19-20 CI Connect Magazine

Communication & Information THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF

CI CONNECT MAGAZINE

FALL 2020

WHAT’S INSIDE 10

CAMPUS AND COVID

24

FALL 2020 RESTART

The spring 2020 semester started like all the rest but ended like no other.

How UK reimagined a residential campus experience in the midst of a pandemic.

46

COLLEGE NEWS

50

MEET THE ADVISORS

52

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Here’s the latest news from the College of Communication and Information.

Meet our staff of professional advisors in our Student Services Office.

Read about the College’s plans to not only be inclusive but also actively anti-racist.

54

PHILANTHROPY AND THE IMPACT OF GIVING Philanthropy benefits more than just the recipient.

28

CI STRATEGIC PLANNING

30

CI STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

41

FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS

44

RESEARCH

CI stakeholders and community members work to plan for 2020-2025.

56

CI ALUMNI UPDATES

58

IN MEMORIAM: MIKE FARRELL

Our alumni are pretty amazing.

Here’s some proof.

CI Students continue to shine with awards and accolades.

Catch up with just a few highlights from our outstanding faculty.

Read about the incredible work of our CI research faculty.

We mourn the passing of our friend and CI family member Mike Farrell.

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 3

CONTENTS

FALL 2020

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

COLLEGE OF

COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION CI CONNECT MAGAZINE DEAN: JENNIFER GREER EDITOR: CATHERINE HAYDEN DESIGNER: MAY MAY BARTON COPY EDITOR: BAILEY VANDIVER CONTRIBUTORS GABRIELA ANTENORE (ISC STUDENT), DAVE ARNETT, AMY BROOKS, DREW BROWN (ICT GRAD STUDENT), FAITH CRACRAFT, RYAN CRAIG, AL CROSS, DANIELLE DONHAM (CI ALUM), MAIA DUBIN (ISC STUDENT), JENNIFER GREER, WHITNEY HALE, CATHERINE HAYDEN (CI ALUM), JENNY WELLS-HOSLEY (CI ALUM), MEG MILLS, MALLORY POWELL, EMILY SALLEE, JENNIFER SMITH (CI ALUM), HANNAH TRUSTY (LIS GRAD STUDENT), KAKIE URCH (CI ALUM), BAILEY VANDIVER (CI ALUM), CHANEY WILLET (ISC STUDENT) PHOTOGRAPHERS ARDEN BARNES, MICHAEL CLUBB, COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, CATHERINE HAYDEN, JORDAN PRATHER, DAVID STEPHENSON, UK PHOTO, TIM WEBB

ON THE COVER Communication & Information THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF

CI CONNECT MAGAZINE

FALL 2020

PHOTO BY ARDEN BARNES 4 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

As part of the state’s coronavirus response, houses and buildings, such as the Main Building on UK’s campus, were lit green to honor lives lost to COVID-19. Green is seen as a color that represents compassion, empathy and renewal.

FROM the Dean

SHAPING PASSIONS INTO PROFESSIONS As of August 1, 2020, I no longer was the “new” dean of the College of Communication and Information. I am now simply the dean of this glorious College, and I could not be prouder to be serving in this role.

As you read this issue of CI Connect, I know you will agree that we, as members of the CI community, have much to be proud of. Our students are excelling, our faculty are breaking new ground, our staff are innovating, our alumni and supporters are thriving and we collectively are placing communication and information at the center of the conversation in a world that looks nothing like it did this time last year.

The events of 2020 have tested all members of our community, including each and every one of you. We have been working tirelessly to ensure that our campus community is safe, engaging and welcoming to all as we finish this unprecedented Fall 2020 semester. Our efforts have focused on fulfilling our teaching, research and service missions in the COVID-19 era, while also redoubling our efforts to promote racial justice in the College, the University and beyond.

Our faculty, who normally devote breaks to research, spent the summer rethinking instructional modes online and on a campus reconfigured for social distancing. Our student services personnel continue to provide individualized support and personalized advising in a virtual environment while welcoming incoming students in interactive

and engaging ways. Our student organizations and student media continue to keep our community engaged and informed online and in person. We’ve added new positions and programs in diversity as we work to ensure that equity and inclusion are top of mind in all we do.

Amidst all of this, our faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and supporters recently completed a strategic planning process that will chart the College’s progress through 2026. That exercise reinforced our commitment to shaping passions into professions at all stages of our community’s lives from incoming students, to current students, to faculty and staff, to alumni. We will position CI as a welcoming place where all can thrive and grow. We will strive to launch critical and innovative thinkers, creators and doers. And we know you’ll join us as we carry out that mission.

Thank you all for your support in my first year.

Thanks, too, to the many contributors (see previous page) who helped produce this magazine for your enjoyment. Notice how many of them are current students and alumni of the College, yet another reason to be proud.

I hope to see you at any of the number of upcoming events (virtual and in person) that we continue to host across our College in 2021. We could not have come this far without your time and your support of our mission.

Be well and Go Cats!

Jennifer COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 5

MEET the Dean

Q&A WITH DEAN JENNIFER GREER especially students in a College like ours.

the other natural beauty, like the Red

They have that passion that they want to

River Gorge and parts along the river, it’s

change the world, and they come in with

just gorgeous. The most surprising thing

great curiosity, great enthusiasm, great

about UK? I knew about the basketball

creativity. It’s a blend that you don’t find

tradition, but I didn’t get how crazy ev-

in other Colleges. Our students have

erybody is about basketball. I came from

vision plus ingenuity plus tenacity plus

Alabama, and you think that nothing can

inquisitiveness. They’ve got all of these

match that passion for Bama football. But

things all wrapped into one. The students

the Big Blue Nation and their passion for

that we attract to our majors inspire me

Kentucky basketball is even stronger.

and give me energy.

Q

Why did you originally want to be a journalist?

A

I remember writing in a fifth-grade essay about what I wanted to be

when I grew up, that I wanted to be a journalist. That was in 1977, and as a kid, I watched the Mary Tyler Moore Show, which was about a female broadcast news producer, and its spin-off, Lou Grant, and he was a newspaper editor. I just thought that lifestyle seemed kind of glamorous, which is the way it looks on TV, but also that they were always doing something that was trying to help or provide information to a community, and so I thought that that would be a great career. It’s funny how TV can influence so much of your life. In our College, we have scholars who study how media entertainment affects people, and it influenced my career choice.

Q

How would you describe the students in the College of Communi-

cation and Information?

A

In my previous job (at the University of Alabama), I was working in cen-

tral administration. What I really missed the most was working with students, and

6 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

Q

If you were an incoming freshman now, what major within the College

of Communication and Information would you choose?

A

I would still choose journalism because that’s really where my heart

Q A

If you were a sandwich, what kind of sandwich would you be?

I think I’m going to go with grilled cheese. And the reason is I’m pretty

basic; I’m pretty straightforward. What you see is what you get. And it’s not fancy, but it does the job. If I were to give

was as an 18 year old. I wanted to change

it a personal spin, though, I like green

the world, and I think journalism majors

apples on my grilled cheese. The crunchy

are attracted to that profession because

sweetness with the creamy cheese… it’s

they want to make the world better and

my go-to.

really think about the impact they want to make. My research is probably more aligned with the work in the Department of Communication, because it’s social science media effects work. But I love all of our majors and programs. My

Q A

Do you have a favorite icebreaker or question to ask people you meet?

This one’s fairly recent, but I’ve used it to good effect: What do you like

about yourself? That’s a hard one, be-

husband has a degree in library science,

cause we all go very quickly to what we

and so I’ve been able to know that world

don’t like. We also tend to feel like when

through him. If I could go back and do

we say what we like about ourselves, it’s

a degree in every single major that we

bragging. But we’re all going through

have, both undergraduate and graduate,

some tough times. So celebrating what’s

I definitely would. But 18-year-old me

good about you is a good thing, especial-

would still choose journalism.

ly now.

Q

What has been most surprising during your first year in Kentucky

and at UK?

A

What surprised me most about Kentucky was how beautiful it is.

Q A

So what do you like about yourself?

It changes. What I like most about myself right now is that I’m pretty

good at just tackling a problem and get-

As an outsider, you know about the horse

ting it done. And that’s a pretty good skill

farms, and those are stunning. But all

to have these days. •

NEW CI Faculty

MEET CI’S NEWEST FACULTY MEMBERS BETH BLOCH Beth Strickland Bloch is an assistant professor in the School of Information Science. Bloch joins us from the University of Illinois, where she earned her doctorate and taught classes in sociotechnical information systems and science and technology studies. In her current research, she studies the values and ethics of biomedical engineering practices and the design of novel technologies.

EVAN BRODY Evan Brody is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication. Brody joins UK from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. He received his Ph.D. in communication from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California. Brody’s research focuses on media, sports culture and the LGBTQ community and uses a variety of methods to better understand the relationship between media practices and the experiences and representations of LGBTQ athletes and sports fans.

LUKE LeFEBVRE Luke LeFebvre is an assistant professor in the School of Information Science. LeFebvre earned his doctorate from Wayne State University in May 2010. His research examines innovative and foundational aspects of communication education, instructional communication and communication technology.

KODY FREY Kody Frey is an assistant professor in the School of Information Science. He earned his doctorate from Kentucky in 2019. His research focuses on applied communication, technology and research methods, primarily within the context of classrooms and higher education.

WILLIAM HOWE Willilam Howe is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication and joins UK from the University of Oklahoma. He specializes in organizational communication, specifically in high-reliability organizations (e.g. firefighters, military, emergency forecasters).

He served as a combat medic in Operation Iraqi Freedom and seeks to promote and support student veterans.

FIRAZ PEER Firaz Peer is an assistant professor in the School of Information Science. Peer comes from Georgia Institute of Technology, where he finished his doctorate in digital media. With a background in computer science and human computer interaction, he uses participatory and design-based research methods to study the impacts that algorithmic and data infrastructures have on marginalized communities.

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 7

NEW COLLEGE Leadership

MEET THE COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION’S ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP

F

ollowing the appointment of Jennifer Greer as Dean in August 2019, the College of Communication and Information has announced its new slate of academic leadership. A change in deans is often accom­panied by shuffling on the leadership team, Greer said, noting that her first year coincided with the end of several administrative appointments and oth­er leaders in the College moving into new opportunities.

and Implementation Sciences Consortium.

“I am thrilled to be leading this young department at a time when our profession is being constantly disrupted by innovations and we often are called upon to rethink how we solve problems and grapple with new “I’m so grateful for the contributions of past leaders in CHIKE ANYAEGBUNAM challenges,” Anyaegbunam said. “I am the College who laid a solid foundation for the work ahead also glad to be working with staff and of us,” Greer said. “I’m also excited to work with a number of faculty who are dedicated to our students and committed new administrators who have great ideas about how to best to the success of the department in the areas of instruction, position our programs for the future. We really are fortunate research and community service.” to have a huge depth of leadership talent in the College.”

Anthony Limperos was appointed associate dean for Graduate Programs in Communication in July 2019. Limperos, an associate professor, has been with the College since 2011.

“Our graduate programs are nationally and internationally recognized with a storied history of training the next generation of academic leaders in the field,” Limperos said.

“My vision is to maintain our reputation of excellence while also thinking ANTHONY LIMPEROS about innovative ways to train our students for the evolving landscape of both academic and industry related careers.”

Chike Anyaegbunam, a professor, was named chair of the Department of Integrated Strategic Communication in January. Anyaegbunam has been interim chair since May 2017. He has been a member of the College’s faculty for 20 years. He is also the director of the University of Kentucky Dissemination

8 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

Erika Engstrom, a professor, was named director of the School of Journalism and Media in July. Engstrom comes to CI from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she was a professor of communication studies and had served as associate dean. Engstrom’s goals align with the College’s mission to shape passions into professions.

“My goals for the School of Journalism and Media are to keep fostering the excellent instruction and research ERIKA ENGSTROM by our outstanding faculty and the terrific work of our student professionals, and to build on UK’s reputation as a great place to learn, work, and thrive,” she said. “Our faculty and College team are working to ensure that every student gets the world-class training and the critical thinking skills they’ll need to succeed not just in their chosen career, but also as informed, inquisitive and involved citizens.”

Engstrom steps into the position held by Professor Mike Farrell, who died in August 2019 (see page 58). After Farrell’s

passing, associate professor Scoobie Ryan served as interim director for the School. Ryan continues to serve as associate director for the School of Journalism and Media.

The Department of Communication’s new chair is Kevin Real. Real, a professor, has been with the College since 2002 and has a long tenure of College and University service. He’s excited to serve a department that has been his academic home for nearly two decades.

Kyra Hunting, an assistant professor of Media Arts and Studies in the School of Journalism and Media, has moved into the role of chief diversity officer. Hunting joined the College in 2014 and takes over the role from Shannon Oltmann, who chaired the College’s Diversity Committee and led diversity efforts for the previous three years.

The College is working to provide additional support to the diversity officer as she works to ensure that all efforts are not only equitable and inclusive but also actively anti-racist. In addition to Hunting, CI has appointed

“Our students are among the best at UK and they go on to work in a variety of successful careers,” Real said.

