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  1. Home
  2. News

PR Student Takes Inaugural Lollapalooza Class

September 25, 2020 by

Senior public relations student Grant Mitchell had the opportunity to participate in Lollapalooza’s inaugural five-week class at DePaul University. During the class, he learned about networking in the music industry and the importance of learning from entry level positions.

“When it comes to any industry, perseverance is key, and this class helped reinforce that for me through all of the guest speakers,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell cites the ADPR community as being critical to him having gained the opportunity to participate in the course. “Everyone in ADPR has been so supportive of me and the professors have been an integral part of me finding opportunities like this one,” Mitchell said.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News, Student News Tagged With: ADPR, Public Relations, Student Spotlight, UTADPR

Senior ADPR Student Talks Summer Internships in a Pandemic

September 14, 2020 by

Patrick Boyd shows off his remote office on the first day of his internship with FCB Health

As a result of attending the annual ADPR New York City networking trip in January 2020, Patrick Boyd landed a once-in-a-lifetime internship working in account management for FCB Health, a healthcare advertising company with a thriving internship program.

Typically, FCB Health’s internship program brings opportunity for the interns to work in the heart of New York City, with workshops, networking opportunities and working on various advertising campaign projects. However, the rise of COVID-19 cases caused FCB Health to make the tough decision to move the internship to remote working.

“Obviously I was a little bummed out when coronavirus changed my plans of working in New York City for the summer,” Boyd said. “But as interns, we had all of the speakers we were supposed to, we were busy every day, we were able to get mentors, we had people to check-in with and so many resources available without even physically being in the office.”

From the end of June to mid-August, Boyd collaborated with interns from around the country in the account management department. He worked with various research technologies, wrote creative briefs and even was part of a pitch to the CEO.

“It felt like I was doing an internship every day which I enjoyed because that was the goal for this summer,” Boyd said. “ADPR prepared me unbelievably well for this internship. I felt like I knew what I was doing and just had a foundation to be able to learn more.”

Boyd started as a sports management major when he first came to UT. As soon as he changed his major to advertising, future job opportunities and real-world practice were the reality of his classes.

“I love it because the faculty just works right beside you and the people you meet in classes become your family,” Boyd said. “You can take yourself as far as you want to go.”

Filed Under: Featured Story, Student News Tagged With: ADPR, Advertising, NYC, Student Spotlight, UTADPR

Marketing a Vol Hotel

August 17, 2020 by

Ben Weprin (’01) has developed a national brand on building and repurposing hotel properties in college towns to appeal to alumni returning to their alma maters. His latest project has brought him back to his own alma mater, and he has given fellow Vols a chance to be a part of the project.

Weprin opened Graduate Knoxville in the former Hilton Garden Inn on Cumberland Avenue on August 13. The revamp includes a lot of features that will make Vols cheer, including UT-themed illustrations by cartoonist Marshall Ramsey (’91) in the lobby. And thanks to a friendship between Weprin and Peyton Manning (’97), the hotel’s bar and restaurant, Saloon 16, will boast the largest collection of Manning family memorabilia anywhere.

Late last fall, Graduate Hotels reached out to Associate Professor Courtney Childers of the School of Advertising and Public Relations to see if her students could work on a real-world marketing campaign for the hotel. The project was perfect for her Advertising Management class.

“The syllabus indicated that we would have a legitimate client for the final project,” said Kara Wegner, a Nashville native who graduates in August with a degree in advertising and a minor in business. “Dr. Childers informed us in March who our client was, so we pretty much hit the ground running.”

Read the full story on The Torchbearer website.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News, Student News Tagged With: Courtney Childers

CCI Presents at 2020 AEJMC Conference

August 14, 2020 by

Faculty and graduate students from the University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information (CCI) presented 10 peer-reviewed research papers at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) annual conference, which was held virtually Aug. 6-9.

In addition, six CCI faculty served as panelists, moderators, and discussants during the conference.

