News & Updates

Study Abroad brings Communication, Music, Business to Europe

Communication Studies students and faculty participated in three different Summer Study Abroad programs co-sponsored with the Department of Music and the McCoy College of Business.

Stephanie Dailey and Seth Frei spent 3 weeks in Europe with 34 Texas State undergraduates studying business and communication. They visited the Netherlands, Germany, and Portugal, meeting with companies including Mercedes, Heineken, Meyle + Mueller, Cockburn's, and Impetus. Students came away with a greater appreciation for business communication in international work cultures and lifelong memories of traveling abroad.

Kristen Farris and two faculty from the School of Music (Daris Hale, Ian Davidson), led a study abroad program of 28 students in May to London and Paris focused on communication and fine arts. 

Rebekah Fox, Ian Davidson, Daris Hale, and Michael Burns spent several weeks traveling and studying in Rome, Florence, and Vienna.

Faculty Accolades

Jasmine Austin published a book chapter entitled, “Workplace socialization: Reproducing racism? Or challenging discriminatory standards?” in The Palgrave Handbook of Antiracism in Human Resource Development. Jasmine earned two External Grants that add up to over $25,000. The first grant is from the Foundation for Louisiana, supporting her partnership with a youth-centered nonprofit to teach 13–18-year-olds qualitative research collection, analysis, and presentation skills. These projects were displayed in a highly successful culminating showcase in New Orleans this summer. The second grant comes from the National Communication Association (NCA) to bridge a connection between a New Orleans Nonprofit and NCA. Jasmine’s work is setting the foundation for future NCA partnerships in each convention city.

Ann Burnette and Wayne Kraemer published "The genius of America and the model immigrant: Barack Obama's rhetorical characterization of DACA recipients" in Evaluating the Obama Presidency: From Transformational Goals to Governing Realities, published by De Gruyter.

Casey Chilton provided presentation coaching to the Texas Youth Preparedness Council as they prepared to give presentations on their projects to the Texas Emergency Management Conference in San Antonio.

Stephanie Dailey published “The process of personal social media for work: Unveiling the ‘work’ behind social media in the journal Social Media + Society. The piece was co-authored by MA alum Madeline Martinson. She also published a handbook chapter entitled “Organizational entry processes” in The Handbook of Organizational Communication Theory and Research. Stephanie received a Service-Learning Research Grant from the Service-Learning Excellence Program at Texas State for a project with MA alum Dr. Seth Frei that explores the role of international service-learning in strengthening global workplace skills. She presented a virtual session on Crisis Communication for small business owners in Texas, sharing evidence-based communication strategies to help prepare for crises before they happen. The presentation was part of an online support and training program called BOOST, which seeks to help businesses’ ability to grow and contribute to a resilient economy. Stephanie also presented a session providing research-based guidance for employees to strengthen their communication and foster collaboration at Texas State University’s Development Day. 

Elizabeth K. Eger was named a 2024 Regents' Teacher by the Texas State University System, the highest teaching honor in the TSUS. Only 21 faculty members from across the system have received the Regents’ Teacher Award since its inception. She will receive the award in February 2025 at the Regents' board meeting. This esteemed recognition celebrates faculty who excel in outstanding teaching, contribute significantly to course development, and employ innovative teaching methods. Elizabeth presented a webinar called, “Librarians as Leaders for Community Resiliency Collaborations” for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s Continuing Education and Consulting. She presented along with MA student Anca Tonciu and Translational Health Research Center Executive Director Melinda Villagran. Elizabeth was named as the runner-up to the 2024 Linda L. Putnam Organizational Communication Early Career Scholar Award from the International Communication Association’s Organizational Communication Division.

Kristen Farris co-authored a manuscript with Timothy Worley and Emily Sheinfeld entitled, "Relational turbulence during family transitions: A lifespan perspective and roadmap for future research" appearing in Annals of the International Communication Association. She also presented a workshop entitled "Time Management Strategies for New Graduate Students" at the New Graduate Student Orientation hosted by the Graduate College at Texas State. Kristen has also recently been named as Graduate Director for Communication Studies (Sp. 25).

Rebekah Fox was part of a featured panel, “Risk and Crisis Communication in Wildland Fire Fighting,” at the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference. Presenters discussed the development and use of a research strategy to cultivate communities of practice to mitigate the risks associated with the catastrophic effects of wildfires on communities. Her research was also featured in the piece, “Flames and Rapid Feedback: How Focus Groups Shaped Wildfire Response During COVID-19” published in the Rocky Mountain Research Station Science you can use Bulletin.

Marek Muller received the Christine Oravec Award from the National Communication Association’s Environmental Communication division, recognizing the top journal publication of the year. The article was entitled, “Long Live the Liver King.” They also published a piece in The Conversation, a trusted journalism outlet authored by academics, on the intersections of plant-based meat substitutes and cultural politics. The piece has since been republished in over 30 other outlets including Salon, the Houston Chronicle, and the Des Moines Register.

Mark Paz received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Senior Lecturer/Lecturer rank. Mark currently serves as Director of the department’s award winning COMM 1310 program. He also serves as faculty advisor to Texas State’s chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the National Honor Society for Communication Studies, and is the Creative Director for TEDx Texas State University.

Lindsay Timmerman was appointed as one of two Faculty Ombudspersons for a three-year term. The ombuds office on campus offers support to anyone in the campus community with work-related concerns. an ombudsperson offers confidentiality when conducting informal conflict management assistance, and serves as an independent, impartial party. The faculty ombudspersons are advocates for respectful and civil dialogue, transparent and fair policies, and continuous improvement. More information about the ombuds office/role can be found here.