award in that it highlights not only my efforts, but also the department's dedication to making UNT and Communication Studies a place where our students can thrive".

This award comes after a visit by the University of North Texas President, Neal Smatresk, to view the department and all that it contributes to the overall university. Thank you to Dr. Vaughn for being the epitome of what Communication Studies is about.