The Department of Communication recognized top students and 2012-13 scholarship winners at the 2012 Honors Convocation. The event was held April 27 in the UTA Planetarium.

Thirty-nine students were inducted into the Communication Honor Society. Membership is by invitation only, with honorees completing at least 90 hours toward their degrees; at least 60 of those hours must be completed at UTA with a GPA of 3.0 or better. The inductees must also have completed at least 12 hours at UTA in Communication with a GPA of 3.5 or better.

Congratulations to the following Communication Honor Society students:
Wesley Albaugh, Elizabeth Alvarez, Matt Anstice, Matthew Bastible, Kimberly Bauer, Derek Beckno, Josh Bowe, Christopher Bryan, Cindy Chung, Staci Deluca, Thomas Dennard, Christopher Dinh, Nicole Durham, Amanda Gonzalez, Chloe Jamerson, Ashley Keene, Kathryn Kiger, Rachel Makutuya, Maria Martinez, Christopher Mead, David Morgan, Benjamin Muir, Cindy Nguyen, Jessica Patzer, David Petti, Rachel Rodriguez, Britney Taylor, Michelle Tyer, Teresa Ustanik, Samantha Watson and Lucille Wong.

Several Department of Communication students were also inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha, a college honor society that recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication. Membership must be earned by excellence in academic work and selection for membership is a mark of highest distinction and honor. The seventh oldest national honor society, Kappa Tau Alpha was founded at the University of Missouri in 1910 at the world's first school of journalism. The Society has 94 chapters and has inducted nearly 60,000 outstanding students since its founding in 1910.

Congratulations to this year’s Kappa Tau Alpha inductees: Matthew Bastible, Christopher Bryan, Thomas Dennard, Joshua Derrick, Samantha Horn, Chloe Jamerson, Ashley Keene, Kathryn Kiger and Britney Taylor. Kathryn Kiger was also named the Kappa Tau Alpha Top Scholar.

The department also recognized the outstanding students for 2011-2012. Outstanding seniors in the Department of Communication’s six disciplines include: Advertising: Alison Cohn; Broadcasting: Christine Nicholson; Communication Studies:  Keelie Barrow; Communication Technology: Carlos Cucalon; Journalism: Matthew Bryan Bastible, and Public Relations: Christopher Bryan.

Outstanding Graduate Student honors were presented to Vidisha Bhopatkar.

Outstanding Students in an Organization included: PRSSA: Katy Kiger; UTA Radio: Staci Deluca; Association for Women in Communication: Sarah Frost; UTA News en Espanol:  Raul Solis; and Society of Professional Journalists: Bryan Bastible.

The Department of Communication also presented scholarships to 23 recipients.

The Lloyd Clark Endowed Scholarship, honoring 1942 graduate Lloyd Clark and given to an undergraduate student who intends to follow a news-editorial career. It is the hope of Mr. Clark’s classmates that those receiving the scholarship can match his performance on the Dallas Morning News, Phoenix Gazette, and Arizona Weekly Gazette. Bianca Montes is this year’s Lloyd Clark recipient.

The Donald and Dorothy Bunnell Endowed Scholarship in Communication was established by Donald Bunnell to recognize and celebrate his beloved wife, the late Dorothy Bunnell. The scholarship recognizes outstanding students majoring in any Communication field. Sean Noell, Zack Minter and Mark Melendez are this year’s Donald and Dorothy Bunnell scholars.

The Donna Darovich Endowed Scholarship in Journalism was established by friends and colleagues of to honor Darovich at the time of her retirement as UTA’s Director of Public Affairs. This year’s Donna Darovich Scholar is Lindsey Juarez.

The Neva McMurry Reidel Scholarship was established to honor the memory of Neva McMurray Reidel, a UTA student of journalism. Mrs. Reidel’s sister became aware of the excellence of the journalism program at UTA, and created this annual award in 1987 to recognize an outstanding journalism student. Lindsey Juarez is the 2011-2012 Neva McMurray Reidel scholar.

