2021-2022 CI Connect Magazine

CI CONNECT

2022: MUCH TO CELEBRATE

Welcome to the 2022 issue of CI Connect. The people and stories you find in these 60 pages are just a small portion of the accomplishments of our alumni, students, faculty and staff over the past year. If you’re reading this, you are a part of our success through your hard work, support and partnerships.

As you can see on the cover, this is CI’s “Sports Edition,” with about 15 pages inside devoted to teaching, research, careers and innovations in sports communication, journalism, production, promotion and information.

On the cover, you’ll see three of our incredible alumni mentoring two current students. This photo was taken in the UK Athletics production facility in Kentucky Proud Park. On pages 4-5, you’ll read about a unique partnership among CI, UK Athletics and JMI, the university’s media rights partner, to build a teaching laboratory and production facility just steps from the court in Rupp Arena. In a few years, this scene pictured here will be repeated daily in our new facility, with students learning from professional mentors who teach them in a real-world setting while they prepare for their careers.

We have much to celebrate beyond our activities related to sports industries. Inside, you’ll find highlights on many other areas in the College, including:

• Our award-winning undergraduate and graduate students;

• The work of our industry-leading faculty and staff;

• What CI has been doing in alignment with our strategic plan to help turn students’ passions into professions;

• The impact of the support many of you have given our students and programs over the last year.

We so appreciate all you have done for CI in 2022 and look forward to our continued friendships and partnerships in 2023.

Jennifer Greer, Dean cidean@uky.edu

WHAT’S INSIDE

SPORTS: BBN & BEYOND

CI tackles the world of sports from all angles.

COLLEGE NEWS

The latest highlights and happenings from the College.

CI CONNECT MAGAZINE

FALL 2022

BOLD DENOTES CI ALUMNUS ITALIC DENOTES CURRENT CI STUDENT

DEAN: JENNIFER GREER

EDITOR: CATHERINE HAYDEN DESIGNER: JACKIE POWELL

COPY EDITOR: RICK CHILDRESS

CONTRIBUTORS

JAY BLANTON

RICK CHILDRESS GAVIN COLTON RILEY FORT BRANDI FRISBY RYAN GIRVES

JENNIFER GREER

STUDENTS

CI students shine with awards, accolades and innovations.

UK DEBATE

The Kentucky Debate Team continues their storied history with solid performances and new programs.

ALUMNI

Our alumni are doing amazing things. Here’s proof.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

CI graduate students excel in and out of the classroom as they work toward advanced degrees.

RESEARCH

The research of our CI faculty and graduate students makes industry impact.

CATHERINE HAYDEN MARIAH KENDELL RICHARD LECOMTE KATE MADDOX MEG MILLS SHORT HALEY SIMPKINS AKHIRA UMAR

PHOTOGRAPHERS

MICHAEL CLUBB

FELIPE ESPINAL RILEY FORT JENNIFER GREER CATHERINE HAYDEN MARIAH KENDELL YOUNG SOO KIM MARK MAHAN WHITNEY STAMPER DAVID STEPHENSON UK ATHLETICS UK PHOTO

JACK WEAVER TIM WEBB CHET WHITE COVER PHOTO JACK WEAVER

ON THE COVER

CI alumni train current students inside the control room at Kentucky Proud Park. Shown top to bottom: Stanton Brown (CS junior), Clifton Matekovich (TEL/MAS, 2003), Jack Calsin (COM, MKT junior), Scott Hileman (MAS, 2015) and Nate Hernandez (MAS, 2021).

Shaping Sports Passions into

Professions

Is the University of Kentucky a “basketball school” or a “football school”? We won’t get into that debate on the pages of this magazine, but we will assert boldly that UK is a capital S “Sports school.”

UK’s well-earned athletics brand was built on the court and field, to be sure. But that brand also has been built in UK’s colleges and centers, where faculty and staff teach students, support activities and conduct research in all things Sport.

On the 14 pages that follow, you’ll see how CI’s long history of preparing students to work in sports industries has paid off for alumni thriving in sports careers (pages 10-16). You’ll read about cutting-edge research from brand-new to veteran faculty and many faculty in between (pages 8-9). You’ll see our newest curricular offerings and academic programs in the works (pages 6-7). You’ll read how we support student activities bridging disciplines around sports careers (page 43).

Our most groundbreaking news is on the following two pages. We’re breaking ground on a state-of-the-art production, teaching and research facility mere steps away from the Rupp Arena court in Lexington’s remodeled Central Bank Center. There, we will continue to train sports broadcasters and communicators in tandem with professionals from UK Athletics (pictured on the cover).

And to settle the debate once and for all, we like to think of UK as a “Communication and Information school.”

Rendering of the newly renovated Central Bank Center, which will house studio, production and research space.

The University of Kentucky is widely regarded as a sports powerhouse. UK is also increasingly known for its ability to leverage athletics and partnerships with the private sector for academic and career success for students.

NEW STUDIO NEXT

SPACE LEVEL

That’s the idea behind a distinctive partnership led by the College of Communication and Information to create a 20,000-square-foot studio, production center and learning/research laboratory in Rupp Arena at the Central Bank Center in the heart of downtown Lexington.

WILL TAKE MEDIA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH TO THE

The state-of-the-art facility — a partnership with the College, UK Athletics and JMI Sports — will create a high-tech collaborative space where students can learn alongside media production and sports marketing and communication professionals, said CI Dean Jennifer Greer.

“We’ve been training students in broadcasting and media production for more than 70 years in various spaces across the campus,” Greer said. “This space represents a significant step forward in providing a collaborative place where our educational programs can be taken to the next level through an innovative partnership with UK Athletics and the university’s mediarights partner, JMI Sports.”

The College has established a sport communication path within its Department of Communication and this year launched a sport track within the School of Journalism and Media. The College also is preparing a sports certificate open to all UK students. The space in Rupp will provide opportunities for training and instruction in those areas in

addition to opportunities for faculty and graduate students to conduct research.

“We believe deeply in the imperative to put students first in everything that we do,” said Tim Bernal, executive associate athletics director/external operations for UK Athletics. “That extends to our students on the field and court as well as those who are working alongside us in media and sports production. Our goal is to be best-in-class in every sport and in every program. This studio aligns with that goal to provide the best opportunities for all of our students.”

All three partners envision the facility as a truly collaborative space, allowing students, faculty and staff interested in sports across the campus to work with UK’s media production and marketing teams. UK has growing sports opportunities in many colleges, including Business, Education, Health Sciences and Arts and Sciences. Local production companies and sports industry firms should also be attracted to working alongside UK’s students, media professionals and researchers in the space.

“JMI Sports is committed to delivering innovative partnerships to advance the academic and athletics mission of the University of Kentucky,” said Kim Shelton, UK Sports and Campus Marketing president. “This studio and production space presents an opportunity for the College of Communication and Information to be more actively involved with the UK Sports Network in a highly visible facility in the heart of downtown Lexington, demonstrating a collaboration between athletics, campus and the downtown community.”

The College also launched a minor in video game design and development, providing opportunities for students to explore work in rapidly growing areas such as esports and virtual gaming. UK already has some of the best esports space in the country at the Cornerstone Building on campus.

“This space in venerable Rupp Arena will not only bring visibility to these growing programs in our college and in others, but it also will allow our students to work side-by-side with professionals producing

sports programming and promotions as well as other digital content for distribution,” Greer said.

Under an expansion of the mutually beneficial Right of Use Agreement between Central Bank Center and UK and JMI Sports, the first floor of the Pavilion will house the laboratory and will expand opportunities for partners and sponsors under the agreement.

“Central Bank Center has long enjoyed a tremendous partnership with the University of Kentucky,” said Bob Elliston, chairman of the Lexington Center Corporation. “Utilizing the transformative investments that have been made in the expanded Central Bank Center campus as part of the educational opportunities for university students is a natural extension of that partnership, and we commend the College, Athletic Department and JMI for their leadership.”

The new studio near Rupp Arena will allow the College to replace the roughly 6,000 square feet of studio space it has used for decades in the Taylor Education Building. That space will be repurposed for other uses.

Greer said the College anticipates using the studio in 2024.

The drawing above illustrates the location of CI’s space in the Central Bank Center/Rupp Arena.

MAS 342 Live

Streaming students take a hands-on approach to learning streaming platforms such as Twitch.

CI TACKLES SPORTS CURRICULUM

Many students come to UK with a passion for all things sports: on the field, in the stands and in the classroom. The College of Communication and Information has stepped up to the plate to provide curricula and specialized degree programs to prepare students for sports industry careers.

The College now offers several courses, minors and major tracks to support the growing enthusiasm for sports-related careers. The global sports market is a multibillion-dollar industry and boasts one of the fastest-growing sectors for communication and media brands.

“Although our CI alumni for decades have gone on to successful careers in sports journalism, sports production, marketing and information, and all aspects of sports communication, students increasingly are seeking specialized degree programs tailored to their passion for sports,” Associate Dean for Student Success Brandi Frisby said. “Our faculty have been leaders in developing programs to meet the needs of students and to serve growing industry demand for graduates in this area.”

In Fall 2019, the College offered its first sports-related major track when sport communication became one of six pathways for majors in the Department of Communication. Students majoring in sport communication learn about the connections among sport, communication and society while also learning the strategies required to communicate sports information to a variety of audiences.

The track launched with 16 students; now, more than 100 communication majors have declared the track.

In Fall 2022, sports journalism was added to the other two tracks offered to journalism majors. Previously, the only pure sports-related offering in the School of Journalism and Media was a sports broadcasting class. While the School has long trained sports journalists, the new track will allow students to work in-depth in classes tailored specifically for sports.

Media Arts and Studies, also housed in JAM, began offering a video game design and development minor in Fall 2022. This secondary field of study will give students a glimpse into the video game industry and culture, including the ever-growing esports realm.

While these units are expanding sports-related courses, faculty from COM, JAM and the Department of Integrated Strategic Communication spent the last year researching and designing the Certificate in Sports Communication, Media and Promotion.

“As a proud journalism alum from UK, I’m so excited to see us get this certificate off the ground,” said long-time Lexington Herald-Leader sports journalist and current JAM faculty member Jen Smith. “So many of the classes and opportunities being offered in our college — and through this upcoming certificate — would’ve prepared me even more for a long career in sports journalism. I’ve designed many of the sports journalism classes with that thought in mind: How can we give hands-on, real experience to our students so they’re ready for their own careers in sports?”

The certificate will give undergraduate students in any major (inside or outside the College) the foundational knowledge to prepare them for a broad range of sports careers.

CI’S SPORTS-RELATED COURSES

Five courses tailored for sport communication majors:

• Communication and Sport (COM 327), which examines relationships among sport and race, gender, class, violence, community and/or society throughout the U.S. and the world.

• Technology-Mediated Communication in Sport (COM 353), which explores the processes involved in technologymediated communication, including interactions between public figures and their fans and followers, with emphasis on the preparation and delivery of messages that directly impact identity management.

• Sport Communication and Analytics (COM 426), designed to enhance student literacy about sport analytics through the examination of structured historical data and the interpretation of sport metrics.

• Sport Industries and Audiences (COM 460), which provides students with an understanding of the social and economic relationships that exist between sport industries and the effects those relationships have on sport media consumers.

• Critical Analysis of Sport Media and Society (COM 563), which explores how sport media communicate social values, social norms, cultural identification and cultural values, while allowing students to critically evaluate sport media, organizations and audiences.

Four journalism courses:

• Issues in 21st Century Sports Journalism (JOU 208), which covers sports journalists, athletes and audiences to develop students’ literacy and critical-thinking skills about athletes, the sports industry and its relationship with the media.

• Sports Reporting and Editing (JOU 308), which develops skills in information gathering, news judgment, organization and writing for sports, along with editing and style specifically related to sports coverage.

• Sports Broadcasting and Production (JOU 408), in which students will produce, shoot, edit, anchor and write a weekly, 30-minute sports show to deepen their understanding of what is required to work in the sports broadcasting industry.

• Law, Media and Sports (JOU 538), which provides an overview of basic jurisprudence and how the legal system and media relate to amateur, collegiate and professional sports.

Of the video game courses in media arts and studies, two may interest sports-loving students: • Live Streaming (MAS 342), which explores the culture and practice of live streaming, with emphasis on Twitch, along with other popular game streaming platforms such as Smashcast, Discord, YouTube and Gosu Gamers.

• Industry of Video Games & Esports (MAS 445), which examines how the video game industry works by discussing underlying principles and business logic in the design, development, distribution and success of video games, including the esports industry.

UK Head Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari speaks to TJ Beisner’s COM 327 class.

FACULTY DIVE INTO SPORTS RESEARCH

Sports culture is big in the Big Blue Nation, and faculty members in the College of Communication and Information are finding Kentucky the perfect place to explore the influence athletics has on U.S. society and vice versa.

Among the faculty, associate professor Nicky Lewis (Department of Communication) and assistant professor Evan Brody (COM) have extensive work in their shared field of sports media that has shaped their research. Meanwhile, associate professors Jennifer Scarduzio (COM) and Anthony Limperos (COM), and assistant professors Elizabeth Spencer (Department of Integrated Strategic Communication) and Qingru Xu (COM) have also made contributions to sports communication research as part of their broader research agendas.

Lewis specializes in mass communication, media psychology and sports entertainment. Most of her sports-related research focuses on the production and consumption of sports media content, but she is specifically interested in how sports audiences process and are affected by sports media. Many of her studies examine the interactions between variables of sports fanship, media message framing and media platform use on mental and emotional responses to sports media experiences.

So far in her sports-related scholarly career, Lewis has authored and co-authored 11 peer-reviewed journal articles, four invited book chapters and 17 presentations. She has also taught four sports-related

courses, two of which are undergraduate courses within the College of Communication and Information.

“Sport has a strong hold on many areas of society — it can bond and build communities, cities and nations,” Lewis said. “As a social institution, it could be argued to be similar to politics and religion. Thus, instead of solely being perceived as another avenue of media entertainment, sports media should be treated seriously as a social and cultural artifact that consistently attracts large-scale audiences and followings.”

Brody specializes in media studies, sports communication, queer theory, LGBTQ+ studies and cultural studies. His research uses qualitative data to better understand the relationship between media practices and the experiences and representations of LGBTQ+ athletes and sports fans. Brody aims to explore the effectiveness of media inclusion and visibility in combating social and political marginalization of diverse groups, particularly those within the LGBTQ+ community.

Brody’s sports-related scholarly work has resulted in three peer-reviewed journal articles, one peerreviewed book chapter and multiple presentations, including invitations to speak about his research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Iowa. He has also taught two sports-related courses, including CI undergraduate courses.

