Alumni Newsletter - December 2021

School of Communication Alumni Newsletter

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

The months come and go here at Virginia Tech, and just like that, we’re nearing the end of the 2021 fall semester. Here’s an update from the School of Communication on all that has happened over this past semester and what’s to come.

Students are finishing their final exams this week. The fall Commencement Ceremony will take place Friday, Dec. 17, at 10 a.m. We’re excited to welcome 45 School of Communication graduates into the alumni family. This group includes a strong mix of students from four majors: public relations (14), sports media and analytics (12), communication (11), and multimedia journalism (8).

As this semester winds down, the search for the School of Communication’s new director ramps up. If you haven’t heard yet, I will retire at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. It has been a privilege to serve the department as head from 1988 to 1996 and 2009 to 2020 and as founding director of the school since 2020.

Interviews for the new director are being conducted now. Next month, three finalists will be invited to campus. One of those individuals will lead the School of Communication into an even brighter future.

Giving Day 2022 will be here before we know it. Mark your calendars for Feb. 23-24 from noon to noon. As you know, this day is critically important to our work. Your generosity and support will help us continue to grow into one of the premier schools of communication in the country.

Back in October, we successfully launched our fourth annual Multimedia Journalism Career and Internship Fair. A dozen media organizations attended. Participants included a number of alumni who returned to represent their companies. Some of these graduates shared advice with our students in a video that you can see here. Many students walked away with internship options and job opportunities — particularly students graduating in December.

We wish you, our valued alumni, a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays with your family and friends. Please enjoy these stories and images that showcase those individuals who make up the School of Communication.

Robert E. Denton, Jr.
Director, School of Communication

School of Communication senior awarded inaugural Tech Sideline Endowed Scholarship

Jake Lyman, a senior majoring in sports media and analytics, was awarded the inaugural Tech Sideline Endowed Scholarship for Sports Journalism. Lyman has racked up extensive experience in sports journalism opportunities over his time at Virginia Tech.
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Tokyo Olympics a ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’ for School of Communication alumna

As the USA Shooting team’s press officer, Kate Gest, a 2016 multimedia journalism graduate, was among the relative few who were able to experience the Tokyo Olympics in person.
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New master’s major in reputation management offers real-world experience

The new reputation management major in the School of Communication’s master’s program is enabling students to gain hands-on experience as part of their coursework. Added in the fall of 2020, the two-year program will graduate its first class next spring.
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Easing digital communication across companies one code at a time

Carlos Evia, a professor in the School of Communication and associate dean for transdisciplinary initiatives in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, has helped revolutionize digital communication with his research in DITA and Lightweight DITA. His transdisciplinary approaches in the digital realm align with Virginia Tech’s Beyond Boundaries vision.
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Touchdown in New England: School of Communication alumna lands job with Patriots

Tamara Brown, a 2015 multimedia journalism graduate, is making her mark as the new team reporter and producer for the New England Patriots. Her example is paving the way for other women in the School of Communication to seek careers in sports.
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Our students in PRSSA and Lambda Pi Eta spent a Sunday in November creating encouraging chalk art on the sidewalks of the Carilion New River Valley Medical Center to uplift the frontline heroes.

Our graduate teaching assistants in the master’s program have been hard at work! They help create such a valuable learning experience for our undergraduates.

Alumni and Faculty Highlights

• Robin Reed, a professor of practice, was honored at the 2021 Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters Awards banquet with the AP Robert Gallimore Distinguished Service Award.
• Associate Professor Nneka Logan delivered the Brock Memorial Lecture to Wayne State University’s Department of Communication on corporations, race, and responsibility.
• Elmira Hamidi (M.A. in Communication, 2014) successfully defended her dissertation research project to finish her Ph.D. at George Mason University.
• Casey Jenkins (Communication, 2014) won a seat on the Christiansburg (VA) Town Council.
• Lucas Hobbs (Communication, 1995) was elected by the Virginia General Assembly to serve as a General District Court Judge for the 28th District.
• Associate Professor Cayce Myers published Money in Politics: Campaign Fundraising in the 2020 Presidential Election, Lexington Studies in Political Communication (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield, 2021).
• Assistant Professor Megan Duncan was awarded a 2021–2022 Niles Grant for research.