“Our faculty are outstanding teachers KEVIN REAL and highly productive researchers. I want to enable our students and faculty to succeed in their journey here at UK.” Brandi Frisby, an associate professor in the School of Information Science, was named interim associate dean of undergraduate affairs in July. Frisby, who also serves as the director of the Graduate Certificate in Instructional Communication, said she sees her role as enhancing the student experience from the first time a student considers the College through graduation and beyond.

“I am striving to expand on the strengths of our student body and of our College, continuing our tradition of collaborative, innovative, flexible and vibrant student community, supported by the excellent peers, tutors, ambassadors, advisors, faculty and leadership,” Frisby said. “I believe this hands-on team approach will enhance the experience for our students both during their time in CI and after they graduate.”

KYRA HUNTING

doctoral student Nigel Taylor as a liaison for equity and diversity outreach to the CI student body. (See page 52).

“I am honored to have the opportunity to work with our community to help make the College a more welcoming, equitable and just place,” Hunting said. “I hope to engage and amplify the voices of all our community members and work to create a bold and sustainable set of practices and strategies that ensure our college reflects our values of inclusivity and equity so every member of our community is supported and represented by the College.”

BRANDI FRISBY

Real and Frisby stepped into positions previously held by Professor Shari Veil, who left UK to become dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

JEFF HUBER

NANCY HARRINGTON

The College’s faculty leadership team is rounded out by Jeff Huber, a professor, who serves as director of the School of Information Science, and Nancy Harrington, a professor of communication, who serves as associate dean for research.

Greer reappointed both to continue in their roles, which they have held for more than a decade. •

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 9

CAMPUS and Covid

T

hese photos appeared in the Kentucky Kernel’s 2019-2020 Year in Photos, now considered UK’s unofficial yearbook. The Kernel photographers captured the campus during and after this spring’s unprecedented shutdown. The College of Communication and Information provided a copy of this publication to each and every May and August 2020 UK graduate in their graduation surprise boxes that contained the student’s diploma and other gifts. If you would like a copy of the Year in Photos publication, please email cidean@uky.edu.

10 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 11

CAMPUS and Covid

ADJUSTING AMIDST THE UNKNOWN L

ike the rest of the country, CI faculty, staff and students had little time to adjust to a new reality when Covid-19 took its grip on the United States in March. The University of Kentucky announced March 17 that it was moving instruction for the rest of the Spring 2020 semester online and that most operations would be remote. Instructors had just days to convert traditional classes online and staff scrambled to get everyone the technology to work from home.

Thankfully, CI already offered two fully online undergraduate degree completion programs and two completely online master’s programs, so our faculty stepped up to give crash courses to their peers and others across the University on engaging students in Canvas (UK’s learning management platform), embedding video, encouraging interactivity online and asynchronous learning.

Our advisors took their operations to Zoom, offering drop-in hours, individualized appointments and a virtual waiting room.

We ran five live, interactive graduation ceremonies in the College so each graduate could hear their name read in real time and have their moment in the spotlight.

After a summer of all online instruction, UK dedicated itself to a healthy restart and a robust residential experience for Fall 2020. CI faculty and staff again adapted, rethinking classes as hybrid (half in person and half online) to accommodate social distancing and flipped (video lectures and discussion and group work in person).

In the end, about 60% of CI’s sections had face-to-face components, with the remaining 40% being offered wholly online.

The following pages detail how CI faculty, staff and students came together to adjust, adapt and continue moving forward during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

12 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: After spring break, all University of Kentucky classes changed to online delivery to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Residence halls were closed and students living in them were sent home to complete the semester online. Students living off-campus, like these students, could complete the semester from their current locations.

Student organizations, like Grehan Associates, worked hard to keep up programming and engagement in a virtual setting.

Assistant professor David Stephenson (JOU) conducts an online class on virtual reality from his home on March 24, 2020.

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 13

CAMPUS and Covid CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

KCHC GOES VIRTUAL The Kentucky Conference on Health Communication (KCHC), planned for April 2-4 at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington, made the swift change to a virtual conference amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We had the whole conference planned and ready to go when it became clear that an in-person conference would not be possible,” said Nancy Harrington, KCHC director and the college’s associate dean for research. “We made the decision to go virtual on March 7 and went live on April 2. I’m just lucky to have an amazing technology staff.”

Despite challenges, the 2020 conference accommodated 280 attendees and 200 presenters and included representation from 115 organizations, 31 states and nine countries.

Hosted by the Department of Communication, the bien-

nial conference promotes health communication research and discusses health communication challenges. KCHC 2020 focused on intersectionality and interdisciplinarity in health communication research.

KCHC 2020 adapted to be held on Zoom, a screen-sharing and virtual presentation software that is now being used across the country to hold classes and meetings as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps people sheltered at home, away from schools and offices. Participants in the conference were able to interact with presenters live to participate in scholarly discussions and presentations.

Daniel O’Keefe, professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, praised the seamless transition to a virtual KCHC 2020.

“The conference itself was a model for how to do online CONTINUES ON PAGE 15

A “behind the scenes” look at the 2020 Kentucky Conference on Health Communication and how it was able to be held virtually amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

14 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 conferences,” O’Keefe said. “KCHC has set the bar.”

Even though social distancing inhibited convening in person, the keynote speaker, other invited speakers and paper and poster presenters were able to share their works with the health communication community via virtual, interactive presentations.

“I have to say, I was amazed at the strong quality of the conference in the virtual space,” said Katharine Head, who earned her doctorate in communication at UK. “I’m grateful to Nancy Harrington, Scott Johnson (director of research and technology) and the rest of the KCHC team for putting such thought and hard work into making sure the usual high caliber of the conference was translated into this online platform. The conference experience was seamless, and the quality of the work shone through.”

THE NEWS GOES ON Students in the School of Journalism and Media have always worked hard to produce, anchor and edit a daily 30-minute live newscast that airs Monday through Thursday as part of the Student News Network on Spectrum.

When the University moved fully to online instruction in mid-March, the challenge became how to do all of the in-studio, in-person tasks remotely to keep the broadcast on air.

Lecturer Andrew Dawson and crew found a way.

“As professional broadcast news organizations are figuring out how to produce newscasts remotely, so are our students,” Dawson said. “The news doesn’t stop, and neither will we.”

Rather than daily in-studio meetings to script, plan, edit and produce the newscast, Journalism 404 students, with help from students in Journalism 302, used an online scripting program along with Google Drive to log in and script and edit the news from anywhere. Students used smartphones and Zoom recordings for video and other resources to gather, produce and anchor the news from home. Chat and comment functions allowed them to finalize the scripts and shot list. The clips were edited with collaborative tools as well.

The end result was a fully virtual broadcast - and not one day off air.

“It’s a real tribute to Andrew Dawson and our students

Journalism senior Hayden Gooding works to produce a daily broadcast virtually from her home in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.

that they are able to pull this off,” associate professor Scoobie Ryan said. “They’ve been imaginative and ingenious.

They’re still a work in progress, but I am so proud of our instructors, staff and students. This is the kind of grace under pressure, service and can-do attitude that the School of Journalism and Media is all about.”

Dawson, a broadcast veteran, said students learned new ways of collaborating as well as new technology. Both will serve them well on the job market.

“While it can be difficult, it is also the best real-world experience our students can get,” he said. “When our students graduate and interview for jobs, they can tell news directors that they were reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 16

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 15

CAMPUS and Covid CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

DEBATE KNOWS NO LIMITS The University of Kentucky Intercollegiate Debate Team, the 2019 National Debate Tournament champions, was not afforded an opportunity to defend its title as the 2020 National Debate Tournament was canceled for the first time in its 74-year history.

UK Debate didn’t sit idle in spring 2020, however. The program, led by David Arnett, focused its efforts on helping high school debate adapt to the new, unique competition environment. The team helped transition the 48th annual Tournament of Champions (TOC), hosted by UK, to an online platform.

Nearly 1,100 students from 300 high schools, 37 states and four countries competed at the 2020 UK TOC held in April.

This was the first time in history that a speech and debate national championship was hosted on an online platform.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the team this year,” Arnett said. “They competed with the very best in the country and proved yet again that Kentucky is among the debate elite.

Maybe more than anything, I’m proud of the character they showed in the midst of this crisis. Even after their college national championship had been canceled, they came together to host the high school national championship online.”

With less than a month to make the move online, the results of the TOC exceeded all expectations. The 10,000 speeches were delivered in a virtual classroom building utilizing Zoom— serving as proof that competitive speech and debate can adapt and thrive under these challenging conditions.

UK Debate hosts four tournaments on campus annually and made plans this summer to host as many of those online CONTINUES ON PAGE 17

The Kentucky Intercollegiate Debate Team was able to move its Tournament of Champions to a virtual format so that high school debaters across the country were still able to fully and safely participate, even during a global pandemic.

16 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

Students in Marc Whitt’s ISC 471 Event Planning class worked to turn a local in-person event into a national virtual event with Honoring the Future and The Arboreteum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 as necessary. Additionally, the team has launched a digital initiative to support other high school and college tournaments transition online. To find more information on the Digital Speech and Debate Initiative, visit www.digitalspeechanddebate.com.

UK hosts more speech and debate tournaments than any other academic institution, and it is vital that the program be prepared to continue the leadership role, Arnett said. The student team members’ leadership in the face of their season ending prematurely shows that UK Debate is prepared to lead in any environment.

“Sometimes there is more to debate than winning, and their efforts made a huge difference for high school students across the country,” Arnett said.

HONORING TREES THROUGH ISC For the past five years, University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information students in Integrated Strategic Communication Event Planning (ISC 471) have taken on a client with a major event scheduled for that semester.

In spring 2020, the class was working with The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky, to host an event celebrating Arbor Day, set for April 18. The COVID-19 pandemic and closing of The Arboretum left the class and event organizers little time to adapt.

Around that time, Molly Davis, director of The Arboretum, was approached by Fran Dubrowski, director of Honoring the Future, a national organization that uses the power of art to educate about climate change, about co-sponsoring CONTINUES ON PAGE 18 COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 17

CAMPUS and Covid CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 the group’s first online exhibition. “Honoring Trees,” curated by the founding director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, showcased the work of 14 artists from the United States and Canada in an effort to promote preservation of native trees.

When The Arboretum signed on, the 28 members of ISC 471 became the only university students to assist with the virtual event, which included partnerships with nine other regional arboretums and botanical gardens across the country. Jamison Cooper, an ISC senior from Atlanta, also had her original artwork for “Honoring Trees” featured as the visual branding imagery for the virtual exhibit.

The exhibit is online at www.honoringthefuture.org/honoring-trees.

KENTUCKY KERNEL AND KRNL A key indicator of the strength of an organization is the ability to adapt, change and thrive in adversity. The University of Kentucky’s independent student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel, not only adapted to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic but thrived.

It had been quite a year for the Kernel before the pandemic. The Kernel had won the Associated Collegiate Press’ Pacemaker Award (often referred to as the collegiate Pulitzer Prize), naming it one of the best student newspapers in the

Each semester, instructor Marc Whitt splits his class into three teams: public relations, event experience and sponsorship and vendors.

nation. The newspaper staff, along with the staff of the KRNL Lifestyle & Fashion magazine, also had several national winners and finalists for individual awards.

“Every student is being assigned a specific duty, everyone had to pull together more than normal,” Whitt said. “The students have an excellent, can-do attitude.”

And, just weeks before the COVID-19 outbreak, the Kernel won the General Excellence award from the Kentucky Press Association for best large college newspaper in the state.

The sponsorship and vendors team reorganized to serve as the research and development team to create a social media plan and supporting research for the event and for other Honoring the Future events.

It was about as good of a year as a collegiate newspaper could have. Then the pandemic happened. While the student body was away on spring break, the announcement came that students were being sent home.

“We have been eager to develop a more comprehensive social media plan and are delighted the students are guiding us in that direction,” Dubrowski said.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 19

Students on the event experience team worked on a virtual coloring book that parents and teachers could use to educate about trees native to Kentucky. The hope is that the completed coloring pages can be displayed at The Arboretum in the future.

Public relations team members pitched stories about the event to media across Kentucky and selected national media outlets. They also crafted and posted social media content for the event.

Although the semester didn’t go as planned, students welcomed the challenge.

“We are grateful that we are given the opportunity to continue because we were very excited about the Arbor Day event, and now we’ll be able to pull off a virtual event,” said Dilly Siddiqi, an ISC senior from Nicholasville, Kentucky.

18 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

Kentucky Kernel managing editor Michael Clubb records video on location for a feature story on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 in Red River Gorge.

SIS assistant professors Renee Kaufmann and Jessalyn Vallade led a presentation to the College on the best instructional practices in the flipped classroom environment in July. This presentation was part of a series SIS put together for our College to begin reimagining the Fall 2020 semester.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 The staff then had a tough choice. They decided to do one last printed product for the semester on March 24 that dealt with the uncertainty of COVID and moving the remainder of the semester online.

That’s when the Kernel and KRNL pivoted to digital products such as e-editions, a weekly email newsletter, and expanded digital coverage.