Faculty serving in AEJMC leadership roles include: Amber Roessner, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media, who was elected to the Standing Committee on Research, and Joy Jenkins, JEM assistant professor, who is the incoming head of the Magazine Media Division. Moonhee Cho, associate professor in the School of Advertising and Public Relations, was selected as an AEJMC 2020-21 Institute for Diverse Leadership Fellow and will serve as a member of the AEJMC Research Committee.

Others serving AEJMC divisions, interest groups, and commissions include: JEM professor Maria Fontenot, PF&R committee chair for the Electronic News Division; Roessner, teaching standards co-chair for the History Division; Jenkins, research committee co-chair for the Commission on the Status of Women; doctoral student Charli Kerns, newsletter co-editor for the Commission on the Status of Women; and doctoral student Darina Sarelska, Presidential Diversity & Inclusion Career Development Graduate Student Fellow. CCI Dean Mike Wirth is a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication Executive Committee (ASJMC).


Advertising and Political Communication Divisions

• “Time, Space and Convergence in Advertising and Public Relations: Contemporary Analysis of Job Market Trends” by PhD student Andrew Brown, ADPR Professor Sally McMillan, PhD student Alexander Carter, and PhD student Nicholas Sarafolean

• “Best Practices in Online Course Development and Instruction: Targeting Advertising Students in a Post COVID-19 World” by PhD student Betsy DeSimone and ADPR Associate Professor Courtney Carpenter Childers


History Division

• “Our Forgotten Mother: Daisy Bates and Her School Integration Campaign” by JEM Associate Professor Amber Roessner and Monique Freemon (PhD ’20)


Mass Communication and Society Division

• “News Media and Twitter Users’ Framing of the Russian Linked Facebook Ads Issue” by JEM Director & Professor Catherine Luther and PhD student Xu Zhang

Public Relations Division:

• “CEO Activism & Employee Relations: Factors Affecting Employees’ Sense of Belonging in Workplace” by ADPR Associate Professor Moonhee Cho, ADPR Assistant Professor Sifan Xu, and Brandon Boatwright (PhD ’20)


Public Relations and Communication Technology Divisions

• “Alexa, What Do You Know: An Investigation of Smart Speakers and Privacy Perceptions” by PhD student Nicholas Sarafolean and ADPR Associate Professor Courtney Carpenter Childers

• “The Target of Incivility: Examining the Uncivil Discourse on Social Media Platforms” by JEM Assistant Professor Mustafa Oz and Bahtiyar Nurumov (Suleyman Demiral University)

• “Effects of Narratives on Individuals’ Skepticism Toward Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts” by ADPR Assistant Professor Sifan Xu and PhD student Anna Kochigina


Sports Communication Interest Group

“Game Time or Not? Behavioral Predictors of Sports Brand Engagement on Social Media” by ADPR Assistant Professor Matthew Pittman and Brandon Boatwright (PhD ’20)

“Occupational and Job Sex Segregation in Sports Information: A 10-year Update” by PhD student Charli Kerns and JEM Associate Professor Erin Whiteside


Faculty and doctoral students who served as moderators, discussants, panelists and workshop leaders are: JEM Lecturer Maria Fontenot, JEM Professor Mark Harmon, JEM Assistant Professor Joy Jenkins, JEM Associate Professor Amber Roessner, JEM Associate Professor Erin Whiteside, and CCI Dean Mike Wirth.

Filed Under: Faculty News, Featured Story, News, Student News Tagged With: AEJMC, Alex Carter, Andrew Brown, Anna Kochingina, Betsy DeSimone, Brandon Boatwright, Courtney Childers, Matthew Pittman, Moonhee Cho, Nick Sarafolean, Sally McMillan, Sifan Xu

ADPR Virtually Presents at American Academy of Advertising Conference

April 13, 2020 by

Alex Carter and Nicholas Sarafolean

ADPR Graduate Students Alex Carter and Nicholas Sarafolean

School of Advertising and Public Relations has a strong presence at the recent American Academy of Advertising Conference, March 26-29, 2020.