The Charles Arrendell Family Scholarship, first awarded in 1990, was established to honor Charles Arrendell, distinguished journalist and former chairperson of the Department of Communication. After his sudden death in 1989, Arrendell’s wife, son, and many friends established this scholarship to be awarded to an undergraduate journalism student in his memory. Rachel Snyder and Kushal Sapkota are this year’s Charles Arrendell scholars.

The Murray C. and Nona Poston Journalism Scholarship was established by the Postons, world travelers who spent 20 years traveling and writing articles for the travel industry and various news organizations. In 1979, at age 66, Mrs. Poston graduated from UTA with a journalism degree. Established in the Postons’ wills, this award provides support to future journalists. This year’s Murray and Nona Poston scholar is Cindy Chung.

The Bill McCallum Communication Scholarship was established to honor the memory of Bill McCallum, husband and friend to our beloved colleague, Dr. Karin McCallum. Friends, family, and UTA colleagues and students established the scholarship to be awarded to an undergraduate communication student. This year’s Bill McCallum scholar is Christine Lambe.

The Jack Butler Award is presented annually to an outstanding news-editorial journalism graduate who is about to enter the working world. Jack Butler, editor of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram from the 1950s until the mid-1970s, was a life-long Texas newspaper man. In appreciation for Butler’s service to the newspaper, the Capitol Cities Communications Corp. established the award in his honor. This year’s Jack Butler recipient is Bianca Montes.

The Mark Holtz Sports Journalism Scholarship was established to honor Texas Rangers’ lead radio announcer for 13 years, Mark Holtz. Holtz was named Texas play-by-play sportscaster of the year eight times and elected to the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation awards two scholarships to UTA pursuing careers in Broadcast Journalism. This year’s Mark Holtz scholars are Alyxandra Crawford and Brianna Nathaniel.

The Karin McCallum Endowed Scholarship, first awarded in 1996, was established by former students of the award-winning emeritus professor of Speech Communication, Karin McCallum.  This scholarship is given to outstanding students majoring in Communication Studies in her honor. Kirstin Gaddis and Ward Griffin are this year’s Karin McCallum scholars.

The Andrew M. Clark Scholarship, presented in honor of Dr. Clark in recognition to his dedication to student achievement, his vision, and his patience, was established in 2007 by the first graduate of UTA’s Master’s of Arts in Communication program, Danny Woodward. The scholarship is awarded to an outstanding graduate student at the beginning of his/her thesis research. This year’s Andrew M. Clark Scholars are Vidisha Bhopatkar and Paul Kozar.

The Phillip Lynn Hall Endowed Scholarship was established to honor 1980 UTA graduate, Phillip Lynn Hall, a lover of music, literature and journalism. Following his unexpected death in 2001, Hall’s family established the scholarship in his memory to be awarded to outstanding students majoring in Communication. Rachel Snyder is this year’s recipient.

The Douglas Maples Broadcast Scholarship was established in honor of Doug Maples and his passion for radio broadcasting. While taking courses at UTA, Maples fell in love with the station and realized that there was a need for equipment and scholarship support. This scholarship is Maples’ way of giving back to the university where he works and still enjoys learning each day.  The Douglas Maples Scholar is Juan Rios.

The George Proctor Endowed Scholarship was established by family, friends, and colleagues to honor George Proctor. An honored member of the family of the Department of Communication for more than 12 years, Proctor was a freelance writer, editor, artist, philosopher and an enthusiastic educator. The George Proctor scholar is Maritza Moreno.

The Dallas/Fort Worth Interactive Marketing Association Scholarship, established this year, is awarded to a student interested in the interactive marketing field actively engaged in courses related to the field. Kristen Ranshaw and Taiki Hara are the first recipients of the DFWIMA scholarship.

The Sam Lea Endowed Scholarship in Journalism was established by his family in honor of Sam Lea, a UTA student who earned a journalism degree in 2004. At the time of his death in 2005, Lea was pursuing a second degree in English toward a secondary teaching certification. He was gifted in conveying stories in both photography and words. In the words of his father “Sam was a generous, warmhearted man with a mind open to learning.” This year’s scholarship, awarded to support the work of a student in journalism, is presented to Mary Boedeker.