The Kernel staff, under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Rick Childress and incoming Editor-in-Chief Natalie Parks (who was selected only a few weeks before the shutdown), came up with a plan to partner with the university’s emails to students, faculty, staff and alumni announcing the last issue and moving to digital only.

the Kernel photo staff. Despite being hundreds of miles apart, Photo Editor Michael Clubb and Lead Designer Kendall Boron, along with the Kernel staff, were able to put a beautiful book together through a series of online meetings with staff and advisors. Year in Photos is a photo representation of the year and is what replaced The Kentuckian yearbook in 2014.

Through a suggestion by CI Dean Jennifer Greer, Year in Photos was included with a diploma gift box mailed to all May/August 2020 UK graduates.

SIS LEADS THE WAY IN VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION

During the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, Childress, and then Parks, concentrated on not only the pandemic, but also how students, faculty and staff were dealing with the changes, and what it would take to open campus in the fall. What was and still is paramount is the staff of the Kernel practicing top-level journalism by informing the readers.

With great uncertainty surrounding the second half of the spring 2020 semester and the switch to fully online courses, many colleges at UK and other institutions found themselves struggling to find new ways to adapt to the ever-changing environment. Amidst this pandemonium, the School of Information Science faculty stepped up considerably to help not only the College, but the entire UK community. The School’s response to the challenges presented by the pandemic gained university-wide acclaim for the efficiency and

The move online and the last issue of the Kernel were well received, as was the annual Year in Photos issue produced by

CONTINUES ON PAGE 20

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 19

CAMPUS and Covid CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 effectiveness of their transition.

The information provided by our faculty was a large part of the reason our College was able to have a quick and seamless shift to this new environment. Our faculty served as an invaluable resource to other faculty campus-wide by using their expertise with online instruction. The SIS faculty provided guidance and best practices and answered questions regarding the switch to a virtual environment through a series of Zoom sessions covering a multitude of topics pertaining to online education. SIS faculty are already leaders in online instruction with the School’s two-fully online graduate programs and a fully online undergraduate degree completion program.

“The School of Information Science offers multiple online programs, and our faculty members have considerable expertise in this area,” said Jeff Huber, director of the School of Information Science. “When the University made the decision to move classes online in March 2020, several of our faculty members offered to create virtual presentations to assist other faculty members who might have less familiarity with the online environment. The goal was to help ease the transition to teaching fully online.”

CI advisors quickly moved all operations online during the spring 2020 semester. Advising was done through virtual walk-in hours and virtual oneon-one meetings via Zoom.

her the following day. She gave me advice that helped with my decision on what to do regarding my class in the summer and this coming fall. I was really thankful for her virtual advising because she lifted a great deal off my shoulders and reassured me that everything would work out!”

One rising junior student shared her experience in a virtual advising appointment:

The team has also been a local and national leader in virtual advising best practices, presenting to advising units from multiple UK colleges, the University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media, and the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication. These presentations have highlighted the quick work of advisors to create a virtual experience for students that mirrors the on-campus experience - a warm and welcoming face, answers to their questions and help navigating a walk-in or scheduled appointment. Additionally, the flipped advising approach the team has built in Canvas over the last few years became a pivotal resource for current students with the ever-changing information during the spring, and continues to be the place for updated news during the fall.

“I was really stressed out and needed the advice of my advisor because I knew she would understand my situation and the circumstances better than anyone. Scheduling a virtual appointment was quick and easy, and I was able to chat with

The advising staff has demonstrated how to be flexible, cutting-edge and innovative while maintaining a consistent presence as a front line of service excellence for their students, faculty and other advisors. •

VIRTUALLY ADVISING OUR STUDENTS The CI Advising Office had an incredibly successful spring and summer advising season, even with a swift transition to online services. A virtual office was created in Zoom where students attended walk-in advising, and more than 500 scheduled appointments were held virtually in the last six weeks of the spring 2020 semester. Advisors conducted “see blue” U Orientations for more than 175 incoming students.

Meanwhile, the advisors have continued to serve current students as needs arise, as they would do in person in a non-pandemic semester.

20 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

PHOTOS PROVIDED

W

CI ALUMNA CATHY BLACK TALKS CBS NEWS AND CORONAVIRUS

hen coronavirus shut down New York City, the networks “didn’t miss a beat.”

Cathy Black, senior producer for CBS News and 1985 graduate of the UK College of Communication and Information, said it was “incredibly rewarding to see how quickly the networks were able to keep things rolling.”

While some CBS News employees— like anchors— have returned to the office, Black is still working from home and has been since midMarch.

While she was “ringing bells and sounding alarms,” Black said friends and family in other parts of the country— where coronavirus was not so up close and real— didn’t yet understand the seriousness of the virus.

But from the beginning, CBS News was sharing vital stories about coronavirus, reported by news crews who were trying to stay safe in a dangerous environment.

“While our way of covering stories and presenting broadcasts may have changed,” Black said, such as anchors’ rigging up home studios, “I think the core principles of journalism have remained intact and that’s something to be really mindful of and appreciative of.”

In those early days of the COVID-19 global pandemic, when New York was a national and CATHY BLACK global hotspot, Black said she could walk outside and see only one person per hour— “in a city that’s known Black’s work days at home are about staying connected. for never sleeping.”

She’s on a lot of calls - planning election night coverage with CBS’s BBC partners, preparing for the fall events, deOr she would walk by a hospital or a park and see white tents set up for coronavirus treatment.

“It was just really up close and real,” Black said.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 22

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 21

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 termining what each day’s stories will be.

Coverage of current events and long-term planning weave together to fill Black’s days.

“It’s been a really full spring and summer, and it looks like it’s going to be a full fall,” she said.

••• Black began as a broadcast associate at CBS in 1990, working the overnight shift and assisting the anchor of the CBS morning show.

Not too many years before, she had sat in UK Professor Lew Donohue’s office and told him she wanted to work for a network morning show.

“He was like, ‘Of course you can do that, and this is how you do that,’” Black remembered.

Black, then a UK student majoring in telecommunications (now called media arts and studies), wanted an internship in the industry, something that wasn’t required by the College at the time.

Her internship at WDVM, now WUSA, in Washington, D.C., over the summer made her one of the first students within the College to have an internship. Donohue encouraged Black and arranged for her to receive college credit for the work she did.

She went on to intern for WKYT and WTVQ in Lexington before working at KET, then CBS, after graduation.

A few years ago, not long before Donohue passed away, Black found his email address and sent him a note, reminding him of their conversations when she was a student and thanking him for the impact he had on her career.

“That was pretty special,” Black said.

Since becoming a member of the UK Board of Trustees in 2019, Black’s travels had included frequent trips to Lexington, her hometown. Being a “It’s so important trustee has been an amazing experience, Black to never forget said.

where you started.”

“I feel like I owe much of who I am personally and professionally to those formative years at UK,” Black said. “So I’m really thankful and grateful for the opportunity to pay forward just a small portion of the good fortune that has been afforded

CATHY BLACK

••• In her 30-year career at CBS, Black has covered entertainment (booking and producing concerts and covering major music awards), politics (Republican and Democratic national conventions), natural disasters and more.

Her job has taken her all over the country and world— to

22 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

California in 2005 to cover the Michael Jackson trial, to Minneapolis to produce a Prince concert, to Liverpool for Ringo Starr and to Paris for Lenny Kravitz, for example.

me.”

Black has advice for those still in their formative years in CONTINUES ON PAGE 23

CI STUDENT SHARES CORONAVIRUS COMMENCEMENT STORY

I

By Bailey Vandiver, JOU 2020

moved blue confetti aside and lifted my diploma out of the box that had finally arrived at my house. My mom took photos while my dad and sister fought over the “Proud of my UK graduate” sticker.

Two months earlier, on May 8, I had graduated from the UK College of Communication and Information via Zoom.

That morning, I got dressed as if I would be walking across a stage— I put on a dress, the same yellow heels I wore to my high school graduation, and my graduation robe, cap and cords. But Rupp Arena was 157 miles away, and all I walked across was my parents’ house in Bowling Green.

Rather than finding seats for my many extended family members at Rupp Arena, my dad and sister spent my graduation morning trying to hook up the laptop to the TV so my parents, siblings, grandma and I could watch on the biggest screen in our house.

They succeeded just as the ceremony started— and it was a really lovely ceremony. I’m thankful for a College that made its scattered students feel special.

But I was sad, too. In many ways, my senior year was one of loss. Some things I expected to lose— basketball games, points on assignments, my status as an undergraduate student.

I didn’t expect to lose my grandpa in November or my great grandfather in January. I didn’t expect to lose the last six weeks of going to classes or eating hot pepper cheese with the Kentucky Kernel staff at Charlie Brown’s. I didn’t expect to lose the chance to sit next to my friends at graduation and wait for our names to be called. I certainly didn’t expect to lose my favorite mask in a parking lot— because I never

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 the College of Communication and Information: Learn all you can about your chosen field. Embrace every opportunity.

“Challenge yourself. Be a sponge and absorb everything,” Black said. “And ask questions. Stretch your expectations and meet as many people as you can.”

Hold on to your contacts and keep in touch. And then, like she is now, pay it forward.

“It’s so important to never forget where you started,” she said.

expected to need one.

It’s hard, sometimes, to remember what I gained— especially in the heartbreaking context of all that the world has lost.

But I try to remember, in an effort to be more content with circumstances that I cannot change.

I gained a summer at home with my family, something that I hadn’t had since I started college and likely will never have again. I gained a strawberry burn on my elbow from our trampoline out back, something I hadn’t gotten since I was a child. I gained time to read dozens of books I otherwise wouldn’t have read this year.

I gained an intimate graduation ceremony with some of the people who love me most, with balloons and my favorite cookies and my sisters’ singing “My Old Kentucky Home” to me.

And I gained a diploma, and the title of UK alumna. •

••• Black said she misses seeing people in New York.

With restaurants, theaters, shops, and sporting events largely closed down, “it’s certainly been a different New York.”

“The whole heart and soul of what New York is is on pause,” Black said.

But it’s for good reason, Black said, and she trusts that things will get better. Then she will be able to walk outside into New York and see people, “mingling and out and about again. That’s what I look forward to,” she said. • COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 23

FALL 2020 RESTART

I

n order for the University of Kentucky to provide a healthy residential experience for students, faculty and staff for the fall 2020 semester, classroom space was completely reimagined.

Shown here, Jen Smith teaches her JOU 101 class in the Gatton Student Center Grand Ballroom, one of the few spaces that can safely accommodate an in-person class of this size.

24 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 25

The University’s Fall 2020 restart plan requires masking in all public spaces on campus. Masks are required to enter and remain in all campus buildings.

26 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

The Fall 2020 restart included specific requirements on spacing to keep seating at a safe distance, according to the CDC guidelines.

Josh Ford, a journalism senior, practices flying a DJI Phantom 4 drone during the School of Journalism and Media’s drone flight lab which is part of David Stephenson’s Drone Journalism class.

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 27

2020-2025 COLLEGE OF

COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION STRATEGIC PLAN

Brand promise: Shaping passions into professions Mission Statement: We launch critical and innovative thinkers, creators and doers. Come join us.

We Value Collaboration. Find your team, combine your strengths, be the change.

Creativity. Think critically, push boundaries, produce greatness.

Curiosity. Ask questions, gather information, provide solutions.

Determination. Set your goals, stay focused, lead at any level.

Equity. Promote justice, celebrate difference, welcome all.

Excellence. Be outstanding, act with integrity, make an impact.

Kindness. Lead by example, champion others, serve your community.

Our Goals Build Community within the College and beyond; Converge and Collaborate across disciplines to leverage our breadth; Empower and Transform members of our community to foster their success; Excel through our intellectual leadership; and Engage and Partner with our constituents and peers.

D

CI CHARTS THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

ean Jennifer Greer arrived at the University of Kentucky with a first-year priority for the College of Communication and Information: “to chart a vision of what the next five years would look like.”

She planned to do this via strategic planning— and this was so important for her and the College that she made it a point of negotiation during her hiring process with the University.

Over the course of the 2019-2020

our input, which was incredibly heartening,” Hudd said.

Scott Johnson, director of research and technology in the Department of Communication, also felt grateful that his voice was heard— and that he heard others’ voices.

“I think the most powerful part of the experience for me was the chance to work in multiple workgroups, each with a different blend of colleagues from across the College,” Johnson said. “Sure,

academic year, the College of Communication and Information partnered with Academic Leadership Associates, a Los Angeles based firm, to develop a strategic plan for the College’s future.

we all know and like each other, but this was an opportunity to actually hear one another’s passion for making this a more effective organization that uplifts people.”

First, more than 250 people participated in the SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) analysis in November 2019. Then, in spring 2020, 42 members of the CI community - faculty, staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, alumni, university partners, and community partners - made up the Strategic Planning Council.

When university instruction went virtual in the spring, so did the strategic planning process.

It was “a really participatory process,” said Greer.

Over the course of several meetings and workshops, the council developed a brand promise, a mission statement, values and goals to guide and shape the future of the college.

Ellie Catherine Hudd, a Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the Department of Communication, said the process gave her “a sense of how many people are impacted by the College’s strategic plan”— like alumni who often look to hire CI graduates.

“Each of us went into the process knowing that we were there because Dean Greer and the consultants valued

“The biggest loss I felt from the shift online was missing the energy in that room on the days when we were all gathered,” Hudd said. “But the power of that energy, along with the resilience from everyone on the Council in making the shift to online, just further speaks to the level of talent and dedication that we have in CI.” Greer said the “enthusiasm and cooperation and innovation” during the process was rewarding.