Professor of Advertising, Eric Haley assumed his official role as President of the American Academy of Advertising, March 27. Prior, he served as the Vice President of the Academy from March 2018 to March 2019, and President-Elect from March 2019 – March 2020.

Interim Director and Professor Sally J. McMillan received the American Academy of Advertising Ivan L. Preston Outstanding Contribution to Research Award, March 28, 2020. The Ivan L. Preston Outstanding Contribution to Research Award honors individuals who have made sustained and systematic contributions to advertising research.

Assistant Professor Matthew Pittman and Professor Eric Haley presented their original research paper entitled, Cognitive Load and Social Media Advertising: Platform Use Induces Load Which Leads to Reliance on Cues.

Samantha Lavoi (MS UTK, Advertising, 2019), along with Professor Eric Haley, presented their original research paper entitled, How Pro-Social Agencies Define Themselves and Their Value: A Critical Constructivist Grounded Theory.

UT MS candidate Nicholas Sarafolean, and UT doctoral student, Alexander Carter presented their original research paper entitled,  Applying Taylor’s Message Strategy Model to Smart Speakers. Their paper was a finalist for the AAA outstanding student conference paper award.

UT graduate students, Nicholas Sarafolean and Alexander Carter were awarded American Academy of Advertising graduate student travel grants.  Samantha Lavoi was awarded the American Academy of Advertising’s Ronald Taylor University of Tennessee Student Travel Grant.

Filed Under: Faculty News, Featured Story, News

ADPR Students Win at 2020 Addy Awards

March 13, 2020 by

2020 Addy Awards

Fifteen students from the School of Advertising and Public Relations and a graphic design major earned 24 honors at the Knoxville American Advertising Federation (AAF) awards.

Senior Kara Wegner earned a Gold Addy Award for her work on Land of Ice and Fire and a Silver Addy Award for Indelible Faces. Graphic design major Ndigi Gichingiri took home a Gold Addy for Burnt Out. Sarah Melancon and Hanna Dice both earned Silver Addys.

Advertising majors who earned Bronze Citations of Excellence included: Alyssa Brown, Madison Cullen, Lauren Friend, Wendy Harmon, Anna House, Kristy Ilia, Yulisia Lopez, Macy Meredith, Alyssa Nichols, Jasmine Rogers, Brianna Szurpicki, and Caroline Waters. Melancon earned a Bronze Citation of Excellence in addition to her Silver Addy, and Associate Professor Courtney Childers’ ADPR 450 class was also awarded a bronze citation for their work on Delta Dental’s Delta Vision campaign.


2020 Knoxville Addy Awards

Alyssa Brown

Bronze Citations of Excellence

  • Entertain with Toys R Us
  • The Gift of Godiva

Madison Cullen

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Quaker Oats Ad

Hanna Dice

Silver Addy Award

  • Japan Passport Redesign

Lauren Friend

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Rejuvenate Your Mood

Ndigi Gichingiri (Graphic Design)

Gold Addy Award

  • Burnt Out

Wendy Harmon

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Dig Dog

Anna House

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Honey Magazine Campaign

Kristy Ilia

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Back 2 Square 1

Yulisia Lopez

Bronze Citations of Excellence

  • Portfolio (2)

Sarah Melancon

Silver Addy

  • Saltwater Brewery

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Saltwater Brewery

Macy Meredith

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Bennett Galleries

Alyssa Nichols

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • How You Can Help Brochure

Jasmine Rogers

Bronze Citations of Excellence

  • Sherwin-Williams Color Snap Brochure
  • Sherwin-Williams Color Snap App

Brianna Szurpicki

Bronze Citations of Excellence

  • Depop (2)

Caroline Waters

Bronze Citations of Excellence

  • Bennett Galleries Billboard
  • Chick-fil-A Ad

Kara Wegner

Gold Addy Award

  • Land of Fire and Ice

Silver Addy Award

  • Indelible Faces

Dr. Childers’ 450 Class

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Delta Dental Delta Vision Campaign

Filed Under: Featured Story, News, Student News

Public Relations Student Reflects on Classes, PRSSA and Why She Loves ADPR

March 11, 2020 by

Victoria Johnson, a senior public relations student, serves as Vice President of Membership for Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and is in the Chancellor’s Honors Program. She is currently completing her final semester at UT, and took time to reflect upon the opportunities, involvement and what ADPR has done for her.

