News Archive

Communication Studies Welcomes New Faculty

Dr. Nikkie Saldivar Hodgson joins the Department of Communication Studies this fall as an Assistant Professor of Practice. Nikkie earned a B.A. in Journalism from Texas State University, an M.A. in Communication Studies from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and a Ph.D. focusing on Organizational Leadership from Our Lady of the Lake University.

Nikkie comes to Texas State from UTRGV where she developed and established employee training programs and employee recruitment as the Associate Vice President of Organizational Development and Training. Her role as the Associate Vice President of Operations was instrumental in the merge between UT Pan American and UT Brownsville. More recently, she taught courses as an Assistant Professor in Communication Studies. Prior to UTRGV, Nikkie served as the Executive Director of Enrollment Services, Executive Director of Civic Engagement, and Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Brownsville.

Nikkie has served in higher education for more than thirty years and has devoted her career to assisting students, families, faculty, and staff in reaching their academic and professional goals. She is currently researching the speech act theory in maternal relationships across ethnic groups, leadership language usage in political speeches, small working group relationships, nonverbal communication, and use of social media in relationships. Her work has been published in JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, Global Media Journal, and The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Communication. She is also the proud author of a children's book, titled Ricky the Raindrop, available through Amazon.

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.

This summer, Stephanie Dailey (Communication Studies) and Seth Frei (Management) led students on an amazing 3-week business communication abroad program in Germany, Switzerland, and Portugal. Through cultural excursions and company visits—including Siemens, BMW Group, IWC Schaffhausen, and Lindt & Sprüngli—students developed a greater appreciation for business communication in international work cultures along with strong friendships.

Michael Burns, Marian Houser, Kristen Farris, and Matthew Winn along with Fine Arts faculty Daris Hale and Ian Davidson led 40 students to London and Paris. 36 undergrad students were enrolled in both COMM 1310 and MU 2313 (Intro to Fine Arts), three COMM graduate students were enrolled in COMM 5324 (Instructional COMM), and one music graduate student was enrolled in a music pedagogy course.

Undergraduate students learned about small group communication and problem-solving by engaging in the "Amazing Race" on the first full day in London. They learned about intercultural interactions through observation assignments in Paris and explored differences in British and American humor via attending a comedy show in London. The students completed a rhetorical analysis of Churchill's "Their Finest Hour" speech and learned about the rhetorical situation through a visit to the War Rooms. Students practiced their oral presentation skills through impromptu speeches in Paris and through the development of an informative presentation about a memorable experience they had during their study abroad trip. 

Graduate students learned how to apply instructional communication principles, processes, and theories through leading two discussion facilitations and the impromptu presentation assignment to a small, undergraduate student audience. They reflected on these experiences in a research paper in which they identified their instructional communication strengths and limitations. They also conducted an instructional communication research project in which they facilitated two to three focus groups centering on the study abroad format of the basic communication course and its impact on students' intercultural communication competence and apprehension.

Students and faculty also attended the Shakespeare Globe Theatre performance of “Comedy of Errors,” and the Royal Ballet’s production of “Sleeping Beauty.” The team rode the Chunnel to Paris and visited places such as Musee d’Orsay, Opera Garnier’s presentation of “The Dante Project Ballet,” and a “Street Art/Music Photo/Video Competition.” 

Communication Studies Faculty Recognized for Teaching

The Department of Communication Studies is proud to have two faculty members honored with Presidential Awards. Roseann Mandziuk received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Professor/Associate Professor rank and Elizabeth K. Eger received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Assistant Professor rank.

            Roseann Mandziuk is a University Distinguished Professor. She joined the Texas State faculty in 1987 and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including protest rhetoric, media criticism, and rhetorical methods. She has been awarded two Fulbright Scholar Awards for teaching, Poland in 2011 and India in 2019. She also has held visiting professorships at the University of Amsterdam and Moscow State University. Roseann is currently serving as Immediate Past President of the National Communication Association and has also served as President of the Southern States Communication Association. Among many other awards and distinctions, Roseann is also the recipient of the 2013 Presidential Award for Service at the Professor/Associate Professor rank.

            Elizabeth K. Eger joined Texas State University in 2017. Her qualitative and critical communication research, teaching, and service explore communication and difference; LGBTQ+ work and health; how collectives co-construct organizational identities; and how work shapes our lives, identities, and health. Elizabeth’s teaching and research have been recognized nationally by the National Communication Association (NCA) Organizational Communication Division for the Outstanding Teaching Award, the NCA Ethnography Division for the Early Scholar Career Award, and with two articles of the year awards from NCA Ethnography and the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender.

Faculty Accolades

Ann Burnette presented "'There is nothing beyond our capacity': U.S. national security strategies as argumentative frameworks" to the 10th Conference of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation in Leiden, the Netherlands. The paper was co-authored with Wayne Kraemer. She also attended the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Lyndon B. Johnson's grave in the family cemetery in Johnson City on August on August 27, the 115th anniversary of Lyndon Johnson's birth. Ann is a board member of the LBJ Museum of San Marcos.