“I feel like if I do nothing else in my time as dean, the fact that we brought all these people together to proclaim their love and their vision for the College was a really wonderful experience,” Greer said. “So the next step is— let’s act on it and get it done.”

The full strategic plan can be viewed at https://ci.uky.edu/ci/college-communication-and-information-2021-2025-strategic-planning. • COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 29

STUDENT highlights

T

CI students Carlos Lewis (left) and Ryan Page (right) were UK’s two Forbes Under 30 Scholars.

30 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

TWO CI STUDENTS NAMED FORBES UNDER 30 SCHOLARS

T

wo University of Kentucky students, both College of Communication and Information students, have been named 2019 Forbes Under 30

Scholars— among the world’s best and boldest young leaders, creators and thinkers. Ryan Page, a communication major, and Carlos Lewis, an integrated strategic communication major, have been awarded the Forbes honor.

Each year Forbes accepts between 1,000 and 1,500 students from all over the world. Students apply for the program, and each scholar is chosen based on various criteria, including a written statement about how they embody the Under 30 tenets of leadership and innovation. All scholars are invited to attend the Forbes Under 30 Summit free of charge Oct. 27-30, in Detroit, where the world’s best young leaders, founders and creators experience four days of connecting, learning, teaching and building.

Page, a Nashville native, came to UK and has left no stone unturned — looking to make the most of every opportunity to fulfill his goals and create the most successful future possible. “Closed mouths don’t get fed, and I don’t want to leave any opportunities behind while I am here in college.”

The skills and knowledge he has acquired from his education at UK and his work in these organizations will be put on full display at the Forbes summit, and he also wants to promote the talent of his entire University. “I not only want to showcase myself, but showcase the University as an outstanding and top-tier school.”

Lewis was also heavily involved in organizations and attributes his success to resources available at UK. “Mark Williams at the Career Center coached me and encouraged me to have more meaningful positions on campus,” Lewis said. “He helped me learn skills I needed to lead others. He became my mentor and molded me into a leader.”

Lewis, an Ohio native, found out about the Forbes Under 30 program at a leadership conference he attended.

Page and Lewis are passionate about their dreams, and they hope this experience will help them broaden their knowledge and abilities to be leaders in their generation and empower the next generation to push for their dreams. •

ELLIE KINNICUTT

KINNICUTT NAMED 2020 GAINES FELLOW

E

llie Kinnicutt, an honors student

majoring in communication and journalism, was named one of 12 new Gaines Fellows for 2020.

The Gaines Fellowship is presented in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities.

The Gaines Center for the Humanities functions as a laboratory for imaginative and innovative education on UK’s campus. The Gaines Center is designed to enrich the study of the humanities at the University of Kentucky.

As Gaines Fellows, scholars are required to take a specially designed, four-credit-hour seminar during both semesters of their junior year. In addition, each junior fellow must complete a service project to benefit a community.

In their senior year, each fellow must complete a major independent study thesis project, which must be submitted and defended in front of a thesis committee. •

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 31

STUDENT highlights

SHAUNA CLAIBORNE

KATELYN DOUGHERTY

JEREMY MIDDLETON

MARY GLENN POWELL

JOURNALISM

INTEGRATED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

D

INTEGRATED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

INTEGRATED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

SOFIA ESPINOZA

INTEGRATED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

CHANEY WILLETT

INTEGRATED STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

SIX OF EIGHT UK SOCIAL MEDIA AMBASSADORS ARE CI STUDENTS uring the spring 2020 semester, the University of

being a social media ambassador through my coursework

Kentucky established the first Social Media Ambas-

and several opportunities within the College.”

sador Program geared toward enhancing the University of Kentucky’s social media channels.

Upon completing an application and interview process, eight students from various disciplines were selected to be ambassadors. Of the eight students chosen, six are from the College of Communication and Information. Ambassadors are encouraged to create student-centered content for various platforms like Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. “We want to appeal to current students while also trying

Students are tasked with keeping up with the latest social media trends and transforming them into relevant content for the UK community.

These social media ambassadors are paving the way for the continuation of this program and working to adapt to all scenarios. With the recent transition to online learning, the ambassadors are interested in keeping the campus connected through the COVID-19 pandemic.

social media manager and a College of Communication and

“Just because we are no longer on campus doesn’t meanwe can’t stay connected, and the nature of social media allows us to do so,” said Sofia Espinoza, an ISC sophomore.

“We’re using hashtags like #LearnAnywhereUKY to show

Information alumna.

that we are still a uniteduniversity.”

to recruit new students, so it is essential to create content that each audience is interested in,” said Blair Conner, UK

Katelyn Dougherty, an ISC senior, said the program has

The ambassadors are looking forward to a full return to

given her the tools to feel completely at home in this po-

campus, but until then, they are keeping the University con-

sition. “In my years at UK, CI has prepared me to take on

nected through social media. •

32 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

CI MSLS graduate student Kelly Bilz was one of only nine librarians selected nationwide to complete the Librarians-In-Residence Program.

S

BILZ SELECTED FOR PRESTIGIOUS LIBRARY OF CONGRESS RESIDENCY

chool of Information Science student Kelly Bilz is one of only nine librarians selected for the Library of Congress’ prestigious Librarians-in-Residence Program in the nation’s capital. The program provides the next generation of librarians and information professionals early career opportunities to gain meaningful work experience.

As part of the Librarians-in-Residence Program, Bilz received on-the-job training and undertook assignments that contributed to the ongoing mission and work of the Library of Congress. She took part in virtual enrichment assignments and received mentoring from professionals.

Upon joining the Librarians-in-Residence Program, Bilz began working in the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division, which provides access to cartographic and geographic information from across the world. The division has continued to provide remote reference services and virtual outreach efforts during the pandemic.

“Working at the Library of Congress has been my dream since I first went there as a junior in college,” Bilz said. The Librarians-in-Residence Program will not be the first time Bilz has worked for a national library. She previously volunteered with the National Library of Medicine in 2019 as part of an Alternative Spring Break program organized through the School of Information Science.

Bilz earned her master’s degree in library science in May 2020 while serving as a graduate assistant at UK Libraries. Bilz worked in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) since her first year on campus. During this time, she has taught active learning sessions and pulled archival materials for classes visiting the SCRC, as well as helped students locate primary resources for their projects.

Bilz’s service at UK Libraries earned her the 2020 UK Libraries Outstanding Graduate Assistant award, presented each year to a student who exhibits exceptional work and initiative in their field. •

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 33

STUDENT highlights

CI students became the Global News Network during the Patterson School’s 24-hour crisis simulation exercise.

C

STUDENTS GAIN REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE IN 24-HOUR CRISIS SIMULATION ollege of Communication and Information students

is constantly changing,” said Kakie Urch, associate professor

earned real-life experience during a 24-hour crisis

of multimedia in the School of Journalism and Media.

simulation in Fall 2019. Students from the School of Jour-

Urch, who has taught multimedia in Botswana, Zambia,

nalism and Media became the Global News Network (GNN),

Ireland, Siberia and England, ran this year’s simulation.

acting and reacting as media would in a time of crisis. Much

“Essentially, we, along with the Patterson School graduate

like real life, global news is fast paced and sometimes high

students, are spending 24 hours dealing with a crisis as we

stress, but the role of the media is paramount for information

would as professionals.” This was Urch’s 12th crisis simula-

sharing.

tion.

“The students— from journalism and media, integrated

This year’s scenario was a fictional issue involving the

strategic communication and information communication

Americas and the rising threat of mass migration, corruption,

technology— get to feel the real-time pressure of producing

political instability, organized crime and the trafficking of

accurate multimedia for a website, podcast and television set-

illegal drugs.

up while engaging with international affairs information that 34 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

CONTINUES ON PAGE 35

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34 Rules are given to the students to help them further their real-life experiences and keep them in their simulation characters. The most important rule for the journalism students was all communication must be through official channels provided to teams by Sim Control, including social media.

School of Journalism and Media students were set up in two rooms— one as a working online digital newsroom and the other as a TV studio. The job of the students acting as the GNN was to collect statements, conduct interviews, edit video, write web stories and create a WordPress site that became the central way for everyone in the simulation to gather information. There were also scheduled press conferences throughout the simulation.

Meagan Wilkins, a junior double majoring in communication and information communication technology, was part of the simulation’s first shift.

“My role was a web producer, and I was able to develop the Global News Network website using my learned web development skills. The other journalists would produce the content and then we would upload it to the site,” Wilkins said. “Overall, the experience in the simulation was actually really fun! It was all very exciting and honestly really fun for a required class.”

The UK Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce hosted the simulation, playing the different countries involved in the crisis— the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras and Guatemala— as part of their DIP 700 Wargaming and Simulation class.

Scoobie Ryan, associate director of the School of Journalism and Media, was the first professor from CI to do the simulation.

“Robert Farley of the Patterson School approached me, encouraging students to do a story on it. The following year we were all in as participants, and it’s grown ever since. It’s a unique opportunity for our students. Dr. Farley and the people at Patterson manage to come up with some elaborate scenarios that involve situations our students wouldn’t otherwise encounter. It forces our students to think on their

HAAS SELECTED FOR FULBRIGHT GERMANY’S BERLIN PROGRAM

L

auryn Haas, May 2020 JOU graduate, was accepted to Fulbright Germany’s Berlin Capital Program, a weeklong experience that gives 15 young journalists the opportunity to take a closer look at the German media landscape and gain a deeper awareness of the political, economic and cultural environment in Germany and Europe. In summer 2020, Haas participated in a virtual version of the program but will travel to Berlin in 2021.

From Toledo, Ohio, Haas has been involved with the Kentucky

Kernel since her freshman year and has held numerous leadership positions with the KRNL Lifestyle + LAURYN HAAS Fashion magazine. She was a member of Lewis Honors College and a Patterson Scholar.

For 18 weeks after graduation, she was an Instagram Local News Fellow at the Cincinnati Enquirer. She is currently a field technician and content coordinator at Green Forests Work.

Writing has been a part of Haas’ life since she was a young child. “When I was considering which major to pursue, I knew I wanted to do something that would allow me to use my voice to share others’ stories,” she said. “The journalism major was perfect for me because I am learning how to utilize my passion for writing in a professional and meaningful way.”

Haas credits Kakie Urch, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Media, for serving as a mentor during her time at UK. “Professor Urch has worked tirelessly to help me find and secure internships, write me letters of recommendation and advise me on my life and my career, and she is always available to talk,” Haas said.

“I feel extremely lucky to have her in my corner.” She also is grateful for the mentorship of the Kernel media advisors, specifically design advisor May May Barton.

Haas plans to start a master’s program in magazine journalism at City, University of London in September 2021. •

feet. It’s been a great experience for them and the School.” • COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 35

STUDENT highlights

STUDENTS HELP PLAN UK OPIOID AWARENESS DAY

D

epartment of Integrated Strategic Communication students in Naomi Maloney’s spring 2020 Advertising Creative Strategy & Execution I class partnered with UK’s Center for Interprofessional Health Education (CIHE) to develop a campus and community‐wide Opioid Awareness Day (OAD). OAD, originally planned as a February 2020 event, has been rescheduled for September 2021 in the wake of COVID-19 cancellations.

OAD activities may range from one day to a week-long program, depending on fall 2021 public health guidelines for the UK campus. Student-led activities proposed by the OAD team include a mobile pharmacy, a showcase of models for care and pain management, displays by Fayette County Fire and EMS teams, presentations on Kentucky’s Good Samaritan law, AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) booths, access to Health Department and needle exchange materials and community panels featuring members of Operation UNITE and the Kentucky State Police Angel Initiative.

OAD is the brainchild of Neil Horsley, a UK College of Medicine M.D. candidate and president of MedRed, CIHE’s student association dedicated to fighting the substance use disorder epidemic in Kentucky. Horsley describes Opioid Awareness Day as “a campus-wide effort to raise awareness of those suffering from substance use disorders (SUDs) both on campus and across our Commonwealth.” Horsley noted NAOMI MALONEY the importance of opioid awareness marketing that is “both intriguing and nonjudgmental in its approach.”

He called the efforts of Maloney and her students “tremendous,” adding that the ISC team members “reflect not only their dedication to helping those suffering from SUDs 36 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

An example of the work ISC students created in planning UK’s Opioid Awareness Day campaign.

on campus and in our Commonwealth, but also demonstrate the incredible change that can be brought about when interprofessional education is utilized to its fullest extent.”

Maloney shares her collaborators’ enthusiasm for the partnership and its potential for opioid harm reduction in the Commonwealth. “It was empowering and gratifying for our ISC 331 students to develop advertising ideas that will engage their fellow UK students and convince them to participate in Opioid Awareness Day,” she says. “Not only did these ISC students learn more about opioid use disorder (OUD) and the stigma surrounding it, they were able to see how their talents have the potential to save lives. I am enormously proud of how seriously and creatively they approached the project and of the final advertising work they produced.”