“As we start to see more and more discussions center around athletics and the LGBTQ+ community, as more

professional athletes live openly LGBTQ+ lives and as more laws are passed that discriminate against members of the LGBTQ+ community in athletics, I think it’s important to think about the ramifications of media narratives and what role they play in the larger discussion of sports,” Brody said.

The research of Limperos, Scarduzio, Spencer and Xu is impactful in athletics and beyond. Limperos and Scarduzio have collaborated on two articles focused on the interplay between athletes who engage in intimate partner violence, media coverage of those events and audience perceptions of both the coverage and the athletes themselves.

Limperos and Spencer collaborated on a study focused on ESPN’s coverage of intimate partner violence in the National Football League. Spencer has an additional article under review focusing on communication appeals about human rights issues during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Because athletes are often idolized by their audiences, Limperos believes researchers must explore how media choose to cover these incidents and how coverage affects audiences. Scarduzio hopes their research can shine a light on how important the issue of intimate partner violence is within the athletic community and can lead to interventions to assist survivors and decrease the

prevalence of such violence. Similarly, Spencer hopes to use her courses in ISC to encourage students to develop creative projects that have sports-impact and highlight important issues facing the industry and related sports culture.

Xu’s research focuses on gender identity in sports, how sports are perceived on a continuum of femininity and masculinity and how that predicts sports gendertyping in the media. She received external funding by the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Studies Center to explore how the Olympic Channel frames male and female athletes in their news articles, how employees at the Olympic Channel perceive gender equality in content production and how audiences react to Olympic Channel content featuring male and female athletes.

With the growing influence sports have on society, sports research will flourish. CI’s faculty researchers understand that the impact sports have does not just stay in the world of athletics but has a resounding effect on multiple aspects of society.

“Our sports programs in CI are growing rapidly — both in research and in teaching,” Lewis said. “Sports-related research serves as a great pathway to reach our undergraduate students and make connections between coursework and the real world.”

Evan Brody

Anthony Limperos

Elizabeth Spencer

Nicky Lewis

Jennifer Scarduzio

Qingru Xu

Jen Smith, a lecturer in the School of Journalism and Media, moderates a panel at the 2022 Kentucky Sports Industry Conference. Read more about the conference on page 43.

CANCER RESEARCH THROUGH SPORTS

The sports industry is a multibillion-dollar global machine, and one alumnus is trying to channel that wealth to put an end to cancer.

Jeremy Jones, a 2011 communication graduate, is helping in the fight against cancer through The V Foundation for Cancer Research. The nonprofit was formed in 1993 by ESPN and late basketball coach Jim Valvano, known as Jimmy V, to award cancer research grants nationwide. Combining his passion for sports, love of marketing and affinity for philanthropy, Jones is working right in his sweet spot.

“I love what I do because it makes a difference,” Jones said. “I wake up every day and I still get to work in sports, but I’m also creating change, even if it’s a small piece. I’m on a team where our mission is Victory Over Cancer®, and that’s what we wake up for every day.”

When Georgia-native Jones came to the University of Kentucky to play football, he wasn’t sure what his future path looked like. At the time, the university didn’t have a sports management track. Instead, Jones chose communication to enhance his people skills while taking as many sports-related classes and internships as he could.

Enter The V Foundation and an opening for a marketing manager for the Victory Ride cycling event. It was a shortlived role where Jones handled social media, marketing and promotion of the event, but he

used his nine months on the job as the catalyst for his career with the foundation.

It wasn’t long before he was promoted to engagement manager. In the three years he spent in the position, Jones managed the ambassador program, working with the likes of John Calipari, Dick Vitale, Kevin Durant and other celebrities. He helped these ambassadors share their cancer stories to help fundraise on behalf of The V Foundation.

His new position, director of brand and influencer partnerships, is a carry-over of the ambassador program. However, he also now works with famous brands, specifically those geared toward millennials and Gen Z audiences. His goal is to bring a fresh face of donors to The V Foundation.

While he has worked with some of the biggest names in sports, he treats everyone the same. This is a philosophy he has carried over into his role as the diversity, equity and inclusion committee chair, a position he helped bring to fruition to improve the organization’s hiring practices, events, invitees and sponsors. Since then, he said he has seen considerable efforts and progress within the nonprofit.

Jones’ fight for change goes deeper than just desire — it’s a lived experience. He had a cousin impacted by lung cancer. So, he works not only for himself and his lost cousin, but for a better future for all.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about him, especially when I see the word ‘cancer,’ and that’s in our name — The V Foundation for Cancer Research,” Jones said. “When I see those words, I just think of him. And I’m hoping that I’m making him proud.”

DIRECTING DIVISION I FOOTBALL

Hailing from a Division I school that’s crazy about its sports, one alumnus is leading the charge for DI football across the nation.

Ty Halpin, a 1996 journalism graduate, has spent more than 20 years working for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He was recently promoted to director of championships and alliances for Division I football. As a former high school athlete and life-long sports fan, he’s undoubtedly doing what he loves.

“I really didn’t have a light bulb moment when I decided I should be in sports as a vocation — it just sort of was always part of my life,” Halpin said. “I love how most sports bring many different people and perspectives together to build a team, and I’ve always sort of been that way in my personal life too.”

Although he found the University of Kentucky, he claims journalism found him. Halpin knew when he came into college that he was interested in working in athletics, but he didn’t have a plan for what that would look like. That changed when he joined the Kentucky Kernel and UK Athletics.

“Just as the Kernel gave me a real-life laboratory in journalism, being a UK Athletics intern set the foundation for what ended up being my career,” Halpin said.

As an undergrad, Halpin declared that any NCAA position would be a future dream job. So, in 1999 when he was being interviewed by the assocation, he felt accomplished before he even landed the job.

Halpin started with the NCAA primarily as a writer and editor of all the organization’s publications, including championship operations manuals, articles in the NCAA trade publication and committee reports. He also served as the committee liaison for some of the NCAA’s committees on playing rules, helping to decide alongside coaches and administrators what rule changes would improve certain sports.

As the world became more technologically advanced, the NCAA relocated its publications online. Although the publishing staff was moved out of the national office, Halpin got to stay with the playing rules committees. He continued to work with 19 different sports as the NCAA added officiating-related duties to his job description. Not only did he help make rules, but he then was also part of the team that helped enforce them.

Now as the director of DI football, he supports the Division I Football Oversight Committee. This includes plenty of strategic and long-term planning to help manage all aspects of the sport, from recruiting to practices to bowl games and more. In the last couple of years, a large part of his job has been learning how to navigate COVID-19 and return to play, which he said has been rewarding.

Despite it being years since he was last an athlete or a college student, Halpin finds it a privilege to aid them. He hopes to continue to help make lifetime memories for collegiate sports teams and their fans as he has for decades now.

ATHLETIC COMMS AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Although he isn’t — and never was — an athlete, one alumnus is proving he’s still a vital part of a Pac-12 school’s athletic program.

Wilder Treadway, a 2014 integrated strategic communication graduate, has been part of Stanford University’s athletic communications team since 2019. Having had the love of sports ingrained in him by the University of Kentucky’s Athletics Department like many other Lexingtonians, he’s now using his passion to aid student-athletes in California.

“This was my way of being part of a highlevel team without having to actually play,” Treadway said. “I’m as close to the team as I can be without having any skill.”

As the associate director of athletic communications at Stanford, Treadway serves as the primary contact for women’s basketball, women’s tennis and men’s water polo. He handles all aspects of the teams’ social media, press releases, photo and video content, media coordination, statistical and historical compilation, home event management and an ever-growing list of other responsibilities. Luckily for Treadway, his track record helped prepare him for his role today.

He interned for Kentucky Sports Radio during the entirety of his undergraduate career, primarily writing about women’s basketball. After graduating, he served as the assistant director of media relations for the ASUN Conference. He then went to the University of Pennsylvania to serve as an athletic communications

assistant and the associate director of athletic communications for a handful of Penn’s 33 varsity sports.

“You thrive off the high energy and fast-paced work environments,” Treadway said. “I think if I was to just take a nine-to-five job and sit in an office or whatever, I wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Treadway’s life is now defined by the Stanford women’s basketball team. He is the team’s external media entry point and a member of the team’s travel party. Working alongside the team and staff, he serves as the team knowledge expert, live tweeting and taking photos while also ensuring media outlets get the team’s story right.

Getting the story right for the women’s tennis and men’s water polo teams is also part of his job. He makes it his mission to ensure all three teams’ social media accounts accurately reflect each team’s persona as it changes.

Working for a school that has 36 competitive varsity sports teams, including the 2021 NCAA women’s basketball champions, he’s often in disbelief at how far he’s come in his career. Although his job can sometimes get hectic, Treadway said he’s “addicted to the chaos” — and he couldn’t imagine it any other way.

“When you feel like you’re doing right by the program, putting them in the best light possible, that’s just the most gratifying feeling,” Treadway said. “I care about these kids, I want them to succeed, I’m in it with them. I think that the more you’re able to show that to the student-athletes and the teams that you’re in it with them just as much as they’re in it, that’s an awesome feeling.”

From playing with the pros to working for the pros, one alumna is proving that her leaving the court doesn’t mean she’s leaving sports.

Nicole Britenriker, a 2010 integrated strategic communication graduate, came to the University of Kentucky to play collegiate volleyball and has graduated onto working in the professional sports realm. While she’s now serving as a senior team talent advisor for the NBA, the road there didn’t always come as naturally as her athleticism.

From age 5, Britenriker was absorbed by sports. From competing in the Junior League Softball World Series in middle school to getting recruited by Division I volleyball teams in high school, her affinity for sports grew right alongside her.

“Sports were ingrained in me at every aspect,” Britenriker said. “I didn’t know what it was going to be but I knew that when I got done with school and graduated that I wanted to be associated with sports and athletics with my career in some way.”

After transferring to UK for her junior year, she began both her journey as a Wildcat volleyball player and an ISC major. While she knew what her playing career would look like, she knew less what her future career would be.

For her first full-time job out of college, Britenriker worked with the Cincinnati Bengals, her hometown team, where she became acquainted with ticket sales. She then decided to go the sponsorship route. Through Learfield IMG College, formerly Rupp Arena’s exclusive venue-media rights holder, Britenriker was reacquainted with UK and basketball. She then pivoted again and transitioned to Learfield’s human resources side. There she finished her tenure by managing talent acquisition and serving as the co-chair for the diversity, equity and inclusion task force.

When it came time for Britenriker to join the NBA, she was more than ready to take it on.

HER NBA CAREER HAVEN

“When I set out on this sports career of mine, working at a professional league office was a career goal,” Britenriker said. “To achieve that, with the NBA being the pinnacle place of preference, it’s obviously a bit of a career goal life achievement there.”

As a senior team talent advisor, Britenriker serves as an overarching HR consultant to the HR departments of all 30 NBA teams, including the occasional WNBA team and junior league. Her job is all about talent management, retention and development, helping to ensure the NBA’s employees are putting their best feet forward. She also leads the early- and mid-career talent acquisition programs from the recruitment standpoint.

From being a leader in social responsibility to championing a diverse work environment, the NBA has been a breath of fresh air for Britenriker. She says the support she has been given is empowering her to lead and drive her career further than ever before.

“Just being in the room with an international, global brand and knowing the significance of our work on and off the court,” Britenriker said, “sometimes I have to pinch myself.”

THE SPORTSCASTER BUCKET LIST

Some people spend years doing career searches and changes trying to find the perfect job for them. But for one alumnus, all it took was years of watching sports on TV.

Michael Eaves, a 1994 journalism graduate, has spent more than 25 years reporting on the sports world. And when he started hosting ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” in February 2022, he crossed off the last and most important item on his career bucket list.

Sports was a passion implanted in Eaves from a young age. Eaves became the first Black golfer to qualify for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association state golf tournament during his senior year, much to the pride of his father, and was inducted into his school’s hall of fame.

He spent every day watching SportsCenter and various games around the nation on television from the fifth grade up to his high school graduation. When it came time to further his education, he knew that if he wanted to be a sportscaster, journalism was his ticket.

“I wasn’t looking at the broadcast as much as I was the athletes, but in the back of my mind, I think that seed was being planted,” Eaves said.

Going into his senior year at UK, he had no broadcast experience until he was hired as an associate producer of the WKYT morning show.

Once he clocked in six years with WKYT, Eaves went on to talk sports for different stations in Tennessee, Los Angeles and New York.

It wasn’t until his National Association of Black Journalists colleague Rob King, former editor-inchief and current senior vice president and executive editor-at-large of ESPN, suggested he apply for ESPN that he took the leap to join the sports giant. Since then, Eaves said he couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

He has covered the Olympics, Super Bowls, All-Star Games and everything in between. He has even earned six Emmy Awards, a Telly Award and the title of Best Television Anchor in Southern California by the LA Press Club in 2013.

As a token of his appreciation, he gifted CI’s School of Journalism and Media with the plaque of his most recent 2020-2021 Emmy, his first since working at ESPN. His hope is for the award to serve as a symbol of pride and inspiration.

Despite these achievements, Eaves’ top career goal was to host a national NBA studio show for any network. This past February, he hosted ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” on Wednesday nights, completing his bucket list before he reached 50.

“You got to put in the work as if you are a professional athlete,” Eaves said. “You gotta do the work, and that’s working on your craft, developing your skills. Just being able to do the job is not enough, you have to be really proficient at doing the job, and that takes practice, that takes reps.”

Photos courtesy ESPN Images

LEADING COMMS FOR DALLAS MAVERICKS

Although his first love was football, one alumnus has turned his second love, basketball, into a nearly 20-year career.

Scott Tomlin, a 2002 communication graduate, joined the Dallas Mavericks just two years after graduating from the University of Kentucky and has been with the NBA team ever since. After almost two decades with the franchise, he worked his way up from communications manager to vice president of basketball communications.

“I’ve never looked back,” Tomlin said. “I love it. I love the NBA. I love the people that I’ve gotten to meet, the people that I’ve gotten to work with and the things that I’ve gotten to experience. So I will say that basketball has treated me very well.”

Tomlin’s affinity for sports public relations came from his time with UK Athletics. He joined its media relations department as a student volunteer, helping with the variety of sports UK has to offer. His experience there pushed him toward a career in sports, and helping the UK basketball teams would also set the tone for his future career.

“I think I figured out very quickly that there was a career there that I don’t think I knew existed when I was growing up in Maysville, Ky., and that sports could be your corporate America,” Tomlin said.

Within a few months of graduating, Tomlin scored an internship with the New Orleans Hornets. He credits his association with the well-known and well-respected UK Athletics Department for getting

him a year-long internship. Then he went to the NFL to work for the Denver Broncos. However, having grown up as a Bengals fan, he became disillusioned working in what he called the “corporate machine” of professional football.

Luckily for him, he got a call from the Mavericks, bringing him back to the NBA. With the league’s pace, environment, personalities and small family feel, Tomlin said the career move has been a natural fit.