“So many people in the college are just so willing to help,” Johnson said. “The classes are setting students up for success and there are so many different experiences like having the Salesforce Social Studio and various study abroad programs.”

During her sophomore year, Johnson participated in the CCI Global Scholars study abroad program where she went to work a PR internship in Australia. Her internship opened up many opportunities for work and involvement in Knoxville.

Johnson has been involved in UT’s PRSSA chapter as both a member and officer, as well as gained internship experience abroad and domestically. She was able to get an internship at Dollywood working in entertainment public relations, the field she now hopes to work in after graduation, because of her ADPR experiences.

“We’re always learning and growing as people and having the professors and students that have supported me in ADPR have been a total game changer,” Johnson said. “Though I haven’t settled on what exactly I want to do post-graduation, my internships and classes from UT are setting me up to get me exactly where I want to go.”

Johnson can’t wait to see what the future holds with the support and professional development she’s gotten from ADPR as her time is nearing the end at UT.

“Why do I love ADPR? That’s easy,” Johnson said. “It would have to be that ADPR wants to help students so much and the professors just have a heart for this, for investing in you as a person.”

Filed Under: Featured Story, News, Student News

ADPR Graduate Student Nicholas Sarafolean Talks Research and Future

February 26, 2020 by

Growing up with a love for East Tennessee, Sarafolean described coming to the University of Tennessee for his graduate program after staying in his home state of Michigan for his undergraduate years as a “natural fit.”

“I’m currently in my fourth and final semester of the graduate program here,” Sarafolean said. “My next move is to Macquarie University in Sydney Australia to work with the Sydney Metro System which is really exciting.”

While Sarafolean has grown up and acquired many skills through the ADPR program, the knowledge of theory that he’s gained to help research and answer larger and more conceptual questions has been his favorite.

“By giving me solid grounding in methods and theory, ADPR has helped me immensely,” Sarafolean said. “ADPR is also really connected, so whenever I’ve needed advice or connections, its super easy to get someone to help with anything and everything.”

Sarafolean owes having opportunities to take classes outside of the College of Communication and Information to learn how other disciplines view methods as well as the wide range of different ideas across the campus to gaining the skills necessary for his PhD program.

“I just love ADPR at UT because of how much of a family it is,” Sarafolean said. “It’s a lot closer than other departments and I love being able to have a community that helps each other accomplish cool things.”

Filed Under: Featured Story, News, Student News

2020 Social Media Week: Q&A with Sookie Park (AD ’13)

February 14, 2020 by

The 2020 UT Social Media Week will be held Feb. 18-20 and features social media and news professionals from near and far, including three CCI graduates. Admission is free for all six sessions, which will take place in the Communications Building.

Sookie ParkSookie Park (AD ’13) is the Director of Partnership Activation at Complexity Gaming, one of America’s premier esports organizations now headquartered in Frisco, Texas. She will speak on “esports and Marketing to the New Generation” on Thursday from 11:10 a.m.-12:25 p.m. in Scripps Lab Theater.

A native of Daegu, South Korea, Park entered the traditional sports and esports industry through the Philadelphia 76ers and Dignitas, working with partners including Pepsi, Buffalo Wild Wings, and HyperX. At Complexity, she manages all partnerships by growing relationships with clients and executing activations for the team, fans, and partners such as GameStop, US Army, and Miller Lite.

Catch Park on Twitter and Instagram @SookiePark.

What does a typical workday like for you?