Long before the coronavirus ravaged communities worldwide, UK and Commonwealth communities grappled with CONTINUES ON PAGE 37

GREHAN ASSOCIATES AWARDED NATIONAL PRSSA AFFILLIATION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36 the impact of opioid use. Though the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy cites a peak of over 1,400 opioid-related deaths in 2017, the office also says there is cause for hope.

According to the Commonwealth of Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet: 2019 Overdose Fatality Report, “In 2018, (the Commonwealth) saw signs that the overall trend in overdose deaths may be changing direction. For the first time since 2013,

G

rehan Associates, a student-run marketing and communications firm at the University of Kentucky, has been awarded a National Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) affiliation. The firm is housed in and advised by the College of Communication and Information, but firm membership is open to any student at UK. Currently, only 28 other firms nationwide hold this distinction. UK’s Grehan Associates joins the ranks of Florida, Alabama, Ball State, Purdue, Ohio State and other prestigious programs in earning national affiliation.

The firm’s 2020-2021 membership totals 34 students from five different Colleges: Gatton College of Business and Economics, College of Communication and Information, College of Fine Arts, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

overdose deaths among Kentucky residents declined, falling from 1,477 in 2017 to 1,247 last year— a 15 percent decrease equivalent to 230 lives. ”

To earn PRSSA national affiliation, a student firm must complete a rigorous application process. The application must illustrate how the firm meets or exceeds a list of standards, including PRSSA connection, professionalism, measured impact and results and organizational structure.

The report attributes this decline to “a number of program and policy initiatives underway in Kentucky, including the statewide use of prescription drug monitoring programs, expanded availability of naloxone and substance abuse treatment, and the enactment of laws specifically addressing the availability of prescription medications.”

“Saying I am proud of these students would be a huge understatement,” said Grehan Associates advisor Catherine Hayden. Hayden, the communications director for the College of Communication and Information and a CI alumna, has been the firm’s advisor since its inception.

James A. Ballard— an OAD planning team member, director of the CIHE and associate professor in the UK Department of Family and Community Medicine— said initiatives like UK’s Opioid Awareness Day can contribute to this positive trend.

“The health of patients and communities is impacted by so much more than the care they receive in clinics and hospitals. True health care, as opposed to disease care, calls for more expansive collaborations beyond the medical professions. I think all the students came away from this experience with a much deeper understanding of the power of working beyond silos and how it can positively impact individuals and communities.” •

Grehan Associates clients receive assistance with social media promotions, event planning, public relations and graphic design needs. Even with its relatively short history on campus, Grehan Associates is making a name for itself by providing fantastic opportunities for students and clients alike. •

Members of UK’s PRSSA nationally affiliated student-run communications firm, Grehan Associates.

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 37

INTERCOLLEGIATE Debate

TRUFANOV EARNS DEBATE FULBRIGHT IN TAIWAN

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nthony Trufanov is the recipient of one of only two Fulbright Debate Coach/Trainer Awards in Taiwan. As part of this award, he will spend 11 months coaching and building up debate programs in the country’s top schools, building up a debate circuit and operating local tournaments, training others to coach, and organizing a debate camp.

A national debate champion at UK, Trufanov is well-suited to take on this challenge. “I’ve been on the debate team here at UK for all four years. My time with the team was the highlight of my college experience. I’ve learned and accomplished a lot. But a core component of the team’s mission with which I have had only limited opportunity to engage is expanding access to debate, both in the U.S. and internationally. I’m excited to be a part of spreading debate around the world.

I believe exposure to debate can be transANTHONY TRUFANOV formative and am honored by the chance to help make that happen for more people.”

In addition to being part of the debate team at UK, Trufanov, a May 2020 graduate, has also been active in a variety of projects related to his studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. As part of his political science capstone, he explored military modernization through international arms purchasing contracts as an avenue of diversionary foreign policy. Trufanov also worked on an independent research project about what public statements issued by Soviet authorities during the Cuban missile crisis can tell us about the impact of communist doctrine on Soviet nuclear policy. Each summer of college, he worked at debate institutes at Northwestern University, Georgetown University and Dartmouth College.

Trufanov, a May 2020 graduate, credits debate coach Dave Arnett in the College of Communication and Information for bringing this specific Fulbright to his attention, as well as two other coaches, Lincoln Garrett and Casey Harrigan. “Debate at UK wouldn’t exist, and certainly wouldn’t be the amazing opportunity that it is, without their efforts.”

Upon completion of his Fulbright experience, Trufanov would like to pursue a master’s degree in security studies. • Follow the Debate Team at https://ci.uky.edu/UKDebate 38 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

DEBATE MEMBER REFLECTS ON A LIFE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN

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ike other May 2020 graduates, Maria Sanchez had to adapt to life turned upside down.

But it wasn’t the first time she had shown resilience in the face of challenges.

Sanchez grew up in Mexico City, where her father died when she was a baby and her family’s home was broken into when she was age 7. She and her mother then moved to Chicago.

Sanchez wanted to attend college, but as a first-generation college student, the application process was daunting.

Then she was recruited and offered a full-tuition scholarship by UK’s debate team, housed in the College of Communication and Information.

She fully dove into the world of intercollegiate MARIA SANCHEZ debate as a freshman in the Fall 2016. In 2019, UK was ranked as the top policy debate team in the nation and won the post-season national championship.

“Debate has allowed me to obtain invaluable experience in critical and persuasive writing, public speaking and rigorous research in a wide variety of important policy issues— all while doing it in a competitive team environment,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez graduated in May 2020 with a degree in political science, environmental and sustainability studies and international studies. She is now looking for jobs with policy advocacy organizations in Chicago and Washington, D.C. “I want to be part of the next generation of change makers that takes those small glimpses of hope and turns our ‘new normal’ into brighter successes,” Sanchez said. “I hope that we take a moment to think about how we can use these circumstances to fight for an even better ‘normal.’” • Read the full Sanchez story at https://uknow.uky.edu/ student-and-academic-life/uk-grad-seeks-turn-newnormal-brighter-successes

KENTUCKY Kernel KENTUCKY KERNEL AWARDS 2019-2020 College Media Association Pinnacle Awards Nov. 2-3, 2019, Washington, D.C. • Honorable Mention in Best Editorial Illustration: Samuel Meyers • Third place in Best Magazine Entertainment Page/ Spread: Jillian Jones, KRNL Spring 2019 • Third place in Best Newspaper Photo Page/Spread: Arden Barnes • Second place in Best Yearbook Division Page/Spread: Autumn Hassell, Year in Photos 2018-19 • Honorable Mention in Best Multimedia Feature Story: Sarah Ladd and Arden Barnes • Honorable Mention in Viral Video: Sarah Ladd • Third place in Best General News Photo: Arden Barnes • First place in Best Photo Package: Arden Barnes • Third place in Best Portrait: Michael Clubb • Second place Best Sports News Photo: Jordan Prather •Third place in Best Online Sports Section • Second place Best Arts and Entertainment Story: Bailey Vandiver • Honorable Mention in Best Online Ad • Second place Best Ad Supplement/Special Supplement: Inside UK • Honorable Mention in Four-Year Feature Magazine of the Year: KRNL Spring 2019

Associated Collegiate Press Awards • Pacemaker Winner 2019 • Third place in In-Depth News Story: Rick Childress

• Best breaking news coverage: 2nd place – Bailey

• Honorable Mention in Interactive Graphic: Arden Barnes • Honorable Mention in Yearbook Cover: Autumn Hassell, Year in Photos 2018-19 • Honorable Mention in Yearbook Page/Spread: Autumn Hassell, Year in Photos 2018-19 • Fourth place in Sports Photo: Jordan Prather • Fifth place in Sports Photo: Michael Clubb • Honorable Mention in Advertising Campaign: Rob Fischer

Associated Collegiate Press Best of Show Awards • Eighth place in Feature Magazine: KRNL Fall 2019 • Sixth place in Yearbook: Year in Photos 2018-19 • Sixth place in Special Section Advertising: Inside UK • Ninth Place in Newspaper (Four-year campus, weekly)

Kentucky Press Association Convention Jan. 23-24, 2020, Lexington, Kentucky General Excellence Winner— Editorial Second place General Excellence— Advertising

chael Clubb

• Best feature story: 1st place – Akhira Umar,

• Sports Feature: 3rd place – Jordan Prather, Honorable

2nd place – Akhira Umar, 3rd place – Sarah Ladd

Mention – Jordan Prather

• Best columnist: 1st place – Sarah Ladd, 2nd place – Hannah Woosley, 3rd place – Sarah Halsey

• Portrait: 1st place – Michael Clubb • Pictorial: 1st place – Michael Clubb, 2nd place – Arden

• Best sports columnist: 1st place – Erika Bonner, 2nd place – Chase Campbell

Barnes, 3rd place – Michael Clubb • Sports Story: 1st place – Arden Barnes, 2nd place – Mi-

• Best sports story: 3rd place – Chase Campbell

chael Clubb, 3rd place – Isaac Janssen

• Best sports feature story: 2nd place – Jake Maynard

• Multimedia (Unlimited): 1st place – Arden Barnes

• Best enterprise or analytical story: 1st place – Sarah Ladd

College Media Association’s Apple Awards

• Best investigative story/series: 1st place – Rick Childress, 2nd place – Sydney Momeyer • Best on-going/extended coverage story: 2nd place*, 3rd place*

March 17, 2020, New York City • Best Multimedia Package: Honorable Mention

• Best business/agribusiness story: 3rd place – Emily

• Best Newspaper (4 year more than 10,000): First place

Laytham

• Best Magazine Spread: First place – KRNL

• Best use of social media or multi-media: 1st place – Arden Barnes

Region 5 (Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois) Mark of Excellence SPJ winners and finalists

• Best video: 1st place – Sarah Ladd, 2nd place – Sarah Ladd • Best breaking news picture: 1st place – Arden Barnes, 2nd place – Michael Clubb, 3rd place – Arden Barnes

• Breaking News Reporting (Large) 10,000+ Students – Finalist: Hunger strike to campus sit-in by Natalie Parks, Sarah Ladd, Rachel Crick and Rick Childress

• Best general news picture: 1st place – Jordan Prather,

• General News Reporting (Large) 10,000+ Students –

2nd place – Sukruthi Yerramreddy, 3rd place – Arden

Finalist: Accidentally signed contract could cost some UK

Barnes

students thousands by Sydney Moymer

• Best feature picture: 1st place – Michael Clubb, 2nd place – Jordan Prather, 3rd place – Michael Clubb • Best picture essay: 1st place – Arden Barnes

• In-Depth Reporting (Large) 10,000+ Students – Winner: ‘I don’t need therapy.’ Plagued by his past, student veteran continually rejected help by Rick Childress

• Best sports picture: 1st place —Jordan Prather, 2nd place – Michael Clubb, 3rd place – Jordan Prather • Best sports picture essay: 1st place – Michael Clubb, 2nd place*, 3rd place – Jordan Prather

• F eature Writing (Large) 10,000+ Students – Finalist: Babies and backpacks: How some students at UK manage student life and parenthood by Sarah Ladd; Finalist: Two among thousands: Meeting Sean Culley and Taylor

• Best sports page/section: 1st place*, 3rd place*

Nolan by Jacob Eads

• Best headline writer: 1st place*, 3rd place*

• Honorable Mention in Feature Story: Jacob Eads • First place in Photo Slideshow: Michael Clubb

2nd place – Jordan Prather, Honorable Mention – Mi-

Vandiver

• Best All-Around Non Daily Student Newspaper:

KPA Advertising Contest

W inner: The Kentucky Kernel* • General News Photography (Large) 10,000+ Students –

Financial: 2nd place*

Finalist: Vigil for Tara O’Sullivan by Arden Barnes

Professional Service: 2nd place*, 3rd place*

• Sports Photography (Large) 10,000+ Students – Win-

Clothing Store: 2nd place*

ner: Kentucky football fights through the rain by Michael

Multiple Advertiser: 1st place*

Clubb

Healthcare/Medical: 2nd place*, 3rd place* Entertainment/Dining: 1st place – Allie King,

60th Annual Hearst Journalism Competition

2nd place – Brittany Lyden Special Sections: 3rd place*

• Sports Writing: 7th place – Bailey Vandiver

Preprint/Special Publications: 1st place*

• Multimedia Digital News/Enterprise Story: 9th place – Rick Childress,

Best Use of Color: 2nd place – Rob Fischer,

• Photo Picture Story/Series Competition: 15th place –

3rd place*

Arden Barnes

Creative Use of the Newspaper/Promotion: 2nd place*

• Multimedia Narrative Video Storytelling: 16th place –

Best online Digitial Ad: 1st place*

Kentucky News Photographers Association Feb. 28, 2020, Frankfort, Kentucky • Arden Barnes: Runner-up, Student Photographer of the Year • Spot News: 2nd place – Arden Barnes, 3rd place – Arden Barnes • General News: Honorable Mention – Arden Barnes • Sports Action: 1st place – Jordan Prather,

Arden Barnes • University of Kentucky, Multimedia, 10th place overall

Awards were determined by published work from Oct. 2018 through Sept. 2019 District 5 American Advertising Awards (ADDY) – KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion Magazine — Silver Award * Staff award

• Keep up with the Kentucky Kernel and KRNL by visiting their websites at kykernel.com and krnlmagazine.com • COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 39

GRADUATE PROGRAM IN Communication 2019-20 FELLOWSHIP WINNERS Dorothy M. Carozza Memorial Fellowship Fund Carina Zelaya Carozza Fund for Excellence in Health Communication Lauren Roberson Bruce H. Westley Memorial Scholarship Sarah Geegan Martha and Howard Sypher Memorial Scholarship Will Silberman Palmgreen Fellowship Fund Carina Zelaya Sarah Geegan, Carina Zelaya and Erin Hester present their research at the annual NCA conference

GRAD STUDENTS MAKE SOLID SHOWING AT NCA CONVENTION

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he 2019 National Communication Association convention (NCA) was held in Baltimore, Maryland. The theme was Communication for Survival.