He started as a coordinator responsible for statistics and getting player interviews. The longer he stayed on, the more he was able to work with star players and handle their media requests. He also managed Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban’s media as well as the head coach and general manager.

In fall 2019, Tomlin was charged with heading up communications for the team as the vice president. While COVID-19 had him constantly changing operations, Tomlin also had to introduce the new head coach and general manager to the franchise.

Some of Tomlin’s favorite memories include the Mavs winning the NBA Finals in 2011, watching Dirk Nowitzki’s career take off and getting to travel and meet people from all over the world. Growing up, he would have never thought these opportunities were possible, but now he couldn’t see himself without them.

“I think my tenure here sort of speaks for itself,” Tomlin said. “When my alarm goes off in the morning and I put on sweats and go work in a gymnasium, I’m the happiest person in the world.”

Scott Tomlin (left) with Dallas Mavericks player Luka Dončić.

Erin Ashley Simon speaks after moderating UK’s first esports speaker series in 2020.

ESPORTS CHANGED HER LIFE

Erin Ashley Simon says she stumbled into the professional esports industry by chance.

A lifelong gamer, Simon spent much of her childhood playing video games with her brother. However, the 2014 journalism graduate had no idea how her life would change after being introduced to the billiondollar industry.

“I never thought I could have a career in esports,” Simon said. “It wasn’t something presented while I was in college.”

Now, as a multimedia personality, host, producer and consultant within esports, gaming and entertainment and the first individual female public figure to be the face of PUMA’s new esports line, Simon is a trailblazer in her field — applying her communication skills and entrepreneurial knowledge every day.

Simon has worked in various roles in the esports industry. Most recently, she serves as the co-owner and chief culture officer of XSET, the fastest-growing gaming organization and lifestyle brand in history.

XSET connects some of the world’s top entertainment influencers and competitive esports teams. Notably, XSET is built on a foundation of a diverse and inclusive gaming culture — Simon’s largest priority.

“My ultimate goal is to be the representation that is needed in the esports industry and the world,” Simon said. “I am proud that my work is breaking down doors because the work I do is bigger than me — it is bigger than all of us.”

As an Afro-Latina woman, Simon is part of a group of people who are underrepresented in the gaming industry, especially in executive-level positions. Through her work in the industry and initiatives like UK’s Erin Ashley Simon Esports Internship Fund, Simon hopes to change the culture one step at a time.

“My favorite part about being an entrepreneur is knowing that everything I do is helping others,” Simon said. “Whether it’s education or representation, I’ve been able to redefine what being an influencer and an executive looks like and show the rising generation that their dreams are accessible.”

Simon was recently named CI’s 2022 Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award winner. See story on page 36.

Sports Shorts

Jalen Taylor (MAS, 2022) interned as a production operations intern for Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution–ESPN in Bristol, Conn. this summer, and was hired full time at the completion of the internship.

Emily Fields (ISC, 2019) recently joined the Tennessee Titans as a marketing and fan engagement coordinator.

CI Dean Jennifer Greer worked with CI students and UK Baseball pitchers Magdiel Cotto (ISC), Zack Lee (COM) and Mason Moore (COM) to perfect her form before she threw out the first pitch at Kentucky Proud Park on May 21.

In March, students involved in the UK Student News Network celebrated their first live remote broadcast when they aired live from the SEC Tournament more than 800 miles away in Tampa.

Kennedy Mann (ISC, 2019) has been named the social responsibility and impact coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Kentucky Kernel prepares students for all things athletics. Kernel alumni and current students spent time shooting UK football at Kroger Field. Pictured (L-R): Jack Weaver, Michael Clubb, Jordan Prather, Arden Barnes and Isabel McSwain

Welcome CLASS 2026 of

In August, we welcomed 334 first-year students to the College of Communication and Information, a 46% increase from our previous high!

Drone photo by David Stephenson, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Media.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Pictured right is one of the award-winning photos by Jack Weaver taken at the Hearst Championship held in San Francisco in May 2022.

KERNEL MEDIA WINS NATIONAL AWARDS

As the University of Kentucky and the United States started easing out of restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kernel Media was able to make its way back to the office full time during the 20212022 academic year. The student journalists and content creators of the Kentucky Kernel and KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion could continue the traditions they had to abstain from since March 2020.

The 2020-2021 Kernel and KRNL editors, Natalie Parks and Rachael Courtney, had their editorships upended by the dawn of the pandemic. However, their successors, Kernel Editor Rayleigh Deaton and KRNL Editor Allie Diggs, got to return to the newsrooms that have birthed award-winning content and esteemed journalists, photographers and designers.

“I was incredibly thankful that restrictions were loosened when I stepped into the role of editor,” Deaton said. “I think we all needed this because it seemed to breathe new life into the staff. Friendships were rekindled and created, and I think we were a stronger staff and group of friends at the end of the year than when we started.”

While it was refreshing to return to in-person operations, making a comeback didn’t come without

its challenges. Masks, social distancing and potential COVID-19 infection remained alongside difficulties accessing venues and interviews. This made the already demanding tasks of planning a new staff and meeting print deadlines that much more taxing.

Diggs tackled this by cutting back on KRNL’s staff. Although student interest in the magazine has been growing, she wanted to prioritize her staff’s safety above all else. This also gave ample opportunity for everyone on staff to be involved in at least one aspect of production.

“Planning a safe interview or photoshoot was very challenging at times,” Diggs said. “People wanted to be involved in everything — which is fantastic — but we couldn’t allow too many people in one place. So executive members had to figure out a schedule for each team member.”

Similarly, one of Deaton’s biggest concerns was ensuring her staff felt appreciated, needed and personally connected. Weekly production nights where half the staff all crammed onto one computer to lay out the paper were a hallmark of the pre-pandemic Kernel. Deaton said production nights

back in the office felt like a party with friends, just like she had hoped to foster.

With in-person gatherings came better collaboration, something Student Media Advisor Ryan Craig said was evident in his students’ work.

“Both staffs were younger and less experienced than previous years, but because they worked so hard, they were able to reach their goals and even surpass where they wanted to be when the academic year was over,” Craig said. “Because they are so young, there is a higher probability that they will be among the best for the foreseeable future.”

This past school year, the staff of 20202021, along with a few of the newer 20212022 staff, were finally rewarded for their efforts in the form of around 80 awards.

“With every award that comes out, I am relieved because I have something tangible I can point to and say all those sacrifices led to something,” Parks said.

“It always feels good winning awards and seeing hard work pay off, but as a staff we were just proud of the work that we did,” Courtney said. “We had many obstacles thrown at us.”

Now that Kernel Media is back in full swing, people can expect even more top-notch, student-produced journalism — not that the pandemic ever stopped that. In March 2022, the editors for the 2022-2023 school year were selected. Deaton is one of only a handful of repeat editors for the Kernel while Rana Alsoufi carries on the torch for KRNL. Both envision leading the charge of their respective offices and both look forward to continuing the legacy.

“I often tell the students that all the awards in the world mean nothing if you aren’t operating at the highest level of journalism you can,” Craig said. “Every day they ask themselves if they are doing the best they can do. They are learning, they struggle and sometimes they fail, but I never question their desire to tell the best stories possible. It is remarkable to watch.”

STUDENT JOURNALISM AWARDS

2020-2021 College Media Association Pinnacle Awards

• Kernel, four national awards, earning one first-place finish.

2020-2021 Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Awards

• Kernel, six national awards, earning four first-place finishes, six honorable mentions.

• KRNL, two national awards, three honorable mentions.

2021-2022 Hearst Journalism Awards

Kernel staffers had three individual Top 10 finishes and one individual Top 20 finish, with awards earned in photojournalism, sports writing and multimedia digital news/enterprise. Managing and photo editor Jack Weaver was also a photojournalism finalist, allowing him to compete in the National Photojournalism Championship and finish as a runnerup. It has been decades since a Kernel photographer has made it to the national stage.

2020-2021 Kentucky Press Association Awards

Kernel, a Certificate of Merit, 44 awards, sweeping six categories and earning 19 first-place finishes. The newspaper also won General Excellence for the fourth straight year, and Natalie Parks was named Collegiate Journalist of the Year for the second straight year.

2022 Society of Professional Journalists Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards

• Kernel, five awards, including the Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper for Large Schools. The newspaper also won national awards for breaking news and editorial writing.

• KRNL, one award, earning Best Student Magazine finalist.

Other awards in the past year

KRNL’s Kendall Boron and Addison Cave won two Silver ADDYs, Peyton Fike won a Gold ADDY and Emme Schumacher won a Silver ADDY from Ad Club Lexington’s American Advertising Awards.

KRNL’s Addison Cave, Olivia Ford, Emme Schumacher and their all-female team finished in fourth place in the National Student Advertising Competition, UK’s best finish ever.

KRNL’s Addison Cave won first place and Emme Schumacher placed third in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication logo contest. Cave’s logo will be used for the 2023 AEJMC conference in Washington, D.C.

Although the staffs don’t create their content with awards in mind, the recognition from awards committees — and, more importantly, the public they serve — are always welcomed and appreciated.

Kentucky Kernel managing and photo editor Jack Weaver competed in the National Photojournalism Championship, earning UK’s highest finish in decades.

HIGHEST FINISH EVER FOR NSAC TEAM

Students on the Department of Integrated Strategic Communication’s National Student Advertising Competition team acheived UK’s bestever finish in the national competition.

This year’s team ended their history-making season with a fourth-place finish for their presentation and plans book for 2022 NSAC client Meta Quest 2, a virtual reality headset developed by Meta, formerly Facebook, Reality Labs.

The NSAC provides college students from across the nation the opportunity to create a comprehensive strategic marketing/advertising/media campaign for a corporate client, offering real-world experience that students can earn while still in the classroom.

Federation college chapters in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. Nationally, 107 teams competed in 15 American Advertising Federation district events.

After winning the district level, the team advanced to the semi-final round competing against 19 other district winners from across the country. The team advanced from there to the national competition, held in June in Nashville, Tenn. After the votes were tallied, the UK team claimed fourth place.

Best Research Award

Each client provides an assignment or case study outlining the history of its product and a real-world marketing challenge. The student teams must research, develop and test solutions. They then create a presentation and plans book and then pitch their solutions to a panel of judges in district and national competitions.

For the 11th time in university history, UK’s team, led by ISC Associate Professor Adriane Grumbein, won District 5, which encompasses American Advertising

“This team’s phenomenal placement is not a lucky break,” Grumbein said. “It is the result of months of hard work, dedication and teamwork. I rarely encounter students with such talent, drive and commitment. To have 14 of them on a team together was truly a unique and wonderful experience. You better believe I’ll keep a close eye on this group — they are headed for great things, and I couldn’t be prouder!”

The team also won the AdMall by SalesFuel Best Research Award, given to the national finalist team deemed to have demonstrated the best marketing research in their presentation and plans book. The UK team also won the award in 2021. Only three other teams have won the prize twice in the award’s 18-year history.

“Not only have I grown personally and professionally, but I have also learned the value of working as a team,” said ISC junior Emme Schumacher

“This team is full of so much talent and seeing us all come together to create this amazing campaign was definitely something special. I will forever be grateful for this experience and all the friendships I have made along the way,” Schumacher said.

The 2021-2022 all female NSAC team members were ISC students Camille Wright, Tori Smith, Grace Taylor, Kamryn Bogott, Emme Schumacher, Olivia Ford, Dani Jaffe, Katherine Yochum, Kate Maddox, Addison Cave, Makiyah Owens, Cat Kidman, Lauren McDowell and Julia Kimbrell.

Matthew Dunlap (right) and his crew work on the set of “Burning in Trial” on location in the Red River Gorge.

STUDENT FILM LEADS TO DISNEY+ JOB

It can take years for aspiring filmmakers to see their first film’s premiere, but one UK College of Communication and Information senior got to live out his dream before even graduating.

Matthew Dunlap, a 2022 media arts and studies graduate, premiered his film, “Burning in Trial” at UK’s Worsham Cinema in December 2021. The 27-minute thriller features two strangers stuck in purgatory, losing their memories while trying to survive the horrors of the outside world. The film was Dunlap’s biggest project, as he served as writer, producer, director and editor.

“When I graduate in May, I wanted to have something I was really proud of,” Dunlap said. “I wanted to use all my resources and kind of go for it.”

Dunlap developed his love for filmmaking at a young age, acting out plays and recording music videos and skits with his family. After making films with his friends in high school, he decided to turn his passion into a career.

Dunlap enrolled at UK as an MAS major and joined the UK Film Club as a freshman, allowing him to make movies and friends with fellow film junkies.

It was with one of these friends that Dunlap first brainstormed “Burning in Trial.” The script for the film took about a year to finalize. Filming took four days over two weekends. About 20 of Dunlap’s friends formed the production crew. The male lead in the film was recruited by one of these friends, and his family owned the land and house that served as the

film’s setting. Dunlap’s cousin, who works in sound production, made the music.

The movie took Dunlap five months to edit on his own. He edited more than 600 gigabytes of footage for nearly five hours a day. Editing was the most challenging part of the project, but the result is something that makes Dunlap proud.

Premiering his film in front of family and friends was a moment Dunlap described as surreal and his favorite part of college. The positive reaction encouraged him to continue pursuing film. While searching for career advice in an online forum, Dunlap was presented with a job recommendation and free reference from an employee at Deluxe. The Academy Award-winning company is an international, multidisciplinary service provider in the entertainment media industry. He secured a remote position with Deluxe’s Disney Team after graduation, scheduling talks between studio executives who work on subtitles and dubbing Disney+ content for other countries.

Excited to have his foot in the door, Dunlap hopes that later in his career he’ll be back in the director’s chair, but for now, he’s looking forward to seeing where this takes him.

“I just want to make stuff that I love and make it with people I love, and hopefully, other people will love it too,” he said.

Visit ukci.me/DunlapTrailer to watch a trailer of “Burning in Trial.”

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

TAKING THE TRAINING WHEELS OFF

A new take on the ICT 305 Data Detectives class encourages students to combine communication skills with hands-on technology work.

For the Spring 2022 semester, Renee Kaufmann, associate professor in the School of Information Science, organized the information communication technology class so that students would have the opportunity to partner with iFixit, a how-to website and online community offering repair parts and stepby-step manuals to guide individuals on fixing their technology rather than disposing of it.

“I really wanted to approach this class, which is a core requirement, in a different way than previously taught,” Kaufmann said. “My hopes were to provide students with hands-on technology projects that would highlight the importance of communication and writing in our field.”

Students received technology and toolkits from iFixit and wrote proposals for replacement guides for that assigned technology. Kaufmann and her students worked in partnership with the UK Media Depot to take professional-level photos of each step in the repair process for students to include in their guides.

Once students drafted their guides, professionals from iFixit reviewed their work and provided feedback to help the students improve their guides.