My workday, without exaggeration, is never the same. Generally, a lot of my days are spent on internal and external meetings and answering emails as the point of contact for all of our brand partners, and making sure our upcoming events/activations are being prepared for a flawless execution. However, when some of our biggest and most important teams and events are being played, everything stops and the entire office is glued to our big TV in the “living room.” Perks of being on an esports team, I guess!

How do you plan and strategize social media coverage on competition days?

It all depends on the tournament and games, but everything starts with our social and design teams collaborating on photoshop templates. Templates are based on the tournament format/games. For instance, bigger tournaments like CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) usually have a set schedule and 90 percent of the time, the team will be featured on the main stream. If that’s the case, we’ll have do a robust coverage consisting of: live in an hour, live now, stream highlights of their best play, funny moments, results, etc.

For smaller scale tournaments, APEX (Legends) for example, a battle royale with a completely different format than CS:GO and we’re not guaranteed to be featured on stream. Sometimes, we’ll get featured, but nothing impactful happens so a highlight won’t be posted and coverage will be a simple — live now and end of day result.

It’s one thing to tweet for yourself and your ideas, but how do you develop a voice for your company’s social media platforms?

We have social guidelines that align with our company brand guidelines to ensure that our voice is consistent!

Why did you choose the University of Tennessee – and CCI in particular – as a student?

I’ve always wanted to study advertising and sports marketing since I was about 12 years old! When the time came for me to decide on a university, I wanted to go not only go to a school that had a stellar advertising program, but also was located somewhere that I would’ve never thought of going to. As a kid who grew up in Minnesota/Korea, Tennessee seemed like a place that would take me out of my comfort zone and would give me the opportunity to experience a new culture that I’ve never experienced before!

What are some skills you learned or experiences you had at Tennessee that have helped you on the job?

The biggest thing I learned in class was how to prepare pitches and decks! That is such an invaluable skill in account management, and as tough as that campaigns class was, it has given me so much experience in a short amount of time.

What advice do you have for students interested in going into social media professionally?

I think not just in social media, but in general, you need to figure out your brand and be active with that voice on social media, just like any brand should be doing on social media. It can be an extension of your personality, or it can literally just be about a specific topic that you are passionate about! But developing that persona is super important. Also, know what social media you should focus on for the industry that you want to be in. For the esports industry for example, Twitter is probably the biggest platform – so I’m literally on it every waking moment, catching up on news, interacting with industry folk, and excessively tweeting.

Filed Under: Alumni News, Featured Story, News

Global Programs Blog: Liza Cunningham

December 11, 2019 by

Liza Cunningham is a senior advertising major who has participated in two CCI Global Programs during her college career: the CCI Global Scholars Program in Sydney, Australia, and an advertising program in Rome, Italy, led by Professor Sally McMillan. In 2020, CCI Global Programs has opportunities for students in Dublin, Ireland; Prague, Czech Republic; Quebec, Canada; Siena, Italy; Rome; and Sydney.

Liza Cunningham - Study Abroad

Early in my freshman year, I was eagerly sitting in my Advertising 250 class when an unexpected guest came to speak about the CCI Global Scholars Program in Sydney, Australia. Little did I know that Dr. Sam Swan’s informative presentation would be the initial start of a journey that would forever change my life.

I thought about the program, talked it over with my parents, and ultimately decided that it was an opportunity that would be crazy for me to pass up. I committed to the program in early February of my freshman year, meaning I would be set to leave America and head to the Land Down Under for spring semester of my sophomore year.

Through the CCI Global Scholars Program, I took two courses at the University of Sydney: intercultural communications and Australian history. These courses challenged me to become interculturally competent and expanded vital communication skills that I possessed prior to the start of the program.

Not only did I gain valuable insight into the communications field through coursework, but I was also given the chance to intern at a full-service communications agency for eight weeks. Cardinal Spin, my internship placement, allowed me to gain a new sense of independence and skills that are sure to translate into a workplace setting for any future career.