The program had 20 CI graduate students who were either the lead author or coauthor of an accepted conference paper.

There were 23 CI unique presentations that involved CI students. The doctoral students who participated are: Kaylee Lukacena-Buzzetta, Sarah Geegan, Alexis Hadden, Leanna Hartsough, Katherine Harville, Erin Hester, Hayley Hoffman, Ellie Catherine Hudd, Xianlin Jin, Cynthia Nnagboro, Lauren Roberson, Joshua Santiago, Will Silberman, Amanda Slone, Sean Goatley-Soan, Elizabeth Spencer, Adam Tristan and Carina Zelaya.

Master’s students are Tianen Chen and Christina Drobney. •

R. Lewis Donohew Graduate Fellowship Lisa Huddleston Dissertation Year Fellowship Award Alie Buckley Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our annual awards presentation had to take place virtually. You can view the presentation of these Fellowships at https://ci.uky.edu/ci/2020-ci-honors-week.

CI STUDENTS AWARDED UNIVERSITY-WIDE FELLOWSHIPS

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CARINA ZELAYA

ADAM TRISTAN

40 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

arina Zelaya was selected as a graduate research assistant with the Center for Health Equity Transformation within the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky. Zelaya has worked on projects focused on reducing the intake of smokeless tobacco products in rural areas, promoting the proper disposal of unused prescription medications in Appalachia, increasing colorectal cancer screening among Black females and on projects focused on minority women’s sexual health.

Adam Tristan was selected for the Lyman T. Johnson Diversity Fellowship. The competitive award is given to graduate students based on leadership, recognition, community service and an applicant’s contribution to UK’s compelling interest in diversity. •

FACULTY highlights

STEPHENSON WINS TELLY AWARD

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avid Stephenson, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Media, has been awarded a Telly Award Bronze in the category of Branded Content Non-Scripted Documentary for his “Pigeon Beat” web series pilot video.

Founded in 1979, The Telly Awards honor video and television made for all screens and is judged by The Telly Award Judging Council, a group of leading video and television experts from some of the most prestigious companies in entertainment, publishing, advertising and emerging technology. “‘Pigeon Beat’ is a pilot episode of a YouTube show I created two years ago,” Stephenson said. “It was sponsored/ underwritten by my small business, Kastle Pigeon. My wife and I sell health supplements for domestic pigeon breeders to keep their flocks healthy without use of antibiotics. The video has accumulated more than 65,000 views since it was published in August 2018.

“For this show, I serve The show is targeted for as the producer, editor, pigeon breeders, so it is a writer, camera operator little ‘inside baseball’ and isn’t intended for a broad, and drone pilot.” general audience.

DAVID STEPHENSON “For this show, I serve as the producer, editor, writer, camera operator and drone pilot.

It was produced using professional Canon equipment, a DJI drone and an iPhone. I created and produced everything except the voiceover. I am particularly proud of winning this Telly Award and being among great company such as Conde Nast, Fox Sports, Coors Light, DC Entertainment and CNN (Anthony Bourdain), all who have large teams working on their films and shows.”

View all of the winners of the 40th annual Telly Awards winners at www.tellyawards.com/winners.

Additionally, Stephenson serves as the photojournalism and multimedia advisor to the Kentucky Kernel while teaching courses on Drone Journalism, Virtual Reality Journalism and Mobile Journalism. •

Assistant Professor David Stephenson, shown above in his racing loft, won a 2019 Telly Award for his recurring show “Pigeon Beat.”

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 41

FACULTY highlights IVANOV, PARKER AWARDED FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP IN MACEDONIA

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I faculty members Bobi Ivanov and Kimberly Parker were selected to participate in the Fulbright Scholars Program for the 2019-2020 academic year.

The program awarded Ivanov and Parker with the opportunity to spend two semesters at South East European University (SEEU) in Skopje and Tetovo, Macedonia.

“It is an honor to be selected as a Fulbright Scholar and we are almost giddy, to be honest, that we are here,” Parker said during an interview while in Macedonia last fall.

The first semester included teaching a course in business communication and providing guest lectures across campus in courses such as principles of marketing, marketing management (doctoral level course), research methodology (doctoral and master level sections), introduction to communication science, intercultural communication and culture of English-speaking countries, among other courses. In their second semester at SEEU, Ivanov and Parker conducted a research project focused on efficacy of inoculation with Albanian and Macedonian populations.

BOBI IVANOV

Ivanov and Parker, who are married and brought their three sons with them also hope to bring new cultural sensitivity, depth and richness back to their students.

“We hope that we are able to share what we learn during this time with our students at UK. We hope to return as better people, teachers and scholars as a result of our time in Macedonia,” Ivanov said.

Ivanov is a professor and Parker is an associate professor in the Department of Integrated Strategic Communication.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program designed to forge lasting connections between people of the United States with those in other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

KIMBERLY PARKER

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given more than 390,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. •

42 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

MARC WHITT

WHITT AUTHORS FIRST BOOK

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ince its release on June 1, “PR Lessons Learned Along the Way: Strategies, Tips & Advice for the Higher Ed and Nonprofit Public Relations Professional” (Cherrymoon Media), authored by part-time integrated strategic communication instructor Marc Whitt, has been Amazon Book’s No. 1 “New Release for Public Relations Books.” The book is available in 14 countries.

The book has recently been named by the Public Relations and Communication Association (PRCA), the largest global PR association, with 40,000 members, to its “Recommended Reading List.” •

DIANE FRANCIS

FRANCIS NAMED TO MENTORING PROGRAM

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iane Francis, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, was selected to participate and serve as a trainee in the Obesity Health Disparities PRIDE (OHD PRIDE) Program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. OHD PRIDE is an evidence-based research training and mentoring program funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

NICKY LEWIS Nicky Lewis, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, was awarded the Early Career Research Award by the Sports Communication Interest Group of the International Communication Association at its 2020 convention.

for early-career faculty from underrepresented backgrounds. •

CROSS, IRJCI PRODUCE DOCUMENTARY FOR MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER

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documentary film about a World War II hero from Kentucky aired on Ken-

tricity or running water. He had a family, gave them a good life and was a leader of his fellow

tucky Educational Television on Memorial Day in May 2020.

farmers and veterans.

The film, “From Honor to Medal: The Story of Garlin M.

was Conner’s story told. A rank stranger and Conner’s neigh-

Conner,” was executive produced by Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues and professor in the School of Journalism and Media.

bor came together to campaign for Conner to earn the Medal of Honor and they led that campaign for twenty years to honor the man who may be the most decorated American soldier of World War II.

Seventy-five years ago, Conner, who had been in combat for more than two years, suffered many wounds and earned four Silver Stars, offered the ultimate sacrifice by calling in artillery on his forward position, to save his battalion.

Conner survived that day in a ditch in the French province of Alsace and came home to a Kentucky farm with no elec-

Not until his death in 1998,

“From Honor to Medal: The Story of Garlin M. Conner” is an hour-long documentary released by the IRJCI. The film is written/directed by Jeff Hoagland. The associate producer is Janet Whitaker.

Visit http://honortomedal. us/ to find out more about the documentary and the soldier behind it. •

FATIMA ESPINOZA Fatima Espinoza, an assistant professor in the School of Information Science, was awarded UK’s Center for Equality and Social Justice’s 2020 Summer Research Assistantship for her project: “Working at the Seams of Society: Exploring Undocumented Immigrants’ Alternative Sociotechnical Infrastructures.”

This funding is awarded in support of translational or collaborative work— making research more policy relevant, more engaged with the community, or more accessible for lay audiences.

MARIA CAHILL Maria Cahill, an assistant professor in the School of Information Science, was recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the American Association of School Librarians in the position of “Director-at-Large.”

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 43

RESEARCH highlights

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SUTTON RECEIVES NSF FUNDING FOR COVID-19 RESEARCH

eannette Sutton, an associate professor in the Department of Communication, has recently been awarded more than $93,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study risk communication on Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic. She’ll explore how public health, emergency management and government agencies can best communicate about risk and public health in a continuously evolving information landscape.

“Because social media, and our communication ecology, is so vast, where we are faced with competing narratives and a lot of ‘noise,’ it is important to be able to use research methods that help to identify the patterns and relationships between different communication strategies on different platforms,” Sutton said. “We hope that our research will contribute to greater knowledge about how organizations are engaging the public and lead to better message design.”

Sutton has already begun to identify how Sutton is the first UK researcher to receive communication patterns have changed since funding for COVID-19 related work as part of the the COVID-19 pandemic began. Initially, when NSF’s Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grant knowledge of the COVID-19 threat was limited, program, which enables the agency to quickly early messages focused on protective actions that process and support research that addresses an an individual or household could take. urgent need.

Communication patterns quickly shift“Because social media, and our Sutton is also supported through the ed to messaging campaigns aimed at NSF-funded Social Science Extreme communication ecology, is so motivating people to think about their Events Research Network and the neighbors, not just themselves. “Such vast, where we are faced with CONVERGE facility, housed at the Natstrategies likely reflect the public mood, competing narratives and a lot ural Hazards Center at the University and we expect that there are going to of Colorado Boulder, to lead a working of ‘noise,’ it is important to be be more changes to come as the event group on Longitudinal Risk Communiable to use research methods that draws out over time,” Sutton said. cation.

Sutton and her co-investigator, Carhelp to identify the patterns and Sutton’s prior research about mester Butts from the University of Calisaging during acute onset events, such relationships between different fornia, Irvine, plan to analyze official as tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires and communication from state, local and communication strategies on geographically limited public health national public health and emergency different platforms.” outbreaks, such as Zika and Ebola, management Twitter accounts and the established that the effectiveness of public’s interaction with and reaction JEANNETTE SUTTON messaging on Twitter was dependent to those messages. Their analysis will on employing distinct message design provide guidance for effective strategies. Her research has shown that warning, informing and engaging the general public during message content and delivery style were key to increasing a pandemic. This guidance will help establish tools and best message sharing among the public. As COVID-19 poses a risk practices those agencies need to support effective intervennot seen in decades in terms of the potential of destruction tions that save lives, reduce economic losses and protect the to the American public and its economy, more research is security of the nation against health threats, both now and in needed in this area. the future. •

44 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

ZEADALLY AWARDED 2020 KIRWAN MEMORIAL PRIZE

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herali Zeadally, associate professor of information communication technology (ICT) in the School of Information Science, was presented the 2020 Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize. The prize is bestowed each year to a faculty member in recognition of their outstanding contributions to original research or scholarship, with an emphasis on work produced four years prior to the award.

cations, which include 145 peer-reviewed journal/magazine papers and nine book chapters. He has also co-authored one book and edited another in the past four years.

In 2016, he became the first University Research Professor in the College of Communication and Information. In the past four years, he has published 160 peer-reviewed publi-

well as Albert Kirwan’s endeavors in creating an environment at UK that promotes high quality research and scholarship. •

Zeadally is appreciative of his faculty colleagues and research students for their research collaborations.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my nominators Professor Bobi Ivanov and Professor D. Manivannan, who have always supported Zeadally’s expertise is in the areas of cyberseand encouraged me in my research over the years,” curity, privacy, Internet of Things and computer Zeadally said. “Finally, I would also like to thank SHERALI ZEADALLY networks. His research accomplishments have my colleagues Zixue Tai, Nancy Harrington, Derek been recognized worldwide, and he has received Lane, Anthony Limperos and Namjoo Choi in the College several research awards nationally and internationally. He of Communication and Information for their continuous has also earned several highly prestigious fellowships and support.” visiting professorship awards from various universities The Kirwan Memorial Prize was established in 1995 and around the world. recognizes its namesakes’ collaborative research efforts, as

PILNY, FRANCIS RECEIVE COVID-19 PILOT FUNDING

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new pilot funding program for multidisciplinary COVID-19 research at the University of Kentucky has launched in record time and funded 12 pilot projects in as many weeks. Two of the funded projects are the work of Andrew Pilny and Diane Francis, assistant professors in the Department of Communication.

The program is a collaboration of the UK CURE Alliance and Center for Clinical and Translational Science, which together moved the funding mechanism from concept to first award in 20 days.

Grants are awarded in three categories of COVID-19 research— health and biomedical science, materials and methods, and social science, each with their own expert review committees.

Pilney’s project, “Testing Different Contact Tracing Procedures for Slowing the Spread of COVID-19,” was funded in June.

Francis’ project, “Communication Inequalities and COVID-19 Outcomes Among African Americans,” was funded in July. •

DAN O’HAIR

O’HAIR NAMED RESEARCH PROFESSOR

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an O’Hair has been named a 2020-2021 University Research Professor at the University of Kentucky. The Awards honor faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship and creative work that addresses scientific, social, cultural and economic challenges in our region and around the world each year.

