Here’s an in-depth look at the School of Communications’ news, events, initiatives and other highlights during the 2022-23 academic year. Click to expand each month’s section.

August 2022

  • PHOTO 1: A dozen ElonComm faculty, staff and students attended the 2022 national convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Detroit. Associate Professor of Journalism Amanda Sturgill and a team of Interactive Media graduate students captured first place in the Best of the Web/Best of Digital Competition for its robust website developed for the Terra Cotta Heritage Foundation. Assistant Professor of Communication Design Shannon Zenner was recognized for her first-place faculty paper in the Visual Communication Division and as the winner of the 2022 Innovations in Teaching Competition for her research submission on grading and self-evaluations. Leila Jackson ’22 presented a paper examining the racial undertones of Twitter content following 2021 TV special, “Oprah with Meghan and Harry.”
  • Associate Professor Amanda Sturgill’s book “We Are #AltGov: Social Media Resistance From the Inside” was published by Rowman & Littlefield in August. The book culminated five years of research on activities from government employees who used Twitter to organize more than one million followers.
  • PHOTO 2: Dean Emeritus Paul Parsons was presented with the Elon Medallion, the university’s highest honor, at Elon’s Opening Day ceremony in August. Parsons led the School of Communications as founding dean for 17 years, propelling the school to national recognition.
  • Assistant Director of Multimedia Projects Abby Igoe participated in a five-day DaVinci Resolve advanced color certification course, hosted by the Manhattan Edit Workshop in New York City. During the academic year, she led several Resolve color grading workshops for students.

September 2022

  • For nearly three years, Associate Professor of Sport Management Shaina Dabbs and Claire Latimer ’22 collaborated on a research project investigating gender disparity and the marketing of collegiate basketball programs. They co-write “Jumping Through Hoops: Differences in Marketing Men’s and Women’s Basketball on Twitter,” which was published in the Journal of Contemporary Athletics, a peer-reviewed journal that examines all levels of athletics.
  • As part of a paid summer fellowship, Kyra O’Connor ’23 and 33 students from 14 different universities collaborated on the 2022 News21 national reporting project focused on policing and justice. The finished project, titled “In Pursuit,” was published in the fall and offers a comprehensive look at police reform across America.

October 2022

  • Assistant Professor of Journalism Lorraine Ahearn served as the lead author on a new civil rights media history study published in Journalism History, a quarterly journal of the AEJMC History Division. The article examined what happens when journalists revisit the history of race in the U.S. and discover that their own media organizations were complicit with past injustice.
  • Members of Elon’s AIGA chapter competed in the Triad AIGA “Make The World Not So Sad” poster design exhibition, a Greensboro-based competition that raises awareness about mental health. With support from Assistant Professor of Communication Design Rebecca Bagley, who advises the campus chapter, Elon students submitted 80 entries. Emma Mitchell ’24 won first place in the People’s Choice Awards category, and Ashley Josey ’25 captured second place. In 2022, Bagley also published an e-book, titled “The Design Cookbook: Cooking Up Your Best Graphic Design Ideas,” with Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.
  • PHOTO 3: As part of the Department of Sport Management’s internship requirement, 30 sport management majors gained real-world experience in summer 2022 with organizations across the sport industry. The Sport Management Internship Forum, hosted Oct. 3, offered a glimpse into how students spent their summer months gaining experience. What was one forum highlight? Adam Faberman ’23 (with microphone) recalled telling Associate Professor of Sport Management David Bockino that his goal one day was to work for the Red Sox. In summer 2022, the sport management major did just that.
  • Elon News Network won both a Newspaper Pacemaker and an inaugural Multiplatform Pacemaker from the Associated Collegiate Press at the Fall National College Media Convention. Ten ENN students attended the conference in Washington, D.C., from Oct. 26-30, along with Professor of Journalism Anthony Hatcher, Associate Professor of Journalism Rich Landesberg, and Assistant Professor of Journalism Israel Balderas.
  • While completing a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award to teach at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, Associate Professor of Cinema and Television Arts Doug Kass also served as a producer on six documentary short films for the Taiwan Plus television network. Additionally, he produced, wrote and directed a documentary short, titled “Baghdad Graphic,” which won best documentary at the Nefiltravanae Kino Film Festival in Minsk, Belarus. The film tells the story of Assistant Professor of Communication Design Ahmed Fadaam’s experience during the American invasion of Iraq.