Students were not the only ones honored at this year’s convocation. Two beloved faculty members were also celebrated during the special event. Pat Gordon and Allen Sheffield were recognized for their long-time dedication to the Department of Communication. Sheffield is a Speech Communication instructor, and Pat Gordon is a Journalism and Photography instructor. Both Gordon and Sheffield are retiring following the spring semester and will be greatly missed by students, staff and fellow faculty.

Department of Communication alum are working in all facets of the Communication industry. Congrats to the following recent grads on their new positions!

May 2012 BCMN grad Christine Nicholson has been hired for a morning reporter position at KXII-TV in Sherman. She begins her new position in June.

Kristy Phillips (MA, Communication) has been was hired by Heise Media Group in Bakersfield, CA as the company’s new Marketing/Sales Coordinator.

John Harden (BA, Broadcast Communication) is freelancing for The New York Times. Harden will be writing one science/health feature a month for the publication.

Aubree McFadden (BA, Broadcast Communication) has accepted a job as producer for radio station KLTY’s “Nightlight” show.

Sandy Kurtzman (BA, Communication Studies) has been offered a management trainee position with Sherwin Williams Paint Services Group in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Alanna Quillen (BA, Broadcast Communication) has accepted a position with ABC affiliate KMID TV in Midland as weekend anchor/reporter.
 
Felicia Bolton (BA, Broadcast Communication) has been hired as an on-air reporter at KOSA in Odessa, TX.

Decklan Miller-McGee (BA, Broadcast Communication) has been hired by SKY Helicopters in Garland as a helicopter camera operator/videographer, providing aerials for KDFW and KTVT.

Erick Fernandez (BA, Broadcast Communication) has been hired as weekend Technical Director for Univision.

Chloe Jamerson (BA, Public Relations) begins a position May 15 with The Richards Group, a Dallas-based PR firm and one of the largest independently owned advertising agency in the country. Jamerson will be working in Brand Public Relations for the PR division, Richards Partners.

Ashley Montgomery (BA, Public Relations) has been hired by TracyLocke to work in the creative agency’s Dallas office. Montgomery will be working with media planners to set up advertising buys.

May 2012 PR grad Kristina Kopplin has been hired by Social Compass, a social media marketing agency. She will be working as an Interactive Producer for the company.

If you are a graduate of UTA Department of Communication and would like to share info with us on where you are working, please e-mail barriehill@uta.edu.

Carl Esposito, M.A. in Communication Candidate, Select, successfully defended his Master's Thesis . His thesis is titled "Can political candidates use Facebook to influence real world outcomes? An analysis of uses and gratifications needs, online participation and offline outcomes on candidate’s Facebook pages."

Department of Communication graduate students James Dunning and Michael Agee presented a paper, “When ‘Oops, Sorry’ Isn’t Enough: Tiger Woods and Image Repair,” at the University of North Texas Student Conference in March.

Journalism major Monica Nagy will work at The Eagle in Bryan for 10 weeks this summer as part of the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Association's Butler Haas Minority Internship program.

COMS major Elizabeth (Bess) Alvarez, has accepted an offer of admission to the Master’s program in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Bess has also been offered a teaching assistantship (with a stipend and tuition waiver) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate College Fellowship.

Each year the UTA Career Center names one student as a Distinguished Student Employee. Tierra Chatmon, public relations senior, was named the Distinguished Student Employee for April by Multicultural Affairs.

PREL student, Mark Melendez, is spending his spring semester in Spain as part of UTA’s Study Abroad program.

Public relations majors Patrick Jackson and Courtney Chipman spent the spring semester interning for the Director of Communication for UTA Athletics.

PREL major Terry McLennan landed a summer internship with Tarrant County chapter of The American Heart Association.

Kim Pewitt-Jones, Journalism lecturer, has been awarded a scholarship to the Society of Professional Journalist’s National Ted Scripps Leadership Institute.