CI’s previous Research Professors are Nancy Harrington (2018-2019), J. David Johnson (2017-2018) and Sherali Zeadally (2016-2017). •

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 45

COLLEGE news

Students participated in eSports and gaming demonstrations in the Gatton Student Center during the launch of UK’s eSports speaker series.

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CI LEADING THE ESPORTS RACE

sports, defined as the world of competitive, organized video gaming, is, as of 2019, a billion-dollar industry.

What parents used to think of as a waste of time is now a competitive, sponsored sport with incredible income potential, funded research and career opportunities.

With the University of Kentucky’s partnership with global esports company Gen.G, and the upcoming construction of an esports arena and gamers’ lounge in the Cornerstone, the University of Kentucky is poised to launch itself into the global esports industry.

The College of Communication and Information is a major player in UK’s esports initiative. Before the University announced its partnership with Gen.G, CI held a panel discussion with CI alumna Raenah Hawkins (JOU, 2017), then content coordinator for T-Wolves Gaming, the NBA2K league affiliate of the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with profes46 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

sional player/partnered streamer Austin “Boo” Painter.

In the wake of UK’s partnership with Gen.G, the eSports speaker series was announced as a way to connect students with the global gaming community. The first speaker was CI alumna Erin Simon (JOU, 2014), then an anchor and host for “Cheddar Esports,” a live eSports and gaming news show.

CI continues to solidify its place with UK’s eSports initiative by providing gaming content on the University’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

Kentucky eSports Weekly is a show, created by Media Arts and Studies (MAS) alumnus Alex Cutadean (MAS, 2006) and produced by current MAS students, that revolves around industry news, esports news, a four-person discussion panel and video game history. It airs each Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on CONTINUES ON PAGE 47

SPORT COMMUNICATION TRACK LAUNCHED

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 46 UK’s YouTube channel.

MAS students also create and host History in Five, a weekly video game history segment for UK’s Twitch channel. Additionally, MAS students and alumni produce Push to Talk, a weekly gaming discussion panel streamed on UK’s Twitch channel. MAS students also produce interviews with gaming and internet personalities, such as John McAfee, Dr. Kishonna Gray and representatives from Turtle Beach and iRacing.

Coffee and Consoles is streamed daily from 8 to 10 a.m. on UK’s Twitch channel and is hosted by Nathan Stevens, CI’s college media officer and part-time MAS instructor.

The show encourages viewers to start their day with coffee and gaming commentary.

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he Department of Communication launched a new track in Sport Communication for the spring 2020 semester.

Professors Nicky Lewis, Don Lowe, Anthony Limperos and Andy Pilny all study different aspects of sport communication and worked collaboratively to develop the curriculum.

Courses examine how the audience communicates and engages with sports industries and audiences, statistics and analytics, culture and fanship, as well as social media and technology.

Students will draw connections between sports, communication and society while also learning the strategies required to communicate sports information to a variety of audiences. •

Besides providing the University with solid gaming content, CI is working to provide students with an innovative and novel curriculum to help them launch their careers in the eSports industry.

Nicky Lewis, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, teaches COM 327 Communication and Sport within the new sport communication track. This course covers eSports and gaming and highlights UK’s eSports initiative. Further, Lewis conducts research on the motivations for participation in fantasy sports.

Within MAS, students have several opportunities to study all aspects of eSports. MAS 490 Industry of Video Games and eSports (taught by Stevens) helps students understand every facet of the video game industry, from developer to publisher to marketer. Students gain a full understanding of what type of careers exist in the industry.

MAS 560 Video Game studies (taught by Zixue Tai, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Media) gives students the opportunity to examine the socio-cultural aspects of eSports and e-athletes. In November, these students will hear from Jing Sun, Director of International Operations at Perfect World, a Chinese global game developer and distributor, about their involvement and business model in eSports in Asia and North America.

The School of Journalism and Media is currently working through the development of a gaming minor, which will further cement the important contributions CI is making in the eSports arena. •

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CI PRINTS 3D MASK CLIPS

avid Stephenson, assistant professor in JAM found a design for mask clips (used to save stress on the ears from wearing a mask for a long period of time) and Chris Larmour, technology coordinator for JAM/ISC redesigned them to include the state of Kentucky outline.

Stephenson prints them at home on his 3D printer. Clips have been donated to local frontline healthcare workers as well as in surrounding states. • COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 47

COLLEGE news CI ADVISING TAKES FOUR OF SIX KEN FREEDMAN ADVISING AWARDS

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he College of Communication and Information earned four out of six 2020 Ken Freedman Day of Recognition Awards by the University of Kentucky Advising Network.

The UK Advising Network is open to all UK employees whose interests and work are related to academic advising.

Ken Freedman helped establish the UK Advising Network in 1986 and served as a professional advisor at UK until his death in 2001. The Ken Freedman Outstanding Advisor award is presented each year in his honor to one full-time professional advisor and one faculty advisor for outstanding service.

The College of Communication and Information advising team, as well as three individual faculty/staff members, were awarded.

• Innovative Advising: The College of Communication and Information • Advocate in Advising, Friend to the Community: Shari Veil • Outstanding New Advisor: Rachel Dixon • 2019-2020 Outstanding Faculty Advisor: Conrad Davies Quotes pulled from the nominations for each award clearly show the reason each advisor was chosen to receive their award.

CI Advising Team: Innovative Advising: CI Advisors sought a way to work with orientation attendees that

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helped them not be overwhelmed at the amount of information presented to them, a way to continue to provide information after orientation and through the summer and a way to provide content that was easily accessible to students. After creation of a common Canvas shell for incoming CI students for the 2018 summer orientation period, a survey of students showed that nearly 90% reported a positive response to prompts about understanding registration, UK Core, college credits and Canvas in general.

Advocate in Advising, Friend to the Community: Shari Veil: “Shari Veil far exceeded my expectations by being an unshakable force in the College, and an unmatched leader and advocate for the people she works with. I have found that her door is always open, no matter who you are, tenured, untenured, faculty, staff or student.”

Rachel Dixon, Outstanding New Advisor: “Rachel goes above and beyond to encourage, uplift and advise me every time I meet with her,” said one student.

Another added, “Because of her help I feel supported and more excited about my major after each visit.”

Outstanding Faculty Advisor: Conrad Davies: “He has personally learned the names of each of his students and believes that a personal touch aids in the learning experience. He has spent countless hours outside of his classes counseling and coaching his students.” •

COLLEGE AWARDS

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he College of Communication has held its College Excellence Awards, celebrating the accomplishments of the faculty and staff, each year since 1999.

This year’s awards were scheduled for an in-person event in late April but were moved to a virtual event in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With a virtual environment and no need for RSVPs, the College was able to surprise this year’s recipients via Zoom calls with Dean Jenifer Greer. The recorded calls were then turned into videos, which were shared each day via the College website and social media during the week of April 27, CI College Excellence Week.

The 2019-2020 CI College Excellence Awards winners are: Faculty Teaching Excellence Anthony Limperos Faculty Research Award Don Helme Faculty Community Service Award Nancy Harrington Graduate Teaching Award Kaitlyn Mathews Outstanding Staff Award Heather Burke, Megan Sizemore Outstanding Advisor Schyler Simpson Leadership Derek Lane View the videos at https:// ci.uky.edu/ci/college-excellence-awards. •

CLASS OF 2023 Dean Jennifer Greer (bottom right) and the CI College Ambassadors welcomed the Class of 2023 to the College of Communication and Information on K Week College Day in August of 2019. Ambassadors pictured from top right: Kelly Benzenhoefer, Nya Griffin-Ulibarri, Annie Gillenwater, Michaela Haswell, Nikhael Virden, Jordan Colquitt, Jazmyn Johnson, Allyson Warren, Neha Yousuf and Sydney Wade.

F

IN MEMORIAM: TIM SINEATH

ormer dean of the College of Library and Information Science and director of Library Science program (1977-2009) Tim Sineath died May 21, 2020. Sineath was dean of the College of Library and Information Science, then became Library Science director when that college merged with the College of Communications in 1993, becoming the College of Communications and Information Studies.

Sineath had a long history of appointed and elected offices within the American Society for Information Science and Technology, the American Library Association, and the Association for Library and Information Science Education. He was active with the Lexington Public Library, serving on various committees through the years. He is survived by his wife Patricia and two sons, Philip and Paul. • TIM SINEATH

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 49

MEET THE advisors

EARLY CHOSEN AS MENTOR FOR NACADA LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

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uanne Early, director of the CI Student Affairs Office and head of CI’s award-winning advising staff, has been chosen as a mentor for the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Emerging Leader Program. Ten mentors are chosen nationwide for the two-year program in which the leaders and mentors work closely on connecting the mentors to the areas of the association they are interested in and developing a plan for continued involvement and growth, both inside and outside of the association.

Earlier this year, Early was awarded the Region 3 Excellence in Advising – Advising Administrator Award from NACADA. The Award recognizes individuals whose primary responsibility is as an administrator or director of an academic advising program. •

SUANNE EARLY Director of Student Affairs

FAITH CRACRAFT Assistant Director of Student Affairs

Suanne joined CI in 2015 after nearly 15 years as an advisor for exploratory and pre-law students at UK. She received her M.Ed. in college student personnel services from the University of Louisville and is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky.

Suanne is active with the UK Advising Network and NACADA, the Global Community for Academic Advising, and has served in many leadership roles with these organizations.

Faith earned her B.A. in communications-public relations and M.A. in youth and family ministry from Lee University in Cleveland, TN. Most recently serving as an academic advisor in the Gatton College of Business at UK, she has worked at Georgetown College as assistant dean/director for academic success and has a background in academic coaching, residence life and teaching. Faith joined the team in the summer of 2018.

“Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.”

“Well, you’re gonna win or you’re gonna lose. Either way the sun’s still gonna come up tomorrow morning.”

Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights

JEN MCCONCHIE Staff Support Associate Jen earned her B.A. in communication from Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina.

Jen has used her communication degree in many capacities. Prior to coming to UK, Jen worked for The Lexington Herald-Leader, The Sun-Sentinel, The Denver Post and The Rocky Mountain News.

Prior to that, Jen served as Press Secretary to Lieutenant Governor Stephen L. Henry and his wife Heather French Henry.

“Get busy living or get busy dying.”

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SCHYLER SIMPSON Director of Recruitment and Retention

JORDAN HOEHLER Academic Advisor

Schyler is a proud three-time graduate of the College of Communication and Information. She completed her doctoral dissertation on student perceptions of learning in academic advising in 2013. Schyler previously served the college as a graduate teaching assistant, lecturer, advisor and recruiter.

RACHEL DIXON Academic Advisor

Jordan earned his B.S. in sport administration from the University of Louisville in 2015 and an M.S. in higher education from UK in 2016. He previously worked as an academic services intern in the University of Louisville athletic department and an academic services assistant in the CATS Center within the athletic department at the University of Kentucky. Jordan joined the College of Communication and Information advising team in Spring 2018.

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

“When nothing goes right… go left.”

Rachel earned her B.A. and M.A. in communication from the College of Communication and Information’s prestigious University Scholars Program. Rachel previously served the college as a student ambassador and recruiting intern.

“There’s power in looking silly and not caring that you do.”

Amy Poehler

Abraham Lincoln

MARIA RIVERA Academic Advisor Maria earned her A.S. degree in computer sciences from Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola in Lima, Peru, a B.A. in Spanish and an M.A. in Hispanic Studies from the University of Kentucky. Maria previously worked at the University of Kentucky Undergraduate Admissions and Registrar’s Office for 11 years as an admissions officer and as a registration coordinator.

“La vida es bella.”

RYAN STORY Academic Advisor Ryan is a proud two-time graduate of the University of Kentucky with his undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in higher education. He started his career at UK as a graduate assistant in the CATS Center with the athletic department and began full time in the transfer center in 2016. Ryan joined the College of Communication and Information Advising team in Fall 2016.

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” - attributed to Abraham Lincoln COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 51

CI’S 2019-2020 DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE HIGHLIGHTS

DIVERSITY and Inclusion

•C ollege-wide book club that read Trevor Noah’s book “Born a Crime” in conjunction with his visit to the University to commemorate the 70th anniversary of integration at UK in October

KYRA HUNTING

NIGEL TAYLOR

HUNTING AND TAYLOR CHOSEN TO LEAD CI’S DEI EFFORTS

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he College of Communication and Information recently named Kyra Hunting as its chief diversity officer and is providing support to ensure that all efforts are not only equitable and inclusive, but also actively anti-racist. Additionally, doctoral student Nigel Taylor was named as a liaison for equity and diversity outreach to the CI student body.

The following is an interview with Hunting and Taylor about their efforts.

Q

What are your priorities for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the College?

A

(Hunting) My top priority is to create space and opportunities to hear from as many of the College’s students, alumni, faculty and staff as possible, so these voices can inform a Diversity Plan that will take our college into a more equitable and inclusive future that meets the everyday needs of our community.

Q

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing students of color in the current climate?

