News

School of Communication Faculty Publish Article

Drs. Aimee Miller-Ott, Lynne Kelly, and Robert Duran published an article titled, "The Effects of Cell Phone Rules on Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships." The article was published in Communication Quarterly, January-March, 2012, Vol. 60, No. 1, pages 17-34.

Dr. Sundeep Muppidi Returns to the School of Communication

After spending the last two years as Secretary General of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) in Singapore, Dr. Sundeep Muppidi is back in his position as Associate Professor in the School of Communication.  This spring, he’ll return to the classroom to teach a graduate course in communication research methods and undergraduate courses in television production and international communication, a course that will be especially enriched given Dr. Muppidi’s recent experiences.

AMIC is an international non-governmental organization, dedicated to the development of media and communication expertise throughout the Asia-Pacific region. As the Secretary General (SG), his responsibility was to provide intellectual leadership and strategic direction in the planning and implementation of a structured program of activities, including research, publications, conferences, and workshops.

As the SG, he also played a critical role in developing and maintaining an extensive network of international funding agencies and collaborative organizations that help sustain AMIC’s activities. As the public face of AMIC, the SG represents a membership spread across 30 countries, and often speaks as a leading voice of Asian media. Dr. Muppidi was also responsible for the overall management of the AMIC Secretariat and reported to a governing board elected by the membership.

We are excited that he has returned and welcome him back.                 

Alumna Susan Ducey ('92) Speaks about Producing Television Commercials

School of Communication alumna Susan Ducey (’92) captivated the students in Dr. Randy Jacobs’ Communication and Advertising course with her in-depth presentation on November 30, 2011, on advertising agencies and the process of making a television commercial from initial client meeting to final spot ready to be aired. Students enjoyed seeing sample storyboards, rough cuts, and finished commercials for actual clients and hearing about exotic locations where some of the spots were filmed.

Since graduating with an emphasis in advertising, she worked for 10 years at Lowe Worldwide in New York as a producer, then moving on to Draft Worldwide, also in New York, where she was a senior producer.  Now Executive Producer of Domestic and International Television Productions for DDB New York, Ducey produces global campaigns for international clients.  

School of Communication Well Represented at NCA

The School of Communication had quite a presence at the annual National Communication Association convention in New Orleans on November 16 through 20, with faculty and former students presenting papers on a wide range of topics. 

Dr. Mark Cistulli and Dr. Randy Jacobs (with Jason Snyder of CCSU) presented a paper called, "A Global Force for Branding: A Study of Attitudes, Intentions, the Military, and the Wars Overseas," to the Mass Communication Division.

Dr. Jack Banks chaired a panel on “The Voice of Gender on Television Networks: Rich Diversity or Hegemonic Conformity?” Alums Nancy Bressler (M ’11) was a presenter and Dr. Lori Bindig (M ’05), who has gone on to earn a Ph.D., served as respondent on the panel and Dr. William Yousman (M ’99) was a panelist on a program examining various approach to visual research.

Dr. Aimee Miller-Ott presented four papers.  The first one, titled “The Multivocality of Sense Making: An Exploration of the Discourses College-aged Daughters Voice in Talk about their Mothers,” was presented to the Family Communication Division.  The second focused on the role of social support in young women’s communication about the genital HPV vaccine, and the third was called, “Face Concerns and Facework Strategies in Safe-sex Communication.” Her fourth paper, co-authored with Dr. Lynne Kelly, was based on a project supported by a WELFund grant.  The title of the paper is “Mean Girls in College: Communication of Female Relational Aggression in the College Environment.”

In addition to her paper with Dr. Miller-Ott, Dr. Kelly gave two other papers and a presentation.  The presentation focused on the use of skills training to help reticent speakers overcome speech anxiety. She received a “Top 4 Paper” award in the Communication Apprehension and Competence Division, called, “So Many Choices! The Impact of Reticence on Communication Channel Choice across Diverse Interpersonal Situations.”  Finally, she presented a paper, co-authored with Dr. Robert Duran, titled, “Narcissism or Openness? College Students’ Use of Facebook and Twitter.”