November 2022

  • Assistant Professor Israel Balderas was elected as Society of Professional Journalists’ secretary-treasurer overseeing the society’s financial well-being.
  • Instructor in Journalism Colin Donohue, Senior Lecturer in Journalism Kelly Furnas and Megan Curling ’23 presented educational sessions at the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention Nov. 10-13 in St. Louis. Additionally, Communications Manager Tommy Kopetskie and Gianna Smurro ’25 supported a sponsorship table at the convention, billed as the largest gathering of student journalists in the country.
  • PHOTO 4: The fall 2022 WINS Forum, which adopted the theme of “On the Horizon: Celebrating Past, Present & Future of Women in Sport,” featured an hourlong panel with prominent females excelling in the sport industry. The invited panelists included Andrea Carter (from left) of the Atlanta Hawks, Francie Gottsegen of the North Carolina Courage, and Vicky Picca of Fanatics. Eben Novy-Williams, a sports business reporter for Sportico, moderated the event.
  • Associate Professor Amanda Sturgill, Senior Lecturer in Communication Design Randy Piland and alumna Bettina Johnson ’06, G ’11 provided event coverage Nov. 6-11 as part of a media team for the International Collegiate Programming Contest’s (ICPC) World Finals in Dhaka, Bangladesh. ICPC is hailed as one of the world’s most prestigious computer programming contests for university-level students, and it attracts top students from across the globe.
  • Associated Press correspondent Cara Anna, a Pulitzer Center grantee, visited campus in November as part of Elon’s partnership in the Pulitzer Center’s Campus Consortium, speaking with nine classes and dozens of students.
  • PHOTO 5: Thanks to a cross-campus collaboration, communication design majors Ian Myers ’23, Melanie Meisner ’23 and Elizabeth Daria ’23 designed a billboard for the Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation and its charitable initiative, Journey for the Living. The digital signage was displayed across the expansive front of the New York Marriott Marquis, positioned on the south end of the world-famous Times Square.

December 2022

  • Amin Matalqa, an adjunct faculty member in the Elon in Los Angeles program, directed a new film, titled “5000 Blankets,” that debuted in mid-December at 700-plus theaters nationwide. Inspired by real events, “5000 Blankets” follows the story of a determined wife, played by Anna Camp (“Pitch Perfect”), who sets out to find her husband after he’s suffered a mental breakdown and disappeared.

January 2023

  • PHOTO 6: Associate Professor David Bockino, Communications Manager Tommy Kopetskie and 19 students in the Through the Lens of ESPN class enjoyed a two-week tour of Argentina and Uruguay, exploring athletic venues, national media outlets, and the importance of soccer in South American culture. During the Winter Term course, Nick Grande ’23 (pictured) participated in an on-camera interview with Canal 4 prior to a Club Atlético Peñarol home match. Coincidentally, the class visited the Montevideo-based television station earlier that day.
  • Associate Professor Rich Landesberg and Dean Kenn Gaither co-taught the Holocaust Journey Winter Term course, leading 28 students across four European countries and five concentration camps. This year’s cohort visited memorials and locations in Nuremberg, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, Warsaw, and Berlin. Landesberg has helped lead the course for more than a dozen years.
  • Associate Dean Tony Weaver co-edited “Cultivating Capstones: Designing High-Quality Culminating Experiences for Student Learning,” a new book that delves into capstone experiences in higher education. Published by Stylus Publishing in collaboration with Elon’s Center for Engaged Learning, the publication features findings from approximately 25 scholars and practitioners.
  • Bill Squadron, assistant professor of sport management, was appointed to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s nominating committee. Established in 2020, the authority is responsible for enforcing safety and integrity rules in thoroughbred racing in the U.S.
  • PHOTO 7: Assistant Professor of Cinema and Television Arts Kai Swanson and 17 students traveled to Park City, Utah, and Hollywood during Winter Term to study the film and entertainment industries. The course featured tours of Sony Pictures Studios and The Studios at Paramount, as well as an alumni wisdom session with Jordan Roman ’15, Alex Hadden ’13 and Joyce Choi ’19.
  • Led by ElonComm faculty and staff members Hal Vincent and Alison Doherty, 23 first-year Communications Fellows participated in the Winter Term Fellows Experience course, traveling to Florida, touring communications companies, meeting with industry professionals, and gaining insights into their future careers.
  • PHOTO 8: As part of its Interactive Project for the Public Good course, this year’s Interactive Media cohort traveled to the Dominican Republic to support the Dove Youth Development, conducting interviews, capturing photography, and creating a robust website, www.doveyouthdevelopment.org. The website won a first-place award in AEJMC’s Best of the Web/Best of Digital national competition in June.

