L CLUCAS CHARLES

For Charles, the learning curve being chair of the department has been huge. Learning to become more flexible, leading 22 faculty, four staff members and 500 students has been the biggest challenge. But when you boil it down, he says this new position is just a massive design challenge – and he’s working through the solution.

“Right now…for me, it’s striving to figure out and focusing on the experience of our program,” he said. “I think that’s going to be one new thing that I’m dealing with. For me, the biggest challenge is complexity –and then I think it’s really just to increase the quality and depth of our facilities.”

Despite the challenges, Charles has never lost sight of his passion for art and design. He has always been driven by a desire to create and innovate –and is a testament to the power of passion, hard work and dedication.

“The qualities that make Lucas an outstanding professor are his passion for the arts and concern for the students, which is magnified through his character,” said art alum Kelly Hooks.

He also inspires those who are pursuing their own dreams and facing challenges along the way. His story is a reminder that with determination and a willingness to reinvent oneself, anything is possible.

“The University of Memphis would be hardpressed to find an instructor like Lucas who gives you that sense that you are welcome at this university,” Hendree said. “He makes you feel like you belong.”

THE DEPARTMENT’S DOCTORAL PROGRAM STANDS OUT FOR ITS DIVERSITY AND TAKES EXTRAORDINARY PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT GRADUATES ARE PLAYING A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION BY BRINGING A WEALTH OF UNIQUE BACKGROUNDS AND PERSPECTIVES TO OTHER CAMPUSES.

25TH Anniversary

ugust afternoons are legendary in Memphis. One afternoon in 2000 was no different. The sun was shining, the air thick with humidity and the Pyramid was buzzing with energy. It was a big day for so many University of Memphis graduates, but even more so for graduate students Marceline Thompson-Hayes and Jerome Mahaffey. As they stepped onto the stage to receive their doctoral diplomas from the UofM, it wasn’t just a culmination of their hard work and dedication — it was also a moment of history.

While countless others had walked this same path before them, Thompson-Hayes and Mahaffey were different. They were trailblazers, cutting a path for themselves and those to come. They were the first to ever receive a Ph.D. from the UofM’s Department of Communication and Film.