Kaufmann said this new class structure helped students gain experience with leadership, professionalism, audience analysis, technical writing, mediated speaking, problemsolving, time management and communication.

“The thing I liked most about this class was the opportunity to work hands-on with technology,” said Isaac York, sophomore ICT major. “Disassembling the technology and documenting the repair procedures was a very involved activity that stepped outside the theoretical approach I’ve had with many classes.”

York said the hands-on approach felt like the professor “took the training wheels off” and let the class problem solve on their own.

ICT 305 students examine their tech and tools for their partnership with iFixit in Spring 2022.

“We were very lucky to work with Kirk Laird and his group in the Media Depot,” Kaufmann said. “They helped us with first-person perspective, lighting, balancing white space and taking action shots so the students could select their best photos for iFixit review.”

This class also serves as the Graduation Composition and Communication Requirement for the ICT program. This requirement meant that Kaufmann focused much of the class on communication skills to help students master skills learned in earlier classes like CIS 110, 111 or 112.

“Having to communicate in a professional manner with iFixit’s tech writing team will help me in my future professional endeavors,” said Noah Baldwin, senior ICT major. “I am better now at communicating with other professionals in the field.”

Students had to hone their technical writing skills to clearly write steps for their guides.

“[The guide] was very different from your standard college essay piece, and your client ended up reviewing what content you produced, then providing feedback to make it appear the way they wanted it to look,” said Cassie Hunter, senior ICT major.

The class helped junior Quinn Troia improve communication skills “especially when working in teams and providing feedback to my peers.”

“I think I had a strong rapport with my teammates, and I feel much more confident working in groups than I did going into this semester,” the ICT and Gender and Women’s Studies double major said.

ISC STUDENTS SELECTED FOR NATIONALLY COMPETITIVE PROGRAMS

In 2022, two integrated strategic communication seniors took their talents to the national stage.

May 2022 graduates Makiyah Owens and Camille Wright were selected while seniors to participate in the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program and the American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Multicultural Students Program, respectively.

Through a rigorous selection process, these prestigious programs connect the nation’s brightest advertising students with leading companies and professionals. Selected students gain invaluable networking and professional development opportunities to launch their careers.

Through the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program, Owens spent the summer after graduation working at Sony Music Group as a social impact and philanthropy intern. She was responsible for creating social media content, conducting research and developing grantee stories.

In February, Wright’s achievement took her to New York City, where she met industry pioneers,

participated in advertising workshops and visited major advertisers, ad agencies and media companies.

Both Wright and Owens credit the ISC department for preparing them for a career in advertising and helping them discover their passion for the field.

“The department really helped me realize my passion for advertising and developing creative campaigns, specifically those that drive social change,” Owens said. “The ISC department has helped me gain creative confidence, and without that I wouldn’t have bothered applying to MAIP.”

The two also mentioned the vital faculty support that pushed them to challenge themselves.

“The whole department is always super supportive. Whenever there is an opportunity, they always send it our way because they have so much faith in us,” Wright said. “It just encourages you more to want to apply because you have faculty and staff that are rooting for you the whole time.”

Camille Wright was named CI’s 2021 Lyman T. Johnson Torch Bearer Award winner. See story on page 36.

May 2022 ISC graduates Camille Wright (left) and Makiyah Owens (right).

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

SPREADING ‘RAES’ OF SUNSHINE

Kimberly Parker, associate professor in the Department of Integrated Strategic Communication, and her ISC 497 Social Marketing class collaborated with Rae of Sunshine (KY) — a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading positivity and eliminating the stigma of mental health — for their Fall 2021 semester project.

Taylora Schlossler, founder of Rae of Sunshine, created the organization to honor her daughter, Taylor Rae Nolan, a former ISC student who lost her life to suicide in January 2019. Schlossler is committed to sharing her daughter’s story, helping others who are struggling with their mental health and increasing access to mental health resources.

The assignment also provided students the opportunity to start important conversations about mental health.

“No one is alone in their mental health struggle, and I learned just how much that concept needs to be illuminated,” said Shelby Arnett, another ISC student. “These conversations have the power to change the trajectory of someone’s life for good.”

Arnett, Yochum and their classmates presented their final projects in front of several special guests, including Schlossler and CI Dean Jennifer Greer

Taylora Schlossler, mother of former ISC student Taylor Nolan, speaks to ISC 497 students about her organization and bringing it to UK’s campus.

Schlossler attended Parker’s class at the beginning of the semester to discuss her non-profit’s mission and current needs. Student groups were tasked with creating a social marketing campaign for Rae of Sunshine that included the campaign’s purpose, primary focus, market analysis, audience, objectives, barriers, competitors, creative content and budget.

“Having the opportunity to create an applicable and measurable campaign for a non-profit so close to my heart was both an honor and a hands-on experience I can share with future employers,” ISC major Katherine Yochum said.

“It was so obvious that the students worked so hard and were passionate and genuine. It wasn’t a project they completed for a grade — it meant something to every single group,” Schlossler said. “I really hope we can take these projects and turn them into a reality on UK’s campus.”

Parker said students were passionate about Rae of Sunshine from the beginning. “It was exciting to watch them take their skill sets and see the potential it has to make a difference.”

Visit www.raeofsunshineky.org/Foundation to learn about Rae of Sunshine.

ISC 497 Social Marketing students worked with Rae of Sunshine (KY) to spread positivity on campus.

Picture Kentucky by Mariah Kendell

In October 2022, I attended UK’s Picture Kentucky Workshop. I left for Frankfort with my car loaded with clothes for “funerals, weddings, junkyards, or pig sites,” as suggested by faculty member and PKY Director David Stephenson. I also brought a professional camera that I learned how to turn on just the day prior. Hosted by the Kentucky Kernel and the School of Journalism and Media, Picture Kentucky is a four-day immersive photojournalism experience for students. Participants arrive on the scene, randomly select a story pitch from a hat and spend days developing the story with the help of some of the country’s finest professional photojournalists and filmmakers.

Admittedly, as a print journalism major, my first love is writing, but I’ve always had a great appreciation for multimedia

storytelling. And even as a rookie picturetaker, Picture Kentucky was a life-changing experience.

Some things I learned throughout the four days:

Failure is inevitable — Trying something new is hard. Trying something new in an incredibly immersive environment is harder. I failed — a lot. The nightly critiques and meetings with my coach were very constructive, which allowed me to make quick adjustments and show progress quickly. By embracing my failures, I had the wherewithal to wake up early the next day and try harder.

It’s never too late to try something new — I’ve been interested in developing my multimedia skills since high school, but I’ve never acted on it until now. My fear of failure was so daunting that it stopped me from trying something that I enjoyed.

Being a journalist is a privilege — Every time I take a new journalism course or write an exciting new story, my love for journalism is reignited. Add a camera, and I felt that tenfold.

My assignment was a men’s shelter and soup kitchen in downtown Frankfort. When I pulled the story from the hat, I was nervous initially; taking photos of people

in their most vulnerable state made me anxious, and I found myself considering the ethics of my assignment.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. The community members were so forthcoming with their stories, and I ended up spending much more time there than I originally planned. I learned that almost everyone has a story they want to share. And, as a journalist, being the one to share the story was an honor.

In the end, if you’re thinking of trying something new, whether it’s Picture Kentucky or something else, do it! A new way to practice your passions may be just around the corner.

Mariah Kendell is a journalism and political science senior and a communications intern in the CI Dean’s Office.

Visit vimeo.com/758815654 to view a video of this year’s Picture Kentucky.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

DEATON SELECTED TO STUDY AT OXFORD

Senior communication and political science major Rayleigh Deaton was awarded an English-Speaking Union Scholarship presented by the EnglishSpeaking Union Kentucky Branch. The scholarship covered Deaton’s expenses for summer study at the University of Oxford

Deaton, who served as the Kentucky Kernel editor-in-chief for 2021-2022 and again for 2022-2023, studied English Literature during her time at Oxford.

She used the chance to travel and study abroad to help her gain a more holistic, global perspective on the world and to give her a new view that she can use in her writing.

She has applied for the Fulbright and Rhodes Scholarship programs and hopes to earn her master’s degree in journalism in England.

Visit ukci.me/Rayleigh for the full story.

20 STUDENTS WIN AMERICAN ADVERTISING AWARDS

This spring, Ad Club Lexington hosted its annual American Advertising Awards (ADDYs) to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in advertising. At the awards ceremony, 20 University of Kentucky integrated strategic communication students won a total of eight awards.

The student competition, which is similar to the industry professional competition, allows college students at accredited universities across the country to enter their creative work at the local level, then advance to the regional and national judging levels.

The 15 students who won ADDYs for the Better with Your Flame Campaign were part of the National Student Advertising Competition team that finished fifth at the national competition in June 2021.

“I am thrilled at how many students submitted work. Just having the confidence to submit work is a huge accomplishment. But seeing that work win an award is a whole other level,” Adriane Grumbein, associate professor of integrated strategic communication, said. “Our winners will always remember the first time that an outside judge — not their professor, but a top-level industry professional — recognized and rewarded their work. It’s a feeling like no other. Watching students win will never get old for me.”

With more than 40,000 entries each year, the ADDYs are the advertising industry’s largest competition, with the local phase being the first of three tiers. Winners from the Lexington Ad Club will move forward to the second tier to compete against winners from other local clubs.

Ashley

Emme

Hunter

Aliyah

L-R: Camille Wright, Adriane Grumbein, Emme Schumacher, Victoria Smith, Elizabeth Spencer and Kennedi Beam

AWARD WINNERS

Victoria Smith – Silver ADDY (OCD)

Kennedi Beam – Gold ADDY (The Marker that Grows with You)

Peyton Fike – Gold ADDY (Wabi Sabi Brand Identity)

Fisher – Silver ADDY (Sharpie, the Marker that Gives Back)

Schumacher – Silver ADDY (Fahrenheit 451 Cover Redesign)

Adams, Nicole Baelum, Wren Dickson and Victoria Smith –Silver ADDY (Philosophies 2022 Program)

Austin, Kendall Boron, Nia Brown, Addison Cave, Grayson Dampier, Katelyn Dougherty, Emily Fay, Peyton Fike, Annie Gillenwater, Haley Heisler, Jeremy Middleton, Zachary Neighbors, Michael Noble, Chaney Willett and Olivia Zidzik – Two Silver ADDYs (Better with Your Flame Campaign)

Student Shorts

Journalism and psychology major Nolia Williams spent her summer spreading the news over the Western Kentucky Radio airwaves. Vist ukci.me/NoliaWilliams to learn more.

CI Connect Living Learning Program students visited KET to tour the facilities and learn first-hand about television production.

Samantha Valentino (JOU) interviewed Antoni Porowski and Bobby Berk from Netflix’s “Queer Eye” in March through her work with the Student Activities Board.

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Camille Wright (ISC) won Best in Show (Nonfiction) and Alyssa Harkness (MAS) won Honorable Mention at the Spring 2022 UKY Film Festival. Visit ukyfilmfestival.org/spring-2022 to learn more and watch their films.

Lauren Cain, Leslie LeRoy, Carly Jessup and Justin Turner were recently inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society that recognizes students with superior leadership and exemplary character. Visit ukci.me/22ODK to learn more.

Journalism and political science senior Mariah Kendell (right) poses with student panelist Andrew Laws (left), alumnus Dexter Horn (second from right) and author John Della Volpe, who delivered the 2022 Wendell H. Ford Lecture on Public Policy in October. Visit ukci.me/FordLecture to learn more.

Addison Cave (ISC) placed first in the annual AEJMC logo competition. Her work will be featured at the 2023 conference in Washington, D.C. Emme Schumacher (ISC) placed third.

Carly Jessup, (MSLS, 2022) brought a Little Free Library to UK Graduate and Family Housing.

BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH BOOKS

Carly Jessup, a May 2022 library science master’s graduate, brought a Little Free Library to the University of Kentucky’s campus as a way to provide students and families in UK Graduate and Family Housing with 24/7 access to books.

The Little Free Library, based in Hudson, Wis., is a nonprofit organization that promotes book exchanges across the nation with the goal of expanding book access for all.

Jessup, who was a resident of UK Graduate and Family Housing herself, wanted to provide students and families with a resource to improve their literacy, as well as an opportunity to connect with their neighbors and build community.

“I noticed that this area was home to many international students and families,” Jessup said. “I also noticed that there are English conversation classes held here regularly, as some students, or their spouses or children, are likely still working on their English literacy. I thought that building a Little Free Library might help those working to improve their English.”

Recognizing that the transition from undergraduate housing to graduate and family housing can be difficult, Jessup aimed to build community for residents who are adjusting to the graduate housing lifestyle.

“People tend to have more responsibilities here, and meeting others in the community can be hard, which is amplified if there is also a language barrier,” Jessup said. “My hope is that this Little Free Library will introduce neighbors who otherwise would not have met.”

The Little Free Library is now accessible at all times every day. It is located on the playground between the Shawneetown and Greg Page apartments near Kroger Field. Students and members of the UK community are welcome to take books from the Little Free Library and are encouraged to donate books back to the Little Free Library in return.

Jessup was awarded this library through the Little Free Library Impact Program. Visit ukci.me/library to learn more.

DOCTORAL STUDENT LEADS WORK IN DIGITAL RESTORATION

Inspired by both her interest in the humanities and information technology, Christy Chapman is helping the University of Kentucky to digitally uncover the secrets of the Herculaneum Papyri, a library of scrolls buried and carbonized by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

Chapman, a 2020 library science master’s graduate and a current communication doctoral student, came to UK for a job with the College of Engineering. Her editorial work soon transformed into a full-time staff position as the research and partnership manager and deputy project manager of EduceLab. The digital restoration laboratory is devoted to heritage science, combining the efforts of the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Within the lab, Chapman serves as the research team’s voice and one of its lead communicators. Along with writing grant proposals, handling media requests and tutoring undergraduate students, she interprets information from each project’s various partners and disseminates it. Currently, she is also working with the metadata of the Herculaneum Papyri.

“We’re all human,” Chapman said. “We all eat, spend time with family in celebration and live in structures that protect us from the elements, but the specifics of those vary depending on the culture. By studying these objects, you learn new things about yourself and about each other. Our work emphasizes the commonality among us and at the same time helps us appreciate the myriad ways we differ.”

It is Chapman’s hope that her work with metadata will help to inspire trust in EduceLab’s technological revelations. She also wishes to see metadata used for more general truth verification in the everadvancing world of technology.

“Everybody loves a mystery, and everyone loves discovery,” Chapman said. “It’s a very human inclination to try to unearth information and knowledge. And that’s what these projects do, even the metadata portion. We’re exposing and sharing knowledge that’s hiding — and in many cases is presumed lost — hopefully to the betterment of society.”

Visit ukci.me/scrolls to learn more about the Herculaneum Papyri.

GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIP AWARDS

The annual awards presentation took place at the CI Student Awards in April.

• Palmgreen Fellowship Fund: Yolanda Jackson

• Carozza Fund for Excellence in Health Communication: Anita Silwal

• R. Lewis Donohew Graduate Fellowship: Ray Celeste Tanner

• Dorothy M. Carozza Memorial Fellowship Fund: Nadia Sesay

• Dissertation Year Fellowship Award: Lisa Huddleston

Pictured

• Bruce H. Westley Memorial Scholarship: Cynthia Nnagboro

• Martha and Howard Sypher Memorial Scholarship: Zane Dayton

front row (L-R): Nadia Sesay, Cynthia Nnagboro, Yolanda Jackson, Anita Silwal and Zane Dayton. Back row: Ray Celeste Tanner and Anthony Limperos, associate dean for the graduate program in communication.

Christy Chapman (MSLS, 2020), shown front right, works with a group to digitally read the Herculaneum Papyri.

Photo courtesy Diamond Light Source Ltd.

Lauren Cain (MA COM, 2022) raised money for cancer support by biking from Baltimore to San Francisco this summer.

4,000-MILE BIKE RIDE FOR CANCER CARE

Lauren Cain, a May 2022 master’s in communication graduate, spent her summer biking across the country for the 4K for Cancer, a fundraising effort that benefits the Ulman Foundation, a nonprofit based in Baltimore that provides resources and support, such as free housing, to young adults with cancer.

Initially drawn to the program because she enjoys biking, Cain soon found that the 4K for Cancer was much more: a way to honor her friends, family and loved ones.

4K for Cancer is a 70-day bike ride that covers more than 4,000 miles, starting in the Baltimore area and ending in San Francisco. This summer, Cain and her fellow cyclists passed through 13 states, covering anywhere from 18 to 136 miles each day. As a reminder of why they bike, they dedicated every bike ride to someone affected by cancer, writing that person’s name in permanent marker on their legs. In addition to the biking expedition, each 4K for Cancer participant fundraised for the Ulman Foundation, collectively raising more than $239,000. Cain individually raised more than $8,000.

To prepare for the 4K for Cancer, Cain not only fundraised but spent months training, familiarizing herself with the feel of the bike. She also mentally prepared for the long days and nights of biking ahead of her. Though the journey was difficult, Cain found strength in her teammates and solace in their mission of supporting young adults with cancer.

“It became very apparent that the 4K is not really about the biking. It’s more about the people,” said Cain. “It was really amazing how quickly the team bonded even though we started out as strangers. Now I have friends I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life.”

For those who are considering joining the 4K for Cancer efforts, Cain says, “Just take the leap, because it’s an incredible experience. If you have time and just a small liking for biking, you can do it.”

Visit give.ulmanfoundation.org/4KforCancer2022/ laurencain to support the Ulman Foundation. Visit laurenbikes.com/faqs to learn more about 4K for Cancer.

Studying the Need for Diverse Children’s Books

School of Information Science associate professors Maria Cahill and Soohyung Joo‘s project “Storytime Programs as Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors? Addressing Children’s Needs through Diverse Book Selection” was published in The Library Quarterly and has been selected for the 2022 LRRT Jesse H. Shera Award for Distinguished Published Research.

Funding for this project currently totals $819,256 and has produced nine refereed journal articles, two refereed conference proceedings, one book, two professional training products, 20 professional conference presentations and five manuscripts in progress. Across the life of the project, five graduate students were supported as well.

IVANOV NAMED UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PROFESSOR

Bobi Ivanov, professor in the Department of Integrated Strategic Communication, has been named a 2022-2023 University Research Professor at the University of Kentucky. Each year, the University Research Professorship Awards honor faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship and creative work that addresses scientific, social, cultural and economic challenges in this region and around the world.

Ivanov’s research focuses on social influence (persuasion and resistance) and message design, processing and retention. His theoretical work focuses on the study of inoculation theory, images and attitudes and their composition, hierarchical structure and function as applied in various contexts including commercial, health, intercultural, instructional/educational, interpersonal, political and risk/crisis management.

17th Biennial KCHC held in April

The 17th biennial Kentucky Conference on Health Communication was held in April in Lexington. A national and international audience of more than 200 people attended the conference.

Nancy Harrington, professor in the Department of Communication, has served on KCHC’s planning committee since 1994 and as conference director since 1999.

The keynote address was delivered by Kasisomayajula “Vish” Viswanath of Harvard University, who spoke on “Beyond the Absence of Disease: Communication, Health and Well-being.” The conference featured competitive panels, papers and posters presented by researchers representing 37 states, the District of Columbia, and seven other countries, as well as more than 100 institutions/organizations. Jessica Gall Myrick, a scholar who first attended KCHC in 2012 as a doctoral student studying at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, delivered the closing address as the 2022 Lewis Donohew Outstanding Scholar in Health Communication award winner.

Funding for KCHC is made possible in part by a grant from the National Cancer Institute and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research in addition to support from the UK Vice President for Research and UK HealthCare. Support is also provided by the Department of Communication and the College of Communication and Information.

Visit comm.uky.edu/kchc to learn more about KCHC.

L-R: Diane Francis (Kentucky), Nori Comello (North Carolina), Jeannette Porter (Missouri) and Parul Jain (Ohio) presented research on communicating about mental health, wellbeing and difference at KCHC 2022.

Maria Cahill and Soohyung Joo

Carina Zelaya used inequalities in her native country of Honduras to direct her research while at UK.

PH.D. ALUM STUDIES WOMEN’S HEALTH AND HEALTH EQUITY

Having seen health inequality in her home country of Honduras, Carina Zelaya came to the University of Kentucky to research health communication and help move conversations about healthy behaviors in a positive direction.

Zelaya, a 2022 College of Communication and Information doctoral graduate, specialized in health communication, with emphasis on women’s health and health inequities. Her research is at the intersection of health campaigns, interpersonal communication and social diffusion of health information. She used her work to examine the psychology and decision-making process of when and how people decide whether they want to engage in healthy behaviors.

“As someone who grew up in an underdeveloped country, I saw a lot of health disparities despite the many efforts from the public health sector to combat them,” Zelaya said. “There was something missing.

Access to resources was not enough to better the health of underserved communities. In my classes at UK, I later learned the importance of relationships, communication behaviors, social norms and our social networks in changing or shaping our health behaviors.”

Zelaya emigrated from Honduras to Kentucky in 2012 to be an International Student Ambassador at UK. During her first semester, she found inspiration within the Department of Communication. She has since pursued all three of her communication degrees with CI, receiving her bachelor’s in 2016, her master’s in 2018 and her doctorate in 2022. The doctoral student accumulated an array of accomplishments while at CI, from funded grant projects to authored articles to esteemed fellowships.

Zelaya is now an assistant professor of communication science in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland. With Washington, D.C. being a 10-minute drive away from the university, she is looking forward to being in the hub of health policy and public health. While she focuses on her tenure-track position, research groups and goal to start her own health equity research center, she plans to one day be involved in or advocate for health policy decision-making in D.C., taking her CI experience to the world stage.

“My long-term plan is to keep testing the model of the social diffusion of campaign influence across different contexts, hoping to focus on health equity and the health of minority and underserved populations,” Zelaya said.

Professorships & Fellowships

Congratulations to our faculty and students who have been awarded professorships and fellowships in the College of Communication and Information or another college in recognition of their excellence in instruction, research and other creative activity, or service in their discipline. See also Bobi Ivanov University Research Professorship announcement on page 33.

O’HAIR EARLY FACULTY AWARD

Aurora Occa, (assistant professor, COM) 2022-2023

Sarah Barriage (assistant professor, SIS) 2021-2022

Jessalyn Vallade (associate professor, SIS) 2021-2022

This award was established by H. Dan O’Hair, professor and former CI Dean, who has had a distinguished career as a university faculty member, researcher and administrator. This award recognizes a tenure-track faculty member who has been in CI for at least two years and who has demonstrated exceptional progress in research/creative activity, teaching and service in the College.

GIFFORD BLYTON PROFESSORSHIP

Jessalyn Vallade (associate professor, SIS) 2022-2025

The Blyton Professorship was established to honor Gifford Blyton, who taught speech and communication from 1948 to 1975 at the University of Kentucky and coached the Debate Team for 21 years. This gift was made possible through the efforts of several of his former students. Money from the endowment is used to support a faculty member involved in public speaking, oral communication education and research.

BOYD PROFESSORSHIP

Marko Dragojevic (associate professor, COM) 2022-2025

The Douglas A. and Carole A. Boyd Professorship in Communication was established by former CI Dean Doug Boyd and his wife, to enhance communication education through the examination of existing research coupled with the generation of new ideas, concepts and research.

LESTER REYNOLDS PROFESSORSHIP

Renee Kaufmann (associate professor, SIS) 2022-2025

This endowed professorship is in the College of Engineering, but awarded to a faculty member in CI who provides support to the Engineering faculty and staff for enhancing oral and written communication skills of engineering undergraduate and graduate students.

UNITE PREDOCTORAL FELLOWS

The UNITE Predoctoral Research Enhancement Program, an initiative to engage racially and ethnically diverse scholars interested in an academic career, selected Yolanda Jackson and Adam Tristán , both CI doctoral students, as Fellows.

Aurora Occa Sarah Barriage Jessalyn Vallade Marko Dragojevic

Yolanda Jackson Renee Kaufmann

Adam Tristán

2021 and 2022

Lyman T. Johnson awardees (L-R): Erin Ashley Simon, Yalonda Green, Christina Walker, Kayla Gales and Sabriel Metcalf.

LYMAN T. JOHNSON HONOREES IN CI

The University of Kentucky’s tradition of highlighting the impact of transformative students and alumni continued in 2022 with the annual Lyman T. Johnson Awards. In the combined 31st and 32nd annual ceremonies, a total of seven CI honorees were recognized.

Among those recognized were Torch Bearers Camille Wright (ISC, 2022), Sabriel Metcalf (JOU, 2022), ISC senior Kayla Gales and doctoral student Christina Walker; alumni Yalonda Green (MSLS, 2019) and Erin Ashley Simon (JOU, 2014) received the Torch of Excellence award; and postdoctoral researcher Aurora Santiago-Ortiz received the Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Each year, colleges and units across the University of Kentucky choose scholars for the awards, based on their contributions to the University of Kentucky and the broader community. Students with academic achievement and impactful efforts receive the LTJ Torch Bearer Award. Alumni whose faith, hard work and determination have positively impacted the community receive the LTJ Torch of Excellence Award. Finally, postdoctoral researchers whose research

contributes to the interest of diversity at UK and in their profession can apply for and receive the LTJ Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Torch Bearers Camille Wright and Kayla Gales spent their undergraduate careers devoted to campus involvement. For Wright, out of the seven organizations and clubs she participated in, she was most proud of her contributions to DanceBlue to help end childhood cancer.

“It truly means the world to me that CI has so much love and support for me. Their support has really helped me achieve my goals and ambitions while at UK,” Wright said.

Gales credits the Student Activities Board and the CI College Ambassadors program for giving her the confidence to reach higher.

“[Through these experiences] I’ve been able to positively impact the lives of students on campus,” Gales said.

CI’s other Torch Bearers, Sabriel Metcalf and Christina Walker, are motivated by a drive to make a difference. Metcalf channeled her interests in media, social and current events, and life skills into her undergraduate experience. Some of her most notable accomplishments came from her participation in the Picture Kentucky Workshop and the National Association of Black Journalists.

“It is beyond an honor to receive such an acknowledgment and from this university specifically,” Metcalf said. “Knowing that I am a part of the very men and women like Lyman T. Johnson or Mary Ann Adams who stood before me is incredible.”

After serving in the military and now working as an attorney, Christina Walker uses research to study the intersection of intercultural communication and law. She hopes to uncover the impacts of the law on various marginalized communities.

“This award means a lot to me. I’m honored … to have been someone that came to my college’s mind,” Walker said.

Torch of Excellence recipients Yalonda Green and Erin Ashley Simon have left a lasting impact in their respective fields. Green’s passion for libraries led her to providing youth services in public libraries in Louisville, Ky., and supporting scholars in academic libraries in Delaware.

“I see my life as a channel for connection and encouragement,” Green said. “To know that my life adds value to the world

Aurora SantiagoOrtiz received a 2021 Lyman T. Johnson Postdoctoral Fellowship.

by being myself and walking my path gives me the courage to continue walking and working and moving in my own way through the world.”

Erin Ashley Simon, a multi-media personality, host, producer and consultant within esports, paved the way for Black and Latina women in gaming and entertainment. See her story on page 16.

“It means a lot to be recognized by my alma mater in this way,” Simon said. “As an Afro-Latina, I am proud that my work is breaking down doors because the work I do is bigger than me — it is bigger than all of us.”

Postdoctoral fellow Aurora SantiagoOrtiz spent her year of fellowship appointment working alongside School of Information Science assistant professor Fatima Espinoza-Vasquez on the multidisciplinary project “Developing an Emergency Sociotechnical Infrastructure with Lexington’s Latinx Community.” As an interdisciplinary scholar, she focuses on community-based, participatory action research as well as antiracist feminist pedagogies and methodologies.

“I am absolutely honored to be a Lyman T. Johnson Postdoctoral Fellow,” Santiago-Ortiz said. “Johnson’s civil rights work paved the path for desegregation at UK, and in the U.S. His work continues to be relevant in the present, where antiracist education is under attack. My hope is to contribute my own grain of sand in this realm.”

Camille Wright received the 2021 Lyman T. Johnson Torch Bearer Award.

2021-2022

COLLEGE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The 2021-2022 College of Communication and Information College Excellence Awards were announced live and in person at a college-wide luncheon on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. CI has held its annual Excellence Awards, which celebrate the outstanding work of our faculty and staff, each year since 1999.

The 2021-2022 CI College Excellence Awards Winners are:

• Faculty Teaching Excellence: Renee Kaufmann (SIS)

• Faculty Research Excellence: Aurora Occa (COM)

• Faculty Community Service: Daniela DiGiacomo (SIS)

CI College Excellence Awards

Winners (L-R): Renee Kaufmann, Dee Beegle, Rachel Dixon, Aurora Occa, Blanca Muñoz, Steven Ingram, Krishna Hobbs and Dean Jennifer Greer. Not pictured: Daniela DiGiacomo and Rong Wang.

Tommy Preston, the 2021-2022 Outstanding Alumnus Award recipient speaks to students at the annual student awards celebration in April.

• Outstanding Staff: Dee Beegle (CI Business Office) and Steven Ingram (COM)

• Outstanding CI Advisor: Rachel Dixon

• Graduate Teaching Excellence: Blanca Muñoz (SIS)

The Friend of the College Award was also given out at the event. This year’s winner was Krishna Hobbs in Facilities Management.