A

(Taylor) Students of color currently face numerous amounts of intersecting challenges ranging from financial, psychological, physical and so much more. One of the many intersecting challenges students of color do have at predominately white institutions is finding and keeping a space 52 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

to exist that provides safety, validation and community.

Q A

What plans do you have for DEI efforts for 2020-2021?

(Hunting) We want to provide opportunities for fun and joy while also addressing the serious challenges our community faces. In October, we’ll be putting on an event called “Exploring our Past and Paving the Way Forward: Women and the Gaming Industry” featuring successful women in the gaming industry and top academics who study women in games. We hope to create similar events throughout the year to give students an opportunity to see many different examples of success in communication fields. We plan to provide students, faculty and staff more information to help incorporate equity, inclusion and anti-racism into their work and life. Finally, we plan to conduct a climate survey and work with members of our College community to create a comprehensive strategic plan to support Diversity and Inclusion. •

• “ Finding Our Place: How Black Americans Use Social Media to Carve Out Their Own Niche” scholars panel in November • “ Different Roads, Same Destination: Job Hunting and Networking in Today’s Diverse Workforce” student event in December •T hree “Diversifying Teaching” workshops held in conjunction with Center for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT). January to March 2020 •G uest lectures in CI classes relating to diversity, equity and inclusion •F inancially supported several diversity and inclusion events at UK including the 2019 Feast on Equality, the primary fundraiser for the UK LGBTQ* Center and the Lyman T. Johnson banquet •F inancial support of CI college ambassador program •F inancial support for the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association to bring a speaker to campus •S olicitation of diversity-related proposals from the College

CI events

Faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members participated in a SOAR workshop (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) to begin the strategic planning process in November 2019.

On May 8, 2020, we held five virtual graduation ceremonies to celebrate our May and August 2020 graduates when the in-person ceremonies at Rupp Arena were postponed.

Roger Bolton, President of the Arthur W. Page Society, chats with ISC students after presenting the 2019 James C. Bowling Executive-in-Residence Lecture.

We met our NKY/Cincinnati area alumni and friends at New Riff Distillery in February 2020.

David Thompson, executive director of the Kentucky Press Association, accepts an award from KPA President Jay Nolan for being the longest-serving press-association executive in North America, before accepting the Al Smith Award for Public Service through community journalism.

Chuck Brymer, Chairman, DDB, Worldwide, presented “The Power of Creativity” at the 2019 Irwin Warren Lecture in Advertising and Digital Media. Brymer is a 1981 CI alumnus.

We introduced our new dean to our Louisville-area alumni and friends at the Speed Art Museum in November 2019.

Allie King, May May Barton, Brittany Lyden and Dean Jennifer Greer celebrate the fall 2019 KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion magazine launch.

Chandler Frierson, an ISC senior and Sabirah Rayford, a JOU alumna were the College’s award winners at the 2019 Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence awards banquet.

Faculty members Beth Barnes, Dean Jennifer Greer, Kelly McAninch, Andy Pilny and Marko Dragojevic pose with Wildcat at the 2019 CI Holiday Party.

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 53

CI Philanthropy

WHY I GIVE: A DONOR’S PERSPECTIVE

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s a 1984 graduate from the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information, I am proud to say that I have stayed in touch with both faculty and staff, along with current and past students, to this day.

The experience I had at UK has made a difference in my professional career and as a person who wants to give back on many levels— such as sharing my experiences through speaking to classes, mentoring students and, more importantly, providing financial support.

education, mentoring and counseling from UK’s professional faculty and staff.

Scott Whitlow was my student advisor and mentor when I was on campus, and we’ve stayed in touch on a regular basis since my graduation! She truly made a difference in my class preferences and my major in communication.

I would not be where I am today had it not been for her genuine coaching and counseling during my undergraduate years.

Working with Kimberly Parker and speaking to her classes has also meant a lot This passion has driven “Giving back, for me, to me. Her passion for profinancial commitments over the past years that have comes from my heart viding the students with an education, both from class hopefully made a difference as I really want to materials and outside pronot only for students, but the help the current lead- fessionals, is very meaningprograms that educated me in so many ways. ers of CI take things ful. I’ve met many students through her classes who Giving back, for me, to the next level.” have turned into friends and comes from my heart as I rementees for years now.

CRAIG KURZ ally want to help the current I’m excited to continue to leaders of CI take things to work with Dean Greer and her team, as the next level. The experience a student we build on the impact that Dan O’Hair has while on campus will stay with them and others made for me. the rest of their life. So, adding financial support as an alumnus can truly make a difference! For me, giving is significantly focused on the people that made an impact for me from UK. Yes, the institution is incredible, but it’s the people who lead it that are making a difference to so many people.

My professional experience would not have been what it was if I didn’t have the

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Certainly, providing funding through giving is critical to the success of CI, but experiencing how it can make a difference— through direct contact with faculty, staff and students— is why I continue to make financial commitments and support for UK and the College of Communication and Information.•

NATHAN DARCE

DARCE NAMED DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY

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athan Darce joined the College of Communication and Information as the director of philanthropy in August 2020. Prior to joining the College, he held two different positions in Philanthropy and Alumni Affairs at UK since 2016.

Before coming to UK, he worked in student affairs at his alma mater, The University of Mississippi.

He is excited to meet alumni and friends of the College and discuss how you can help in our mission to shape passions into professions.

A New Orleans native, Nathan enjoys spending time with his wife Elisabeth and son Jack Keppler, playing tennis, cycling and reading. •

THE IMPACT OF GIVING: A RECIPIENT’S PERSPECTIVE

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graduated this past spring with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Kentucky, and even with a full, extensive vocabulary list now under my belt, I still cannot put into words how grateful I am for receiving the Hallie Day Blackburn Scholarship.

I am from Pineville, Ky (Bell County), and am currently pursuing a Master of Science in Library Science at UK. I have always loved serving and helping others in every way. I love serving meals and bagging food for the food pantry in my church, and for the last four years I worked with College Mentors for Kids, where I served as the vice president of fundraising. Service to a community has shaped my life, and I am excited to see it shape my career and future in public libraries. I would love to be able to come back to my hometown and serve my community there.

This scholarship will allow me to focus on my studies here at UK and continue to volunteer in the food pantry as well as

with mentoring programs in my local area without worrying too heavily about finances. No one ever thought that someone like me from southeastern Kentucky would ever be at UK. Because of this scholarship, I can defy the odds of going to college as a first-generation student. I can be that “one-in-a-million” kid who does not follow in the footsteps of generational poverty.

This scholarship motivates me to be the best student and best version of myself so that I can not only make my family proud, but also make the donor for this scholarship proud.

“I would love to be able to come back to my hometown and serve my community there.”

TAYLON BAKER

Libraries are evolving from a mine of limited information into a passage for unlimited information. To me, this demonstrates that librarians and information specialists are more important than ever. They were once stewards to society. Today, they are guides.

With this scholarship, the MSLS program at UK will mold me into a guide for my generation and those to come. • — Taylon Baker, current MSLS student and recipient of Hallie Day Blackburn Scholarship in the School of Information Science

HOW TO SUPPORT THE COLLEGE Help us shape passions into professions….

Through financial support from alumni and friends of the College of Communication and Information, we are able to prepare our students for an ever-changing world and assist our faculty with transformative science and research.

Gifts and pledges are one of many ways to help support our priorities, including career readiness initiatives, student scholarships and endowed faculty funds. By supporting us today, you are helping the College shape tomorrow’s leaders in media, communication, information, technology, journalism and library science.

If you are considering a gift to the College and would like to discuss how best to realize the impact you desire to achieve, reach out to Nathan Darce at Nathan.Darce@uky.edu to start the conversation.

To make a gift online, visit ukci.me/give or scan the QR code to the right

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 55

CI ALUMNI updates Our alumni never cease to amaze us with their accomplishments and accolades! Here are a few of the updates we have to share.

DANA CANEDY (JOU, 1987) Canedy, the administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes at Columbia University (and a Pulitzer Prize winner herself), has been named senior vice president and publisher of Simon & Schuster.

JOY PRIEST (JOU, 2013)

ANTOINE HUFFMAN (MAS, 2005)

The American Poetry Review recently announced Joy Priest was awarded the 2020 Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize for her poem “A Personal History of Breathing.” Priest is also the author of “Horsepower,” 2019 winner of the Donald Hall Prize for Poetry from the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. Priest is working on her doctorate at the University of Houston.

Huffman was recently elected to serve as treasurer of the UK Alumni Association. During his time at UK, Huffman was a three-year starter for the Wildcats football team and was a NCAA record holder.

IN MEMORIAM: CAROL BARR (COM, 2002)

ERIN SIMON (JOU, 2014)

CHARLI HUDDLESTON (ISC, 2016) Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. recently named Huddleston Associate Director of Media Affairs.

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Simon, currently an anchor and host for “Cheddar ESports,” a live esports and gaming news show, was tapped to host UK’s eSports Speaker Series launch, a national speaker series devoted to the broad range of issues associated with eSports and gaming.

The College of Communication and Information mourns the passing of Carol Barr, an alumna and a valued member of our National Advisory Board. Carol often spoke at Pro-Am Day, guiding our students and sharing experiences about her career at Pfizer and her work at the Henry Clay Institute for Statesmanship in Lexington. She looked for ways to help the next generation of communication and information professionals at every turn and was a true friend of the College.

She will be missed by everyone whose life she touched.

PAUL WAGNER (M.A. COM, 1972) In March, Kentucky Educational Television broadcasted the premiere of “Black in Blue,” the feature-length documentary film that tells the untold story of the four University of Kentucky football players who broke the color line in the Southeastern Conference. “Black in Blue” was directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker and CI alum Paul Wagner and executive produced by former UK quarterback Paul Karem. The film has an original gospel music score by Kentucky’s own Linkin’ Bridge.

PEGGY NOE STEVENS (COM, 1987) Peggy Noe Stevens’ latest book, “Which Fork Do I Use With My Bourbon?” was recently published by University Press of Kentucky and is available now.

We began our monthly virtual happy hours and topical CI conversatons in June and have continued to offer them monthly as a way to safely keep in touch and network with our alumni and friends. If you are not receiving our alumni emails, contact us at cidean@uky.edu COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 57

IN MEMORIAM: Mike Farrell

IN LOVING MEMORY: J. MICHAEL FARRELL

I

By Jennifer Smith n the subtlest, simplest of ways, he is still around.

It’s in a row of books that sit on a former colleague’s shelf that he thought would be helpful as she settled into teaching.

Or in his work with a group of colleagues to earn a multi-million dollar pledge to the College.

“That work of Mike’s will touch students for decades to come,” noted Scoobie Ryan, the School’s associate director.

Future students will benefit from a professor they never had, just as the ones who did have Farrell benefitted time and time again.

It’s in a pretty potted plant given to a friend after the death of a parent.

It’s in undeleted email subject lines— in his classic all-caps— worrying about a student.

“He loved lunch and he loved taking students to lunch,” Ryan said. “I think his favorite event at the school was Lunch with our Stars. He worked to keep the cost to $5, and paid for students who didn’t have the money. He was always looking for ways to help students network.”

“More than anything, Mike taught me the power of compassion,” said Deborah Chung, an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Media, of her friend, Dr. Mike Farrell. “Although we had a variety of conversations, the central focus was students. He loved his students, and he loved teaching.”

It’s the theme that comes up over and over again as former students, friends and colleagues remember Farrell a year after the passing of the long-time professor and interim director of the Deborah Chung and Mike Farrell, whom she called her “American Dad” and who was also School in August 2019. her twin on occasion.

He’s no longer nudging colleagues to go for full professor or dunking cookies in his iced tea at the Hilary J. Boone Center at lunchtime or discussing with a class the disgust he felt when basketball star LeBron James had been told to “shut up and dribble” the night before.

But he’s there.

“I wish so much that I could walk into his class tomorrow and have a discussion about what athletes have been doing for social justice here at UK and across the country,” UK alumna and former Kentucky Kernel editor-in-chief Bailey Vandiver said. “He would be so proud— because that man really, really loved the First Amendment.”

He’s still growing journalism in so many ways big and small.

Big ways like scholarships given to students who fulfilled many requirements, including work that shows a “a strong commitment to becoming professional print, broadcast or online journalists.”

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One former student, who became a colleague in the School, tries to regularly put into practice advice he got from Farrell.

“He taught me it is important to get to really know my students and understand where they are coming from,” said Andrew Dawson, who teaches broadcast journalism. “That if I take the time to get to know them and take an interest in them and their lives, it will help me. And it has.”

Farrell took an interest in the lives of so many.

“He was a pleasant father figure to me, who always delivered advice that I needed to hear,” College Media Officer Nathan Stevens said. “I’m not sure I would have been the person I was professionally or in my personal life without Mike’s wisdom.”

Farrell’s impact will extend for decades in his former students, former co-workers and friends.

As Vandiver and her Kernel staff brought home college journalism’s most coveted award, the Pacemaker in Fall 2019, she couldn’t help but think of her former professor.

“Mostly I think of how proud he would be— and it’s not a coincidence that pride is one of the emotions I most associate with Dr. Farrell,” she said. “Not pride in himself, but pride in his students, in good journalism, and in anyone exercising their First Amendment rights.” •

308 Lucille Little Library University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506-0224