February 2023

  • Associate Professor of Strategic Communications Jessica Gisclair was one of four members on the ACEJMC accreditation site visit team that evaluated Howard University’s Cathy Hughes School of Communications in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Gisclair received an FR&D 2023 Summer Fellowship award for her research, “Shadow economy impacts China’s intellectual property compliance,” and was named the university’s Living Learning Community Advisor of the Year.
  • Strategic communications faculty members Lee Bush and Vanessa Bravo published a paper on diversity, equity and inclusion in a special February issue of the Journal of Public Relations Education. With support from an Elon Diversity & Inclusion Grant, the co-authors researched, developed and tested diversity, equity and inclusion teaching modules in four core Department of Strategic Communications courses.
  • Assistant Professor of Cinema and Television Arts Sowjanya Kudva edited a short film, titled “(in)convenience,” that made its world premiere in February at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short. The film has been well received on the festival circuit, earning Best of Show recognition at the Wicked Queer: Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival.

March 2023

  • Live Oak Communications collected five awards in the Student Division at the American Advertising Awards gala, hosted by the American Advertising Federation of the Triangle (AAF Triangle). More than a dozen students attended the March 2 celebration, which recognized the best in advertising from Central and Eastern North Carolina. The student agency’s top honor was a silver ADDY award in the competition’s Poster – Campaign category for its swim lessons poster produced for Olde Forest Racquet Club.
  • Coordinated by Associated Professor Shaina Dabbs, nearly 30 students assisted with the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament’s game-day operations, on-court promotions and other tournament festivities during the five-day competition in Greensboro.
  • PHOTO 9: The School of Communications hosted its first-ever trivia contest for members of the Communications Fellows program, testing the students’ knowledge of the Tar Heel state, pop culture and other fun facts. Organized by Associate Professor David Bockino and Senior Lecturer Kelly Furnas, the March 28 event pitted 15 student teams against one another.
  • In conjunction with the Student Professional Development Center, ElonComm hosted the Communications and Sport Management Meet and Greet on March 28, attracting more than 200 students and 20 employers representing a variety of communications-related industries.
  • Elon News Network was recognized widely in the Society of Professional Journalists Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards, earning first place in nine categories. The organization also took home the top organizational honors for the best newspaper and best television newscast.
  • Ashleigh Afromsky ’22 joined Assistant Professor of Communication Design Jenny Jiang and Professor of Strategic Communications Qian Xu to examine the job descriptions of nearly 35,000 positions related to media analytics following the COVID-19 pandemic. Their findings were published in the March edition of Journalism & Mass Communication Educator.
  • Associate Professor David Bockino and Michael Brown ’23 headed to Barcelona to co-present “The Sports Media Lab: Undergraduate Research as a High-Impact Educational Practice” at the 2023 Summit on Communication and Sport. As part of the presentation, Brown shared research from his own study, an exploration of college students’ consumption of short-form action sports content.

April 2023

  • PHOTO 10: The School of Communications hosted its annual awards ceremony on April 20 in Turner Theatre, recognizing high achievement from students during the past academic year. The end-of-the-year ceremony featured several heartfelt moments, including the presentation of the inaugural Christopher Edwards II ’18 Award for Sports Journalism.Chase Williams ’23 (pictured) was presented with the award acknowledging his demonstrated mastery in sports journalism. Several members of the Edwards family were in attendance, including Dr. Christopher Edwards P’18, who established two Elon Engagement scholarships to honor his late son.Max Negin, assistant professor of cinema and television arts, presented the inaugural award, highlighting Williams’ many contributions to the school and campus life. During his introduction, Negin noted how Edwards and Williams were both joyful, hardworking, dependable and “filled with a spirit that inspires his fellow students.”
  • Assistant Director of Multimedia Projects Abby Igoe’s first narrative work, “The Forest Women,” premiered at the 2023 RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem. The short film was written and directed by Nell Geer ’21, who co-edited the film with Igoe. Igoe also served as the director of photography and sound designer. Additionally, Associate Professor of Cinema and Television Arts Nicole Triche hosted a premiere of her new documentary, titled “Curtsy,” at the Winston-Salem festival. The 27-minute film chronicles Miss Joyce – Triche’s mother – and her 50th year running a small-town dance studio.
  • Assistant Professor of Sport Management Alex Traugutt and Bennett Lynch ’25 presented at the CSRI Conference on College Sport in Columbia, South Carolina, sharing their collaborative research examining sports betting – specifically season win totals in college football.
  • As part of his far-reaching April 4 Q&A session with students from the School of Communications and the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, Matthew Winkler, Bloomberg News co-founder and editor-in-chief emeritus, touched on several subjects ranging from the political aspirations of fellow co-founder Michael Bloomberg to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. The campus visit and Q&A session were organized by SPDC’s Stephanie Bourland.
  • Cara Lucia, associate professor and chair of the Department of Sport Management, was recognized with the NIRSA annual group service award acknowledging her exceptional leadership and dedication to justice, diversity, equity and inclusion by serving on its JDEI Climate Study Steering Committee. Additionally, she will serve as co-editor of the Recreational Sports Journal’s upcoming JDEI special issue.
  • Alex Luchsinger and Jane O’Boyle, assistant professors in the School of Communications, collaborated on research comparing how military personnel and veterans are portrayed in broadcast news versus cable news networks outside of war-focused coverage. Their findings were published in the quarterly journal Electronic News.
  • PHOTO 11: Elon students earned four awards in the Broadcast Education Association’s 2023 Festival of Media Arts, with Charlie Breckenridge ’22 making school history, earning the school’s first-ever individual Best of Festival honors. The cinema and television arts major won the festival’s top prize in the Student Film and Video Competition for his music video entry, “Right Now, It’s Like This.” The video also earned first place in the festival’s Music Video category, which made the project eligible for Best of Festival consideration. Breckenridge and co-producer Marie Granger ’22 attended the April awards ceremony in Las Vegas.