A new award, Outstanding Contribution to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was announced this year as well. The inaugural winner was Rong Wang (COM).

The Outstanding Alumnus Award was presented at this year’s CI Student Awards to Tommy Preston (JOU, 1956).

Faculty & Staff News

Erika Engstrom (professor and director, JAM) and Schyler Simpson (director of retention and engagement) were selected for the 2022 cohort of UK’s Women’s Executive Leadership program. The eight-month WELD program is designed to develop the next generation of UK leaders through retreats, monthly meetings, conversations with upper-level administrators and a group project.

2 3

Jordan Hoehler (academic advisor) was named the 2022 Ken Freedman Outstanding Professional Advisor by the UK Advising Network. The awards are given each year to honor advising professionals’ dedication to the students they serve. Visit ukci.me/2022freedman to learn more.

Shannon Oltmann (associate professor, SIS) was recently featured on the “Tamron Hall Show” as a panelist discussing recent school book bans. Oltmann was also named to the State Board for the Certification of Libraries by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

Elizabeth Spencer (assistant professor, ISC) was selected as a featured artist in this year’s Reimagining Medicine Festival. The festival is a “virtual exploration of arts and humanities through the lens of medicine.” One of her photos was selected as the project cover. Visit ukci.me/RMF to view the project.

Sherali Zeadally (professor, SIS) has been named a Highly Cited Researcher in Computer Science by Clarivate – Web of Science, for the second year in a row. He is one of 110 researchers selected worldwide in the field of computer science. Out of these 110 researchers, only 13 are from the United States this year. He is again the only researcher from UK on this list.

Allyson DeVito (senior lecturer, SIS) and Catherine Hayden (communications director) worked with KY-Moms MATR (Maternal Assistance Towards Recovery) to provide their case managers and prevention specialists tips on topics such as using free business tools and effective email writing to help them promote their services in the communities they serve. Visit ukci.me/KYmoms to learn more.

In June, Beth Barnes retired from UK after nearly 20 years of teaching and service to our college.

CELEBRATED LEADER RETIRES, LEAVES BEHIND LASTING IMPACTS

Although she officially retired in June, Beth Barnes’ 19-year tenure at the University of Kentucky will have lasting impacts.

Both inside and outside of the classroom, Barnes has dedicated her career to student opportunity and cultural enrichment. Her time in academia began at Syracuse University, where she served in various roles for almost eight years before joining the University of Kentucky in 2003 as director of the then-School of Journalism and Telecommunications, which at the time housed the current Department of Integrated Strategic Communication and the current School of Journalism and Media. In 2016, Barnes returned to the faculty and served as director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Integrated Strategic Communication.

To Barnes, the most pivotal moment of her career came in 2008, when she received an email notification that the College of Communication and Information was selected for a grant to work with a media training institute in Zambia. Barnes and other faculty spent six years developing media education programs in the area, solidifying her passion for education abroad.

As executive director of international programs for CI, Barnes launched and taught two summer programs in Cape Town, South Africa, for seven years. She also led a winter break program in London, every other year.

As a member of UK’s Internationalization Task Force, the International Advisory Council and the Education Abroad Committee, Barnes played a role in tripling the number of students at UK who studied abroad. For these efforts, Barnes received the UK Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievement in Education Abroad in 2022. Visit ukci.me/BarnesGlobalImpact to learn more about the Global Impact Award.

To students, Barnes is best known for her work in the classroom. A recipient of the UK Alumni Association’s 2022 Great Teacher Award, Barnes’ hands-on and encouraging approach has pushed her students to discover their passion for communication. Visit ukci.me/BarnesGreatTeacher to learn more about the Great Teacher Awards.

“A hallmark of our college is putting students first. We’re here because of them,” Barnes said. “I’m proud of having finished up my career as a faculty member in the best college.”

Barnes will reside part-time in Cape Town and hopes to use her extensive advertising knowledge to bolster non-profit organizations in South Africa and support the wine tourism industry there. She will continue to lead CI education abroad classes.

UK Community Enjoys Free Access to THE NEW YORK TIMES

Members of the University of Kentucky community can now access The New York Times and its educational resources free of charge.

The College of Communication and Information, UK Libraries and the Student Government Association partnered with the NYT to provide the school-sponsored readership program to all students, faculty and staff.

CI Dean Jennifer Greer ran campus readership programs at two previous universities. As the WSJ was already on campus, she signed on with SGA and UK Libraries to add access to the NYT. Providing access to news produced by journalists abiding by professional ethical standards is important in an era of misinformation, Greer said.

“These two papers also have varied editorial points of view, which helps set the

stage for informed, robust debate essential for a functioning democracy,” she said.

The university’s readership program with The Wall Street Journal continues free of charge, through a partnership with UK Libraries and SGA, first arranged by the Gatton College of Business and Economics in 2020. The partnership was renewed earlier this year. Both the WSJ and NYT agreements have been signed for three years.

“UK Student Government is proud to expand access to reliable news through The Wall Street Journal and now The New York Times,” said UK’s Student Body President Andrew Laws. “Through this partnership, our students can receive unlimited free access to both of these renowned news sources, allowing them to stay informed on the day’s events at all times. We look forward to ensuring

all UK students get free access to these subscriptions throughout the year.”

Along with unlimited access to the NYT website, the paper’s readership program offers access to The New York Times in Education website, The Learning Network, subscriber-only events, podcasts, videos, photos, newsletters and digitized archives dating back to 1851.

“UK Libraries is delighted to collaborate with SGA and the College of Communication and Information to add access to The New York Times to the campus community,” said Kate Seago, director of acquisitions for UK Libraries. “These partnerships will bring a variety of perspectives on current topics and events. Both WSJ and NYT are rich resources for research.”

Visit ukci.me/NYT to learn how to sign up for the program.

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS

The

The CI Advising Office has transformed over the past two years to prioritize student success, using the most recent strategic plan for leverage, and is now part of the newly minted CI Student Success Center.

The transformation began in 2020, when the new Associate Dean of Student Success, Brandi Frisby, envisioned an office that focused on the whole student experience from recruitment to graduation, and everything in between. Building on this vision, the office restructured to hire a new recruiter, name a dedicated retention and engagement director and to propel

experienced college advisors into positions of greater responsibility and leadership.

This team has collaborated to revamp recruitment, retention and persistence, scholarship, curricular efforts, career readiness and graduation. A few of the highlights celebrating this transformation include:

• The Class of 2026 was the largest-ever in CI. Enrollment was up 72% from 2019, as we welcomed 334 new students in 2022.

• Our retention rates have held steady and our graduation rates are on the rise.

• Three new scholarship opportunities have been created to help with student persistence and financial barriers.

• 95% of students report positive responses to our award-winning advising team.

• For 2022, we launched both a fall and spring Career Week with high-impact career readiness initiatives.

In October, the team moved to a newly renovated CI Student Success Center on the third floor of the Lucille Little Fine Arts Library.

The College of Communication and Information recently wrapped up its inaugural Fall Career Week.

The Fall Career Week followed a similar format to Spring Career Week, which began two years ago, by repeating high demand events such as the Career and Internship Fair, alumni office hours and thematic alumni panels, where students learned from alumni about tech-focused careers, sports media and promotion and podcasting. Previously, CI had a Career Fair in the spring, but there were no supporting events surrounding the fair.

For the first time, the Career Fair included pre-fair resources such as free professional headshots, elevator speech practice and help with employer research. A post-fair

networking reception to encourage more interaction was also added. Students could also write personalized thank you notes to employers they met at the fair on CI-provided note cards.

Another new addition this fall, and a highlight of the week, according to students, was a series of site visits in Louisville. Thirty-two students took a bus to visit Scoppechio (led by CI alumna Regan Nichols), LouCity & Racing Foundation (led by CI alumnus Jeremy Jarvi) and the YMCA to learn first-hand about careers and internships at those locations.

Save the date for the Spring Career Week, Feb. 27-March 3, 2023, with the Career and Internship Fair on March 1. Let us know how you’d like to be involved!

CI advising team recently moved into the newly renovated CI Student Success Center.

CI students participated in the College’s first Fall Career Week in 2022.

CONFERENCE HELPS STUDENTS BREAK INTO THE SPORTS INDUSTRY

More than 200 students attended the inaugural Kentucky Sports Industry Conference in October 2022 at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington. The conference provided students with the opportunity to learn from some of the biggest names in sports, such as UK men’s basketball coach John Calipari and former NFL great Steve Young.

Students also connected with sports companies including Keeneland, the NFL, ESPN and the Cincinnati Reds and met other UK students who share a passion for sports.

The conference featured panels and networking sessions with more than 15 recruiters and 20 guest speakers from the sports industry. Panel topics included women leaders in sports, esports 101 and pursuing your dream in sports.

“I was inspired by the students, their energy, their passion and their goals for the future,” said Jen Smith, a lecturer in the School of Journalism and Media and formerly a longtime sportswriter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. “I can’t imagine a better opportunity for a student on this campus interested in sports.”

Smith moderated a panel discussing the new era of media in sports, which was sponsored by CI. The panel featured Kyle Tucker, a sportswriter at The Athletic and UK journalism alumna Christina Buswell, a podcast producer/digital audio producer at ESPN.

Sponsorship of the conference was a perfect opportunity for CI to extend its curricular efforts in

sports communication, journalism, production and promotion, Dean Jennifer Greer said.

“UK is a leader in preparing students to enter sports industries through programs in CI and the colleges of Education, Business and Economics, Health Sciences and more,” Greer said. “We are proud to support a student organization that bridges these disciplines as we launch careers in sports with a UK degree.”

Journalism freshman LaNasia Mason attended the conference in hopes of learning from sports professionals.

“It was a wonderful experience to see how much there is to do in the sports world,” Mason said. “Also, to see other African Americans make it and be very well respected was so empowering. It gave me the confidence to not be afraid to go after what I want.”

The Kentucky Sports Industry Conference is dedicated to helping UK students break into the sports industry, and this semester’s conference is the first of many career opportunities planned for students. Through future conferences and “develop sessions,” KSIC will help students prepare for careers in the sports industry and give them the tools and resources they need to be successful.

“We’re not finished. Now the focus is on placing each student that attended the conference into an internship or full-time job in the sports industry,” said Drew Rodriguez, KSIC founder and co-president. “At the end of the day, that’s what we set out to do — help students break into the sports industry.”

Top: Journalism freshman LaNasia Mason asked questions during the panel discussion.

Bottom: CI journalism alumnus Jim Host and Dean Jennifer Greer at the KSIC.

Christina Buswell and Kyle Tucker speak to students at the inaugural Kentucky Sports Industry Conference.

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS

COMMUNICATION RANKED IN TOP 10 MAJORS AT UK

A July 2022 article published in the Lexington Herald-Leader lists communication as the 10th most popular major at the University of Kentucky in the Fall 2021 semester. Visit ukci.me/Top10 to learn more.

NEW FACULTY AND STAFF

Let’s give a big CI welcome to the faculty and staff who recently joined us:

• Megan Block, academic administration associate, Department of Communication

• Allison Buckley, lecturer, School of Information Science

• Heather Close, administrative coordinator II, IRJCI

ICT Course Among UK’s Unique Classes

Renee Kaufmann’s Theory, Popular Culture and ICT class in the Lewis Honors College uses anthology TV shows, such as Netflix’s “Black Mirror” to explore the “darker side of new technologies and theory,” and was featured as one of five unique classes offered at UK. Visit ukci.me/BlackMirror to read the full list.

• Shannon Crawford-Barniskis, assistant professor, School of Information Science

• Ben Crowe, IS technical support specialist III

• Carey Higgins-Dobney, assistant professor, School of Journalism and Media

• Meghan Dowell, assistant professor, School of Information Science

• Pamela Edwards, academic administration associate, School of Journalism and Media

• Sarah Geegan, assistant professor, Department of Integrated Strategic Communication

• Alexis Hadden, lecturer, Department of Communication

• Hanyoung Kim, assistant professor, Department of Integrated Strategic Communication

• Bryce McNeil, student media coordinator

• Heidi Metzger, college personnel officer

• Blanca Muñoz, lecturer, School of Information Science

• Devane Murphy, head coach, Kentucky Debate

• Dakota O’Dell, academic administration associate, Dean’s Office

• Josh Palmer, college staff officer

• Kathleen Pickett, administrative services assistant, Kentucky Debate

• Brian Real, assistant professor, School of Information Science

• Sam Schweinsberg, technical support specialist, School of Information Science

• Haley Simpkins, marketing/promotion specialist senior, Dean’s Office

CI Sweethearts

Each Valentine’s Day, our students write us love letters and it’s pretty easy to see why we are sweet on them as well!

• Patrick Smith, IS technical support specialist III

• Christine Tarne, college budget analyst

• Qingru Xu, assistant professor, Department of Communication

• Weilu Zhang, assistant professor, Department of Integrated Strategic Communication

photo credit Netflix

Kelly Hodgson leads her COM 101 class through basic communication principles.

Events

“Careers

Esports Theater. Other Courier Journal panelists Michael Clevenger (standing, right), Mandy McLaren (second from left), Sarah Ladd (third from left), Brett Dawson (fourth from left), and veteran journalist Paul Neumeyer (fifth from left) from the Gannett Design Center

Members of the Dean’s Leadership Council, along with CI faculty and staff, toured the broadcast space/control room at Kentucky Proud Park and the future studio space for CI in Rupp Arena’s Central Bank Center.

First-generation CI students participated in the university’s first-gen pinning ceremony. Graduating seniors were pinned by faculty or staff members who helped them in their journey.

Duane

of the UK Journalism Alumni Association, speaks before the 2022 class of journalists are inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.

UK Alumni Association President and CI alum Antoine Huffman, Dean Jennifer Greer and past UK Alumni Association president and CI alum Diane Massie celebrate UK’s Homecoming events.

Kentucky Kernel Editor-in-Chief Rayleigh Deaton (left) got her beloved 2022-2024 edition of the AP StyleBook signed by award-winning journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein at the College Media Association’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. in October 2022.

Susan Straub, the 2021 Excellence in PR Award recipient (left) visits with Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton (center) and Linda Rutherford, Chief Administration and Communications Officer at Southwest Airlines, who delivered the 2021 James C. Bowling Executive in Residence Lecture.

Veda Morgan speaks about the Courier Journal’s coverage during the

in News” panel discussion at the

shared their experience.

Bonifer, president

Devane Murphy joined CI in June as the head coach for the University of Kentucky Intercollegiate Debate Team.

“I couldn’t be more excited about the addition of Devane to the program, said Director of Debate Dave Arnett “He brings championship experience, perspective and energy to the team at the perfect time. I expect great things from his leadership for the upcoming season and beyond.”