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.

Elizabeth K. Eger received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Assistant Professor rank. She was also tenured and promoted to Associate Professor. She presented her paper, “Embracing and teaching Qualitative inquiry across management, organizational, and work curricula” at the Qualitative Research in Management and Organization conference in Albuquerque, NM. She also presented a guest lecture via Zoom to Sacramento State University on “Ethnography and Research Ethics.” Elizabeth welcomed six visiting Communication Studies scholars to her COMM 5303: Qualitative Research Methods in Communication seminar, including: Shawna Malvini Redden, Robert Gutierrez-Perez, Michael Tristano Jr., Ana Terminel Iberri, and TXST alumni Emily Pollard and Lauren Lee.

Kristen Farris had "Employee culture of health perceptions and the development of a training intervention" accepted to the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. The piece was co-authored with Tricia Burke and Michael Burns. She also published “Pandemic pedagogy and turbulence in the teacher-student relationship” in the Texas Speech Communication Journal with co-authors Marian Houser and Erik Timmerman.

Wayne Kraemer presented "'There is nothing beyond our capacity': U.S. national security strategies as argumentative frameworks" to the 10th Conference of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation in Leiden, the Netherlands. The paper was co-authored with Ann Burnette. He also attended the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Lyndon B. Johnson's grave in the family cemetery in Johnson City on August on August 27, the 115th anniversary of Lyndon Johnson's birth. Wayne is the Board President of the LBJ Museum of San Marcos.

Marian Houser published “The student veteran instructional communication
training (SVIC): An analysis of student veteran instructional needs and corresponding instructional behaviors” in The Journal of Communication Pedagogy with M.A. alum Trevor Kauer. She also published “Pandemic pedagogy and turbulence in the teacher-student relationship” in the Texas Speech Communication Journal with co-authors Kristen Farris and Erik Timmerman.

Roseann Mandziuk received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Professor/Associate Professor rank.

Marek Muller received the Top Overall Paper award for the Conference on Communication & The Environment held by the International Environmental Communication Association. The paper, “Woke sausages at the Cracker Barrel”, is a rhetorical analysis of the summer 2022 social media backlash against Cracker Barrel by patrons angry at the inclusion of meatless sausage on the breakfast menu.

Manu Pokharel and M.A. student Johnny Angel Vasallo monitored several OSHA-funded safety trainings on Temperature Extremes. Johnny assisted with the grant activities over the summer, culminating in a training organized for CPS Energy San Antonio. The training was facilitated by two OSHA trainers, a graduate student from Engineering Technology, Johnny, and Manu. The project was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2022.

Philip Salem published Organizational Communication Dynamics and Higher Education. The book provides an analysis, synthesis, and application of over 50 years of organizational communication higher education research. Topics range from burnout and morale to student recruitment and organizational change. The volume addresses a current and pressing need at research universities, undergraduate programs, and community colleges and helps higher education scholars, researchers, and administrators confront organizational communication challenges.

C. Erik Timmerman published “Pandemic pedagogy and turbulence in the teacher-student relationship” in the Texas Speech Communication Journal with co-authors Kristen Farris and Marian Houser.

 Communication Studies Welcomes New Faculty 

Dr. Marek Muller will join the Department of Communication Studies in the fall. Dr. Muller is a graduate of the University of Utah where they earned a Ph.D. in Communication and a graduate certificate in Gender Studies. They are currently an Assistant Professor of Rhetorical Studies and an affiliate faculty member in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Florida Atlantic University. Marek has also taught at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and the Institute for Engineering & Technology in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 

Dr. Muller is a rhetorician interested in human rights, nonhuman animal rights and the humanity/animality dialectic. Specifically, they research the rhetoric of speciesism as it is used by (1) rhetors looking to exploit nonhuman animals by "animalizing" them; (2) rhetors looking to exploit humans by "dehumanizing" them; and (3) rhetors fighting for social/environmental justice by articulating the intersections of human and nonhuman animal exploitation. With an orientation toward interdisciplinary, intersectional, and anti-oppressive pedagogy in rhetorics of civic engagement, Marek encourages students to grapple with their identities, privileges, individual goals, and systemic obligations in a manner conducive to pragmatic social change. 

Marek’s first book, Impersonating Animals: Rhetoric, Ecofeminism, and Animal Rights Law, assesses competing rhetorics of animal law through an ecofeminist lens and highlights how animal studies scholars and activists can and should use ideological rhetorical criticism to investigate the implications of their tactics and strategies, emphasizing a critical vegan rhetoric as the best means of achieving liberation for human and nonhuman animals alike. Their research has also been published in journals such as Environmental Communication, Rhetoric and Public Affairs, Frontiers in Communication, Communication Studies, American Studies, and the Journal of Multicultural Discourses.