Dr. Duran also gave a paper (co-authored with former School of Communication faculty member Dr. Diane Prusank) reporting on a content analysis of parenting advice in Essence Magazine, focusing particularly on the role of mother and advice about discipline. 

School of Communication alumna Jessica Ruggles (’10) also presented a paper at the convention.  Her paper, co-authored with the Department of Psychology’s Dr. Mala Matacin, examined fashion advertisements in Vogue before and after the feminist revolution of the 1970’s.

William Seymour Receives Teaching Award

Long-time School of Communication adjunct faculty member, Bill Seymour, is a 2011 recipient of a Sustained Excellence in Teaching Award for Part-time Faculty. He regularly teaches courses in journalism and public relations. Seymour is known for his level of commitment to students and their education, his ability to provide a challenging and real-world educational experience, and his involvement in the School of Communication academic community. In Fall 2009 and 2010 he arranged for actual clients in his Public Relations Cases course: !MPACT, Mourning Parents Act, Inc. in Fall 2009 and the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center  (CCMC) Trauma Unit in Fall 2010. The CCMC Trauma Center was enthusiastic about the students’ plan and wanted to implement it, and the students were so excited about their work that they wanted to continue it and bring it to life. During Spring 2011, Seymour coordinated with nine of these students to develop the strategies and tactics they outlined in the plan they had created. Not only did the Trauma Unit benefit, but the students had a tremendous real-world experience thanks to Bill Seymour's dedication and willingness to go above and beyond what is expected.

Communication Student Awarded CBA Scholarship

School of Communication senior Lakeisha Houston was awarded a Connecticut Broadcasters Association Scholarship at their annual meeting on October 18, 2011. She also received the award the previous year and was asked to be the spokesperson for the academic scholarship. As spokesperson, Lakeisha recorded a commercial with WVIT NBC 30, announcing the scholarship and encouraging students to apply. When she graduates this spring she hopes to work in broadcast journalism, although she also has interests in public relations.

Alumnus Stephen Busemeyer ('93) Receives Award

School of Communication alum Stephen Busemeyer ('93), the breaking news editor at The Hartford Courant, was honored with the American Society of News Editors' 2011 Jesse Laventhol Award for Deadline News Reporting for The Courant's coverage of the massacre at the Hartford Distributors' warehouse in Manchester, Conn.

The ASNE wrote that "the newspaper's reporting involved far more than getting it first. The Courant created a riveting narrative based on eyewitness and police accounts and then went on to unlock the story of what drove [Omar] Thornton to commit the worst mass murder in Hartford's history."

The Courant donated the $10,000 prize to a scholarship fund for survivors of the eight HDI workers who were killed.

Other newspapers honored with top ASNE awards included the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post. The Courant's coverage of the shooting also won first place for breaking news in the annual New England Associated Press News Executives Association contest.

Dr. Mark Cistulli Wins Innovations in Teaching Award

Mark Cistulli, Assistant Professor of Communication, received an Innovations in Teaching and Learning Award at this year's University-wide opening meeting on August 24, 2011. Within the full-year Advertising Competition course, he created "AdHawk," which mimics the structure and processes of a small advertising agency and brands our competition team. The students create an integrated advertising and marketing campaign for a national client and, in the process, learn a great deal about collaboration and the professional demands associated with doing the work of an ad agency.

Communication Alumni Receive Sports Emmy Awards

School of Communication alumni Ron Bishow ('00), Arnold Fucci ('03), and Matthew Parlapiano ('09) each received a 2011 Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Daily Show for their work as part of the team that produces MLB Tonight. They are employed at the Major League Baseball Network as highlight producers for programs such as MLB Tonight and Quick Pitch.

 

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