Murphy has been a competitive debater since high school and competed at the collegiate level for Rutgers UniversityNewark, where he and his partner became

DEBATE TEAM GETS NEW HEAD COACH

the second team in American Collegiate Debate history to win both the Cross Examination Debate Association National Championship and the National Debate Tournament (NDT) in the same season.

That same year, 2017, Murphy also earned the Ross K. Smith Top Individual Speaker Award for the NDT.

Murphy’s debate experience isn’t just on the debater side — he has coached at the high school and collegiate level. Most recently, Murphy led Darmouth College to two consecutive NDT victories.

Murphy was attracted to Kentucky Debate because of its rich history of promoting policy debate from the middle school to the college level. Murphy believes that Kentucky’s history of debate excellence makes this position a dream job for any coach who loves the activity of debate and wants to see their students succeed.

“My plan as the head coach of the Kentucky Debate Team is to make it a central hub for tough conversations to be held on the University’s campus,” Murphy said. “As the world and our country change around us, ideally, Kentucky Debate can act as a beacon of guidance to help all Kentuckians work through these changes.”

Murphy’s extensive debate career was shaped by his coaches, teammates and most importantly, his community. Without the experiences he had with the Newark Debate Academy, he would not be the leader, speaker, thinker or debater he is today. He strives to be a testament to the Black excellence that exists in Newark, N.J.

To that end, Murphy wants to make the Kentucky Debate Team a safe and accessible space for all types of students, regardless of their background or identity, while continuing their tradition of debate excellence.

Members of the 2021-2022 Debate Team prepare for the National Debate Tournament hosted by James Madison University in Virginia.

KENTUCKY DEBATE TEAM CONTINUES STREAK

In March, second-year debate team members David Griffith and Jordan Di received a “first-round bid,” or automatic invitation, to the 2022 National Debate Tournament. This is Kentucky Debate’s eighth consecutive year of earning an automatic bid. Only the top 16 teams in the nation, as ranked by the National Debate Committee, receive this designation.

The 2022 Tournament was hosted by James Madison University and featured 45 schools from 24 states, including powerhouse teams from Harvard University, Dartmouth College, Northwestern University and more.

Griffith and Di reached the round of 32, defeating teams from Tufts University,

Trinity College and Michigan State University, before losing to UC Berkeley. Additionally, first-year debate team members Jared Adam and Austin Kiihnl finished the tournament with a strong 4-4 record.

The impressive run at the NDT marked the 48th year that UK has qualified and continued UK’s streak of ranking in the top 16 nationally since 2016.

“This was a young team with a lot to figure out,” said Director of Debate Dave Arnett. “Having a strong finish is really a testament to the hard work put in by the coaching staff and the growth of the students. We’re all looking forward to what next season brings.”

Members, alumni and coaches gathered for the inaugural Debate Reunion.

KENTUCKY DEBATE ALUMNI HOLD FIRST-EVER REUNION

More than 50 former University of Kentucky Debate alumni and coaches, including two of the three past national championship teams and debaters from the 1950s through the 2020s, returned to UK’s campus for the first-ever Kentucky Debate Reunion in October. The alumni met with the current debate team, toured campus and attended a gala dinner where President Eli Capilouto and former governor Steve Beshear gave the opening remarks.

Several Debate alumni were recognized at the reunion for their accomplishments and contributions to the Kentucky Debate program and the larger debate community. Deno Curris received the Distinguished Alumni Award, and Ava Vargason, a 2017 graduate, received the Rising Star Alumni Award.

It was announced at the event that the Top Speaker Award at the Kentucky Round Robin, a National Speech & Debate Association tournament, will be named in honor of Paul Skiermont, a Kentucky Debate alumnus. The prestigious Tournament of Champions, which attracts top high school debaters from around the country, will now permanently be named after J.W. Patterson, affectionately known as “Dr. P.”, the founder of the tournament and UK director of debate from 1971 to 2008. Patterson was also a faculty member in the Department of Communication for nearly 50 years.

Additionally, the current and future squad room for the debate team will be named in honor of Jay Finch, a four-time National Debate Tournament qualifier (1992-1995)

and second place finisher in first round voting at the 1995 NDT.

At the reunion, Skiermont also announced the creation of an endowment to support debate activities for years to come. This endowment will play an important role in providing Kentucky Debate with financial security for future generations.

“It was truly inspiring to listen to the stories across generations about the power of debate; it was energizing for myself and our team,” said Director of Debate Dave Arnett. “As we face the next set of challenges to expand opportunity for debate, we know we do so with the support of the entire Kentucky Debate family.”

CAMP SERVES SPEECH AND DEBATE K-12 STUDENTS

In June, the Bluegrass Debate Coalition hosted the second-annual Speech and Debate Summer Camp, welcoming 18 elementary, middle and high school students from across the state to UK’s campus.

Students learned the fundamentals of public speaking, research, persuasive writing and argumentation through activities, discussions and practice debates. UK Debate Team members and nationally-recognized coaches helped facilitate the programs.

The event’s success was highlighted by feedback surveys, which showed that the students and parents alike said that they would recommend the camp to others.

“I love how everyone interacted and the teachers had a lot of experience,” one student wrote anonymously on a feedback survey.

Pre- and post-camp assessments were issued to measure the participant’s progress. About 70% of students improved their knowledge of debate and argumentation, with students improving, on average, by 50%.

“The data speaks for itself,” BDC Program Coordinator Katie Humphries said. “Debate education has a clear impact on students’ learning and their skills. In just a week, our campers grew to be professional communicators and fearless leaders.”

Debate teams compete against one another in the camp debate competition.

Alumni Provide Relief After Devastating Eastern Kentucky Floods

Sara Baker used her social media platform to raise money and supplies after her hometown was flooded in July 2022.

July 27, 2022 was an average night. Sara Baker, a 2018 College of Communication and Information journalism alumna and southern life and style influencer, went to bed in her home just outside of Lexington.

At 2:30 a.m. the next morning, her mother sent frantic, broken text messages, praying for the flood waters to stop before entering their family home in Whitesburg, Ky. The area’s cellular service was down shortly after. Baker and her family, like many Eastern Kentucky natives, are familiar with occasional flash flooding; but this time, it was different.

“I lived in that house my whole life until I went to college,” Baker said. “It’s flooded [in Whitesburg] before, but it’s never come close to getting to our house.” Whitesburg, located in Letcher County, was one of the many cities devastated by the floods of July 28.

When Baker woke at 6 a.m., the next few hours were riddled with hysteric phone calls, radar checks, Facebook scrolls and prayers for the safety of her parents and grandparents.

“I felt sick all day. I couldn’t eat. I didn’t know what to do. I was helpless,” she said. Thirteen hours and 1,000 unanswered phone calls passed before she heard from her family.

The call finally came at 4 p.m. On the other side of the line was her family, who drove out of the area after the water receded. She learned that her grandparents escaped their flooded home with the help of their neighbors’ boat.

“Sara, I’m blessed,” said her grandfather whom, just a few hours earlier, was sitting on the kitchen sink, watching the water pour into his home while comforting his wife through her fear of drowning.

Baker considers herself one of the lucky ones, and she knew she needed to step up for her community. She used her greatest tool — her social media platform — and shared her community’s story. From Las Vegas to Florida, the support rolled in, allowing Baker to purchase and deliver water, food and cleaning supplies to the hollers of Eastern Kentucky. In total, she raised over $5,000 for supplies and support.

“I could not have done any of it without them. I am so grateful for my little platform of people because they truly showed up for Eastern Kentucky.”

In her multiple trips to the region, what stood out most to Baker wasn’t the damage, but the unity of Letcher County. Among the destruction, thick mud and debris, were community members and strangers tirelessly working side by side to help others.

“It’s almost like no one has really had the time to grieve, because as soon as it happened, everyone started coming together. If [someone] gets their part cleaned up, they will go and help their neighbors.”

Kassidy Stumbo, a 2021 journalism graduate and current UK J. David Rosenberg College of Law student from Floyd County, falls into that category. She first saw the damage during her morning social media rounds, where members of her community were checking in on each other.

Like Baker, Stumbo utilized her social media platforms to organize relief efforts. In total, she and friends and family took eight loads of food, hygiene products and clothes to various areas in the region.

“The pictures are horrible, but the pictures do not do it justice,” Stumbo said. “However bad you think it is, it’s probably 10 times worse.” Although those like Stumbo and Baker are participating in important relief work, the work is far from over.

“Now that we’re over a month out, I worry that there’s going to be this forgetting that [the flood] happened,” Stumbo said. “I want to remind people that it will take years to rebuild the area. We need the help of the entire state.”

Visit ukci.me/floods to view the University of Kentucky’s response to the historic flooding in Eastern Kentucky.

Kassidy Stumbo shown above left, delivered eight loads of food and supplies raised through her social media platform to flooddamaged areas.

MAKING BOURBON HISTORY

The bourbon business is a Kentucky trademark, and an alumna — along with her Gatton College of Business and Economics alumnus husband — is beginning to make her mark on the industry.

Tia Edwards, a 2001 integrated strategic communication graduate, entered the world of spirits by helping found a bourbon distilling company. In 2017, she started Fresh Bourbon with her husband, Sean Edwards, a business management graduate. Together the Kentucky natives are hoping to put a new spin on a local tradition while also reaching some historic milestones.

“People in bourbon are big on age,” Tia Edwards said. “‘Fresh Bourbon’ is not an age statement — it is a fresh approach to an older industry.”

The couple came up with the idea to start the company through the people they met on their travels. They were constantly told that Kentucky was known for three things: KFC, horses and bourbon. According to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, bourbon adds $8.6 billion in economic impact annually, and 95% of the world’s bourbon is produced in Kentucky. After learning this, the couple decided to try their luck in the industry.

Although the bourbon business was tough, they took this as a challenge to change it from within. Combining her love of public relations, communications and advertising with her more than 20 years of sales experience, Tia Edwards was ready to tackle branding and marketing a new and unfamiliar product in a wellestablished space.

What makes Fresh Bourbon different from its competitors is its recipe and flavor profile. While most bourbons use three-grain recipes, Fresh Bourbon uses four: corn, honey malt, malted rye and malted wheat. Although it isn’t a honey bourbon, this bourbon has a honey flavor thanks to its unique blend. It can also be enjoyed however the drinker pleases, as the Edwardses didn’t want to tell patrons how to enjoy their bourbon.

While the couple was focused on making a good product, they unknowingly made history in the process. In February 2020, Fresh Bourbon was recognized by the Kentucky Senate as “the first Black-owned bourbon distillery in Kentucky” and that the distillery “produces bourbon with an African American Master Distiller, the first in Kentucky since slavery.”

“It’s that big of a deal to make an impact because it’s not only for us and our children but for other people that came before us that didn’t get recognition,” Tia Edwards said. “We’re benefiting from slaves that worked and never got the recognition they deserved. It is such an honor to have that recognition.”

Like other businesses, the pandemic took a financial toll on the up-and-coming company. They had to push back their plans of breaking ground on their 34,000-square-foot downtown Lexington distillery for late 2022. Tia Edwards estimates it will take between 18 and 24 months to complete the build which will lead to 25 new jobs. Currently, Fresh Bourbon is being distilled at Hartfield & Co. in Bourbon County, Ky.

After successfully building one of the best hunter- and anglerfocused social apps on the market, one alumnus is looking to also help build up his community.

Brad Luttrell, a 2009 journalism graduate, is the co-founder and CEO of GoWild, a free social media community helping outdoor enthusiasts improve their skills, discover gear and earn rewards. Founded in 2016, the forum-based app connects community members to locals who are interested in the same topics instead of requiring members to build their own following.

What sets GoWild apart from its competitors is its focus on gear. There are 500,000 pieces of gear users can tag in their content to show what they’re using and about 30,000 pieces of gear users can purchase directly from GoWild, which includes about 40 brands.

“Building a tech company in Kentucky, I have been told, is like growing a pineapple in the Midwest,” Luttrell said. “And the Midwest is not a conducive growing environment for pineapples, which is something we hope to change.”

As Luttrell tried to think of a company to start that would fast-track his career while also trying to improve at whitetail deer hunting, he found that there wasn’t a good online space for veteran hunters and rookies alike to connect, swap advice and share hunting experiences. And after facing “hunter harassment” for sharing his past game on other social media sites, he set his sights on creating a space for the outdoorsy community.

He built a company — with no prior startup experience — from the ground up with three other founders. In 2017, they started fundraising. By the next year, Luttrell was able to go full-time with GoWild, and he credits his time with the College of Communication and Information for developing the tools he needs for success.

“My ability to storytell that I learned from the Kentucky Kernel and the University of Kentucky is the single most important skill set I’ve ever learned,” Luttrell said. “When I made the jump into being an entrepreneur, the best thing to do to raise money is to be honest, tell an authentic story and get people to believe in you.”

Last January, GearJunkie, a trusted business in the outdoor industry, named GoWild the Best Hunting Social Media App of the Year. In April, the app was also featured on Fox News Media’s homepage, and in December, Louisville Business First named GoWild as one of the Startups to Watch in 2022. The startup’s success also led Luttrell to be named to Louisville Business First’s Forty Under 40 Class of 2021.

“We are making such an impact,” Luttrell said. “Yes, it’s smaller scale right now, but I don’t want that to stop. I think if we end tomorrow, there’s a black hole on the internet that doesn’t exist in the way that we do. It’s such an important community to so many people. I just want to be able to feed them the entertainment and education that they found in our platform and continue to keep it alive.”

HUNTERS AND ANGLERS FIND COMMUNITY ON APP

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

PODCAST HOST, AUTHOR, LIBRARIAN

From working with books to writing her own, one alumna is proving her degree can be taken down untraditional paths.

Jill Grunenwald, who earned her master’s degree in library science in 2008 from the School of Information Science, has published three books since graduating from the University of Kentucky—and they also happen to be award finalists.

Grunenwald embarked on her journey to librarianship before college. In high school, she started working for the Hudson Library and Historical Society, in her hometown library of Hudson, Ohio. She fell in love with librarianship, which set the tone for her future.

Her affinity for the written word has been ingrained in her since she was a child. She’s written plays, poetry, fiction and memoirs, even going so far as to get a Bachelor of Fine Arts in creative writing.

“I just love writing in any form,” Grunenwald said. “In whatever avenue I can, I’ll write whatever.”

Grunenwald completed her first book in 2015, titled “Images of Modern America: Hudson.” The pictorial history book highlights the last 50 years of Hudson, Ohio. While she mostly wrote the captions for the photos she collected, she also conducted archival research at the library.

In 2017, Grunenwald published her second book, “Running with a Police Escort.” The memoir recounts her experiences as a slow runner, an often lesser told story. By highlighting an often-underrepresented perspective, her book celebrates all the voices in the running community.

