COMM alumnus Bryan Lysinger (BA 2010; MA 2014) served as keynote speaker at the department’s Spring 2019 Senior Recognition and Master’s Hooding Ceremony on May 10, 2019. In addition to offering an inspirational speech, Lysinger was also recognized by the department as “Alumni of the Year.”  Lysinger, a U.S. Army veteran, currently serves as an advisor for Soulier Financial Group.  Please see below for the text of Lysinger’s speech. During the ceremony, the department also recognized alumnus Sam Gist (B.A. 2009; MS 2013) with its inaugural “Outstanding Alumni Pedagogue Award.” This award is bestowed upon department alumni who demonstrate excellence in pedagogy, education innovation, and a commitment to higher education.  Gist, who has served as a teaching assistant and adjunct faculty member for the Communication Studies department, currently serves as Associate Director for the Center for Learning Experimentation, Application, and Research.

Associate Professor, Dr. Brian Lain, created a course titled “Zombies as Rhetorical Figures” which recently won the Outstanding Online Teacher and Course Award from the Center for Learning Experimentation, Application, and Research (CLEAR). 

Congratulations to Associate Professor, Dr. Holley Vaughn, for winning the Outreach Award from the Southern States Communication Association.

In November 2018, at the National Communication Convention in Salt Lake City, UT, Dr. Jay Allison was the recipient of the Performance Studies Division’s Distinguished Service Award.