May 2023

  • Donelle Leak ’25, a strategic communications major and Honors Fellow, and Cristina Mariné ’25, a strategic communications and cinema and television arts double major, were named recipients of The LAGRANT Foundation Scholarship, which financially supports undergraduate and graduate ethnic minority students pursuing careers in the fields of advertising, marketing, or public relations. Both students traveled to New York City in May to attend an awards ceremony and professional development workshops.
  • “Welcome to Sockville,” a 12-minute documentary produced by Brandon Talton ’23, screened at the 2023 Longleaf Film Festival in Raleigh. The cinema and television arts BFA major’s film focuses on a baseball club’s rebranding and its connection to the Burlington community.
  • Nicholas Ullian ’24, Associate Professor of Sport Management Young Do Kim and the Sport Management Society were honored at the 28th annual Dr. Leo M. Lambert Awards ceremony. Ullian, the society’s president, was recognized with the Student Organization Officer of the Year award, and Kim was named the recipient of the Gerald Francis Award for Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year. The society was also named the University Program of the Year.

June 2023

  • Naeemah Clark, a professor of cinema and television arts and the university’s J. Earl Danieley Distinguished Professor, was named the university’s first associate provost for academic inclusive excellence. In her new role, Clark will focus on further growing the university’s commitment to inclusive excellence through priorities outlined in the Boldly Elon strategic plan.
  • Elon students collected five awards in the 2023 Best of the Web/Best of Digital competition, presented by AEJMC, including a podium sweep in the contest’s mobile application category for small schools. On the Grid, a student group project advised by Assistant Professor Rebecca Bagley, won first place in the contest’s App – Individual/Team/Single Class – Small School Category. Produced as part of Bagley’s Web and Mobile Publishing class, the project allows users to share their adventure experiences. Interactive Media graduate student Abby Lachance G’23 captured second place for her interactive social media platform for sport creatives.
  • Assistant Professor Shannon Zenner was selected for the ANA Educational Foundation’s 2023 Visiting Professor Program and traveled in June to New York City. As one of program’s 38 participants, she visited McCann, Edelman, and Mastercard’s offices, and heard from speakers representing Ogilvy, Patagonia, Mattel, Meta, P&G, Publicis and others.
  • Madison Powers ’24, a journalism major and Communications Fellow, was selected as a 2023 Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellow, one of 44 journalists financed by the center to report on critical and underreported stories. Powers reported on the dangers of migration in Latin America, focusing on the drivers behind migration to the U.S. and the violence migrants face along the journey from Central and South America.
  • A cohort of journalists from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka visited campus and participated in sessions led by Assistant Professor Israel Balderas and Associate Professor Amanda Sturgill centered on disinformation and media ethics. The on-campus visit was part of a U.S. tour organized by the Meridian International Center.
  • PHOTO 12: Five Elon alumni participated in a June 20 wisdom session, sharing their personal and professional journeys with students studying in the Elon in Los Angeles program. The event was held at Second Home Hollywood, a collaborative workspace that hosts the Study USA program in Hollywood. The event featured two panel discussions, including a session with Assistant Professor Kai Swanson (left), Emily Merlin ’14 (center) and Jordan Roman ’15.