Championing the underdogs was also a theme in Grunenwald’s 2019 memoir, “Reading Behind Bars.” The book details her time as a librarian in a men’s minimum-security prison. While the story’s focus is her experience on the job, it also shines a humanizing light on incarcerated people. She knew on her last day of work at the prison that this story needed to be told — although it took her 10 years — to combat the inaccurate portrayals of prison life that pop culture had cemented in the media.

“Reading Behind Bars” has become Grunenwald’s most successful book yet. It was a Wall Street Journal bestseller and a finalist for the 2020 Ohioana Book Awards and the 2020 In the Margins Social Justice and Advocacy Book Award. Although the accolades are flattering, she’s more pleased to know her writing has a reading base.

“It’s such a solitary activity,” Grunenwald said. “You put it out in the world, and you don’t know how anyone is going to respond. So, when you get positive responses, especially from readers, organizations or awards that have meaning to you personally, that just means a lot.”

For nearly seven years, she has also worked at OverDrive, an app for libraries that digitally distributes eBooks, audiobooks, online magazines and streaming video titles. She serves on the marketing team, creating marketing materials for a variety of libraries. Along with being a staff librarian for the company, she is also the creator and a co-host of OverDrive’s “Professional Book Nerds Podcast.”

“I get paid to talk about books,” Grunenwald said. “There’s really not much to not love about it.”

TEACHING KIDS KINDNESS THROUGH GAMES AND MUSIC

When her sons were being bullied in school, one alumna was devastated and aggravated. After exhausting the proper channels for action, she decided to turn the tables on the bullies through education.

Jeanne Marie Tidwell, a 1983 communication graduate, created a cross-media series aimed at teaching kindergarten to third graders the importance of the Golden Rule; kindness, manners and empathy. She has also recently added an online game to her repertoire that already includes an interactive mobile app, fulllength musical album and Ph.D.-created school curriculum.

The “Sir Dapp!” series follows a rapping, dancing Schnauzer, named Sir Dapp, and his family and friends as they navigate social situations — teaching by example the right and wrong ways to do things not only for themselves but others.

Tidwell’s family acknowledges the inspiration behind the series came from something much darker — the bullying her sons Steven and Kyle endured as kids. As difficult as it was for Tidwell and her family, she used the experience as creative fuel, and the idea for “Sir Dapp!” was born.

“I channeled what I was feeling about my children being bullied and the frustration I had in trying to think of ways that I could help other kids relate to each other better and understand that no one wants to be talked down to, no one wants to be harassed,” Tidwell said.

Launched in 2018, the app showcases social emotional type categories that direct children to complete reason-based rhymes and solve whodunit mysteries, creating a fun platform for children to absorb lessons in consideration of others, self-care and social and environmental responsibility. The app was also reviewed by Natascha Crandall, a Ph.D. expert in children’s growth and development, who created the curriculum for teachers.

Creating “Sir Dapp!” was a family affair under the organization name Crystal Tree Group. Tidwell provides the creative backbone and writing, Kyle provides the business and marketing expertise and Steven helps with game design, public outreach and a little bit of everything else. Tidwell’s husband, Steve, joins his wife as an investor in the products.

The family recently worked with a studio to create an online game version of “Sir Dapp!” to be featured on the Roblox platform in a treasure hunt genre. The game, titled “Sir Dapp’s Mysterious Manor,” launched in October 2021. Tidwell hopes the game will bring them enough attention to attract a publisher for the handful of children’s books she has already written that expand on the world of “Sir Dapp!”

With all these different avenues and the expansion of their reach, she wants her creations to help young kids communicate better with one another to prevent the physical and emotional turmoil her sons experienced.

“I don’t want any kid to ever feel that way. That’s what drives me,” Tidwell said. “It’s important. Someone has to talk about it. That’s the main drive for all of us.”

INDIANA UNIVERSITY’S

FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT

Aiming to “move the needle” within the Big Ten, one alumna took the helm and brought a fresh perspective to her university.

Pamela Whitten, who earned a master’s in communication in 1986, made history as the first female president of Indiana University when she was appointed in July 2021. Though she never dreamed of having this title since female presidents weren’t common when she was growing up, she’s glad to be in a position to make a difference.

“I think that many people like me never thought about or planned or aspired to be a university president,” Whitten said. “I think what happens is as you are in the role as a faculty member and you begin to assume more service-type responsibilities and you gain great satisfaction out of that, you begin to realize that you’re driven to move the needle at an institution. And then from that, you move into these formal leadership roles.”

Whitten’s road to becoming the highestranking officer within IU’s academic

administration began when she started her Ph.D. program at the University of Kansas, nearly a decade after graduating from the University of Kentucky and working in corporate communications.

From 1995-1998, she worked at KU. Between 1998 and 2014, she served in multiple positions at Michigan State University. In 2005, she had a one-year stint at Purdue University in addition to her MSU duties. From 2014-2018, she served as vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia.

Once her tenure as a UGA provost was over, Whitten transitioned into her most senior roles. From 2018 to early 2021, she was president of Kennesaw State University.

The scope of KSU helped ease Whitten’s 2021 transition to the even bigger university that IU is. IU has seven campuses and two regional centers. Its flagship campus, IU-Bloomington, is an R1 research institute, meaning its research activity is classified as very high, while the IUPUI campus is R2, with research classified as high. The university also boasts over 90,000

students and the largest medical school in the country.

As IU’s 19th president, Whitten is one of only five women among the 14 presidents making up the Big Ten’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors. Along with representing her university on the world stage, she has a broad range of responsibilities, including ensuring a positive student experience, attending to all fiscal matters, heading up community outreach, handling relationships with government entities and more.

Being at IU for her is like combining her previous university jobs into one. Though this is not her first time in the top spot, her ultimate goal has stayed as simple as ever — to serve the community that she leads.

“In the end, it’s all about the success of students, ensuring that we do things to enhance their success and experience,” Whitten said, “and also facilitating the environment of the faculty so they are able to be successful in their scholarship, and that we serve the state well.”

MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE CI COMMUNITY

Lost in 2022

Michael Agin, who served as student media advisor at the University of Kentucky from 1987-2000, died in November at age 70. He led and mentored hundreds of students at the Kentucky Kernel, Kentuckian yearbook and was instrumental in getting WRFL-FM on air in 1988.

Cathy Hunt, CI’s former director of advising died in October at age 69. She served as the head of the advising office from 2002 until her retirement in August 2015. She guided countless CI students through their college and postcollege careers.

Deanna Marcum, a 1971 library science alumna, helped lead the Library of Congress through the initial stages of establishing a national digital library. Her career took her from UK to managing director of Ithaka S+R, the parent company of the digital library website, JSTOR. Marcum also served on CI’s National Advisory Board. Marcum died in August at age 76.

Ann O’Roark, a 1955 journalism graduate, died in May at age 88. She was a former Kentucky Kernel editor and the recipient of the Sullivan Medallion, an award given to the outstanding graduating senior woman in the Class of 1955. O’Roark had a successful career in management consulting and leadership development.

Jim Flegle, a National Debate Tournament qualifier on the 1973 and 1974 Kentucky Intercollegiate Debate Teams, died in November at age 70. After graduating from UK, he had a successful 45-year legal career in Dallas.

Kentucky native Bruce Johnson, anchored WUSA 9 TV, the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., for 44 years. In February 2022, Johnson delivered the Angelo B. Henderson Lecture, conducted a master class and met National Association of Black Journalists student members. Two months later, he died at age 71.

Just after his 1991 UK graduation, Jeff Murphy secured a role on the marketing and communications team for Saint Joseph Hospital and would work his way up to vice president for marketing and communication at CHI Saint Joseph Health. He majored in theater and communication and served as the editor of the Kentuckian yearbook. He died in August at 53.

Bob Whitaker, a 1958 journalism graduate, spent his early career working for the Cynthiana Democrat. He later joined the cabinet of Gov. Wendell Ford and served as the executive director of the Kentucky Bicentennial. He worked the final 24 years of his career with the UK Alumni Association. He died in February at age 85.

Alumni Updates

Matthew Luce (ICT/MKT, 2021) recently joined the Google Cloud Team as a cloud technical resident. He focuses on infrastructure and accessibility projects.

Visit ukci.me/MatthewLuce to learn more.

Elle Smith, (JOU, 2020) a former multimedia reporter at WHAS11, was crowned Miss USA 2021 and placed in the Top 10 of Miss Universe 2021.

Visit ukci.me/ElleSmith to learn more.

Joy Priest (JOU, 2012) is a professional poet and the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the 2021 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the 2019 Donald Hall Prize for Poetry. She published her first book “Horsepower,” in 2019.

Visit ukci.me/JoyPriest to learn more.

George Cranwell (ISC, 2021) turned an in-class presentation into an internship and then a full-time position for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Chicago.

Visit ukci.me/GeorgeCranwell to learn more.

Savon Gray (JOU, 2018) is the founder of Black Business Boxes, an organization that supports Black entrepreneurs with access to capital, consumers and networking opportunities.

Visit ukci.me/SavonGray to learn more.

Jon Hale (JOU, 2009 and MA COM, 2011) of the Lexington Herald-Leader was named the 2021 Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year. He has covered UK athletics since 2015.

Aimee Griffith (ISC, 2006) was named the official artist of the 148th Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.

Visit ukci.me/AimeeGriffith to see her artwork and learn more.

He recently released “City of Ali,” a documentary about Muhammad Ali’s death and impact on Louisville.

Visit ukci.me/GrahamShelby to learn more.

book “Washington’s Iron Butterfly,” a memoir of former White House executive Bess Abell.

Visit ukci.me/Birdwhistell to learn more.

Antoine Huffman (TEL/MAS, 2005), a regional sales manager for Mizuho OSI, was named president of the UK Alumni Association.

Visit ukci.me/AntoineHuffman to learn more.

Dana Canedy (JOU, 1988) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of “A Journal for Jordan,” which was made into a movie produced by Denzell Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan.

Visit ukci.me/DanaCanedy to learn more.

Cecil Booth (ISC, 1984) is the co-founder of Beauty Booth and VENeffect anti-aging skincare designed specifically for women.

Visit ukci.me/CecilBooth to learn more.

Graham Shelby (JOU, 1993) is a multimedia storyteller, political speech writer and former stage performer.

Terry Birdwhistell (MSLS, 1974) is a senior oral historian and founding director of the UK Libraries Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. He recently released the

ALUMNA HONORED THROUGH ART

In September, the University of Kentucky Art Museum hosted patrons from across the country for a special exhibit — “RAUSCHENBERG: A Gift in Your Pocket from the Collections of Friends in Honor of Bradley Jeffries.” The exhibit would have never been possible were not for the life and legacy of a College of Communication and Information alumna.

Robert Rauschenberg was one of the 20th century’s most significant artists. His inclusive practice spanned six decades, during which he combined traditional art materials with ordinary objects from the urban and beachfront environments in which he lived.

Bradley Jeffries, was born in Columbia, Ky., and graduated from UK in 1971 with a degree in journalism before settling in Sanibel, Fla., where she had a regular newspaper column and weekly spot on television news before becoming Rauschenberg’s studio manager in 1978.

“RAUSCHENBERG: A Gift in Your Pocket from the Collections of Friends in Honor of Bradley Jeffries” brought together rare and unseen paintings, drawings and photographs that were gifted to Jeffries by the artist, as well as personal objects and ephemera that honor their friendship.

As part of the exhibition, which will travel to Black Mountain College in North Carolina — Rauschenberg’s alma mater — Jeffries’ family is also gifting one piece to each of the venues. At the conclusion of the traveling exhibit, the UK Art Museum will receive the

painting pictured above, titled “Shore Hole (Urban Bourbon)” in honor of Jeffries.

“We are thrilled that this gift of art to the university allows us to honor the legacy of Bradley Jeffries, a UK journalism alumna who played such an important part in Rauschenberg’s career,” said CI Director of Philanthropy Nathan Darce

The exhibition showcased Jeffries’ life and career and demonstrated the marriage of fine art and communications disciplines.

“Bradley used her journalism training to organize information, communicate with Rauschenberg’s many publics and tell the story of his process and practice,” Dean Jennifer Greer said. “Without Bradley’s central position in his world, we would have less insight into his work. Her protection of his time allowed him to concentrate on creating the beautiful pieces you see in this exhibit — and hundreds beyond that. It was a true partnership, and I love that that partnership has brought this amazing work of art to UK through the gift from Bradley’s family.”

Acquiring a Rauschenberg painting is a once-in-alifetime opportunity for the university, said Stuart Horodner, director of the UK Art Museum. “This is a very significant donation from Bradley’s family to our holdings. We are extremely grateful.”

Visit ukci.me/jeffries to learn more about the Rauschenberg exhibit.

“Shore Hole (Urban Bourbon)” by Robert Rauschenberg, gifted to the UK Art Museum in honor of CI alumna Bradley Jeffries, his studio manager.

Robert Rauschenberg and Bradley Jeffries

My scholarship provided me a unique opportunity to attend an international conference in Paris, where I received a Top Paper award for a project related to anti-smoking public service announcements. I was able to network with scholars from around the globe.

Zane Dayton, doctoral student

” ”

Ultimately, I want to do many things with my degree — become an author, interview my idols and impact others’ lives. This scholarship will help me complete my education and successfully start my career.

Richard Nathaniel Lucas, journalism junior

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My goal is to work for an advertising agency, nonprofit or brand that fits my values, to spread its ideals through marketing and creativity. This scholarship will help me develop professional experience during my time at UK.

Emma Reilly, integrated strategic communication junior

2022 ONE DAY FOR UK 257 gifts $38 thousand

My goal is to become a health administrator and impact the health care system. I want to help minority groups and children the way others helped my family. I have transverse myelitis, so I cannot walk. Throughout my childhood, people in the U.S. sponsored children with disabilities in my country, the Philippines. I hope to do the same thing in my country. The scholarship will help me continue toward this goal.

Justyn Andrea Garcia Musñgi, communication senior

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” ” GIVING IMPACT

This scholarship has helped me continue at UK, which has provided me with so many resources and opportunities. In two short years, I’ve worked as the news director for WRFL-FM, been a host for UK’s podcast for students, “Bowman’s Friends,” won the title of Ms. Black UK and so much more!

Alayna Tobo, journalism junior

I am excited to continue the legacy of great women journalists who came before me, which is why it is such an honor to receive this scholarship!

In my career as a journalist, I hope to travel and do international work to help different people across the world, working as a watchdog and advocate.

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Alexis (Lexi) Martin, journalism junior

In 2022, CI’s One Day for UK campaign helped UK Student Media support students from every major who strive for journalistic excellence. Your gifts will keep the Kentucky Kernel and KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion among the nation’s elite collegiate publications. Mark your calendar now for One Day for UK 2023 on April 19, 2023!

DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY Nathan Darce nathan.darce@uky.edu (859) 257-3033

59 CI CONNECT FALL 2022