Cardinal Spin specializes in public relations and VIP/celebrity engagement, which allowed me to be part of large-scale events such as the Sydney Mardi Gras Festival with over 400,000 attendees, the New South Wales Premier’s (comparable to a governor in America) Harmony Dinner, and the Sydney Film Festival. I got the chance to work in the Sydney Film Festival Office as a liaison between film distributors and journalists for the second half of my internship placement. Additionally, I was able to assist in the promotion of various restaurant openings, work press conferences, and attend various art collectives, which allowed me to see the importance of the media tracking I had been working on, in addition to collating CRM systems.

Not only did I gain priceless hands-on experience in a workplace setting, but I also learned so much more about myself than I ever expected. When I am placed outside of my comfort zone, I have come to realize that I am my favorite version of myself: happy, hard-working, outgoing, goofy, and most importantly I am self-aware of my emotions, my values, and my behaviors.

With confidence, I can state that I gained a new sense of self-worth. I tried vegemite, pet kangaroos, learned to surf, fed stingrays, completed gorgeous coastal walks and hikes, and learned to say “Maccas” when referring to McDonald’s. My study abroad experience in Sydney, Australia helped me uncover skills I never knew I had, grow on the skills I already possessed, and obtain relationships I didn’t know I needed.

The friendships I gained from the CCI Global Scholars Program, both in Sydney and in my hometown here in Knoxville, are sure to last beyond graduation. Leaving Sydney was heartbreaking, and I will never forget how my time there helped to shape me as a person.

As a junior, I really started to miss studying abroad. It was a break from my normal routine. It was exciting, fun, and — at times — terrifying, but I loved the thrill of it all.

In the fall semester, I started to feel a bit uneasy with the fact that my life in Australia was so different than my life in Knoxville. After hearing Dr. Sally McMillan speak about a summer 2019 advertising issues class in Rome, I knew another opportunity for growth had come my way. Thankfully, I was able to obtain a CCI scholarship that allowed me to make this dream possible.

After the end of my junior year at UT, I packed my bags and looked forward to my adventures in Italy.

Liza Cunningham - Study Abroad

A few of the highlights from my trip included a cooking class (where I learned how to cook homemade pasta, pesto, and tiramisu), seeing famous historical sites such as the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Coliseum, and Vatican museums and taking weekend trips to Florence and the Amalfi Coast with friends.

I also learned a lot through my coursework by thinking outside of the confines of my home country. I was challenged to critically think from a global standpoint, work in various groups, and give presentations nearly every single class period. Never in my wildest dreams did I know that I could accomplish such detailed work in such a short amount of time, of which I am so proud of myself for doing. We, as a class, were able to utilize our observations of Italian lifestyles and apply them to what we know in the advertising industry. This kind of coursework made me certain that Advertising is the perfect major for me.

Words cannot describe how much I value my two study abroad experiences. Although they were both very different from each other, they both will forever hold a special place in my heart. I have matured, learned to laugh at my mistakes, handled uncomfortable situations, and grown in my relationships with others.

Liza Cunningham - Study Abroad

While typing this, I am in absolute awe that I am a senior, getting ready to graduate and enter the workforce. It is crazy how fast time flies, but I am so glad that I made the most of my short time here at UT by choosing to study abroad. Because of those two incredible experiences, I am much more confident preparing for my graduation and job search. I have grown in more ways than I ever thought possible, and I am so thankful to attend a school where these opportunities exist.

Thank you UT, thank you CCI, and thank you to scholarship donors. Without you, I would not be the person that I am today. I hope that by reading this, you are able to know the impact you have on so many students.

To students considering studying abroad, please do it. You won’t regret it. In fact, you may even end up studying abroad twice like I did.

Ciao,

Liza Cunningham

Advertising Class of 2020

 

Filed Under: Featured Story, News, Student News Tagged With: Global Programs, Liza Cunningham, Study Abroad

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Tombras School of Advertising & Public Relations

476 Communication & Information Building
1345 Circle Park Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996-0332
Phone: 865-974-3048
Email: adpr@utk.edu

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The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
865-974-1000

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