Named for Ted Scripps, grandson of the founder of The E.W. Scripps Company, the Ted Scripps Leadership Institute provides journalists with tools to make local SPJ chapters stronger and continues to build that network of support for leaders at the local level.

Funding is provided through the Scripps Howard Foundation by Ted's sons, Edward W. Scripps Jr. and William H. Scripps, as a way to honor their father's memory. The institute will be held June 1-3 in Indianapolis.

Lecturer Melyssa Prince has earned accreditation from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

The accreditation process entails being accepted as a candidate, presenting a portfolio of work that demonstrates an ability to research, plan, execute and measure communication plans, followed by a 4.5-hour exam. The exam is comprised of a four-hour written portion and a 30-minute oral defense.
 
“I was given a crisis scenario and had to come up with a plan of action and convince a panel of other accredited communicators that the plan was solid," Ms. Prince explains. "The portfolio and exam are evaluated by members of the international organization.”

“After a lot of waiting, I received the word that I had been granted accreditation status," she added. "I am very proud to have achieved the IABC designation.”

Department of Communication instructors Sandie Idziak and Roby McEuen were honored for their years of service to the university at an employee recognition ceremony.

The event, held April 18 in Hereford University Center, recognized faculty and employees who have worked at UTA for 10, 15 and 20 years.

Lecturer Sandie Idziak has taught Speech Communication classes for 20 years. Specialist Roby McEuen has taught graphics classes at the University for 10 years.

Congratulations to the newest members of the Department of Communication family

Department of Communication Assistant Professor Karishma Chatterjee and her husband, Matthew Cox, welcomed their daughter, Schuyler Pamlyn Chatterjee-Cox, at 11:28 a.m. April 15. Schuyler weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces.

Department of Communication Administrative Assistant Paula Branen and husband. Nick, welcomed Claire Avery Branen to the family March 6. Claire weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces.

This spring semester has been a busy one in the Department of Communication with students getting invaluable experience to prepare them for life after graduation.

Assistant Professor Mark Tremayne hosted a visit by his former student, Ann Arnold, morning anchor for KFDX in Wichita Falls. Arnold spoke to broadcast students April 30 on how to prepare themselves for careers in television news.

Public Relations students in Mindia Whittier’s classes are getting hands-on experience this semester. Several of Whittier’s PR students worked as student ambassadors for the PR firm, Strategic Image, to develop a public relations campaign on behalf of the Tarrant County Public Health Department. The campaign was designed to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables among college students. Students participating in the project include Christopher Bryan, Nicole Durham, Sarah Frost and Jasmine Moore.

Whittier’s PR Campaigns students developed Strategic Communication Plans for the national launch of a new product being offered by a company called Think Finance this semester.

Communication Technology students in Dr. Brian Horton’s Human Computer Interaction spent the semester working with local client, DigIt! Development, to create a unique, interactive website.

“DigIt! Development is collaborating with the City of Dallas to create 21 custom homes in the Cedars area of Dallas, just south of I-30,” Dr. Horton explained. “The class has created -- and is in the process of implementing -- a very unique user experience where potential homebuyers can customize homes online. The homebuyer is then able to print out a report that they can take to the bank without having to go through a Realtor.”

The City of Dallas has contributed $300,000 to upgrade the infrastructure around the neighborhood of custom homes. The Galleries on Hickory will range in price from $300,000 to $500,000.

The students have also collaborated with DigIt! Development to create an internet marketing plan for the company.

“Being the first of its kind and scale, the website is expected to generate a lot of buzz throughout, not only the DFW area, but also the United States,” Dr. Horton added. “I am very proud of the work my students have done on this innovative project.”

Students in Suzy Nead’s Group Communication class are hard at work on class projects benefitting many local non-profit organizations.

“Right now, groups are working with Cook Children’s Hospital, YMCA, Mission Arlington, The Moritz No-kill Animal Shelter, Package Brigade and a local senior center,” Ms. Nead said.

“The students’ service learning efforts include play days for children, letters and gifts for Americans serving overseas, gathering supplies for animals, and implementing programs for local seniors and children,” she added.