Outside of the academy, Marek is an avid kickboxer and is (slowly) working toward a black belt in karate. They enjoy taking walks with their chihuahua Boots, watching professional wrestling, and cooking any vegan recipe they can find. If anyone knows where to sing karaoke or complete a particularly corny escape room, they are open to suggestions.

Bobcats Shine at Spring Tournaments

The LBJ Debate Society and Elton Abernathy Forensics Society, Texas State’s competitive speech and forensics team, competed in several tournaments during the spring semester.

Jacob Everett and Taylor Tate, members of Texas State's LBJ Debate Society and Elton Abernathy Forensics Society, competed in the National Forensic Association's Championship Tournament hosted by Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Both qualified for elimination rounds and finished the tournament ranked as two of the top 32 NFA Lincoln Douglas debaters in the country. Everett was also named the overall third best NFA LD speaker - the highest student placement in that event in team history.

Texas State finished second in the nation in the four-year college sweepstakes at the National Online Forensics Championships.

Highlights:

• Haley Bass was crowned National Champion (Gold Medal) in Informative Speaking.
• Callum Ritter and Hanna Prince won a national championship (Gold Medal) in Duo Dramatic Interpretation.
• Callum Ritter also won the Bronze Medal in Program Oral Interpretation and in Poetry Interpretation.
• Ashton Rios placed second in the nation in Impromptu Speaking and received the Silver Medal.

The Texas State Speech and Debate Team competed in the American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament hosted by Santa Ana Community College.

Highlights:

• The team finished third in the nation in the Limited Sweepstakes Division for teams with fifteen entries or less.
• The Bobcats also placed 23rd overall in the tournament out of the 57 schools entered.
• Ashton Rios, Haley Bass, Hanna Prince, and Callum Ritter represented the Bobcats in the tournament with Callum Ritter placing as a national quarterfinalist in Program Oral Interpretation.
• Wayne Kraemer, Director of Forensics at Texas State, was presented with the Carrol and Barbara Hickey Award for Distinguished Service.
• Ashton Rios also represented Texas State as one of two national student representatives to the National Council.

The team also competed in the Pi Kappa Delta National Championships hosted by West Chester University.

Highlights:

• The team finished 16th in the nation out of the 51 colleges and universities attending the tournament.
• Callum Ritter finished second in the nation in Poetry Interpretation. Ritter also was a national semi-finalist in Program Oral Interpretation and a national quarterfinalist in Dramatic Interpretation.
• Haley Bass was a national quarterfinalist in After Dinner Speaking.

The Bobcats made an impressive showing at the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association (TIFA) Championships hosted by Texas State University.

Highlights:

• The team won the top overall school sweepstakes award.
• The team won the second-place debate sweepstakes award.
• The team won the second-place individual events award.
• Haley Bass took first place in Informative Speaking.
• Callum Ritter won first place in Dramatic Interpretation and second place in Poetry Interpretation.
• Hanna Prince placed fourth in Dramatic Interpretation.
• Halle Divalentone, Jacob Everett, Jacob Graybill, and Samantha Nava qualified for quarterfinals in International Public Debate.

Career Readiness Connects Students and Professionals

The Career Readiness Program, led by Dr. Michael Burns, hosted its final events of the semester featuring Texas State Alumni. For additional information about the program, please visit the website for the Career Readiness Program.

Alumna Maria Garrett spoke about her experiences as a leadership consultant. Maria is principal owner of MG Leadership, a boutique executive coaching and consulting firm. She delivers customized, one-on-one coaching services to top leaders in the tech sector and works with leadership teams to increase their impact and effectiveness.

Students in the Career Readiness program visited Memorial Hermann Hospital in Katy, TX. They met with the Chief Nursing Officer, attended a presentation entitled “Project Management 101”, and heard a panel of six professionals sharing experiences. Alumni Natalie Cavazos and Maddie Banks, both employees of the hospital, hosted the group. The two-day trip also included a networking event featuring 16 Houston-area alumni that met with students.

Faculty Accolades

Jasmine Austin gave an invited lecture for Baruch College as part of the SUNY system. Her lecture centered on critical qualitative data analysis strategies. Jasmine presented a training entitled “Say it with your chest: Having difficult conversations in a respectful, collaborative, and considerate manner” at the 2023 TXST Stem Conference. The training was co-facilitated with M.A. students Gavin Thomson and Cesar Mejia Aguilar. She also presented “Finding Common Ground for Difficult Conversations” to the 2023 Student Academic Support Programs Conference. Attendees identified 8 contributors to conflict, learned 5 strategies for approaching difficult conversations, and practiced the 3 D’s for handling difficult conversations that may be unmanageable.

Tricia Burke had "Employee culture of health perceptions and the development of a training intervention" accepted to the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. The piece was co-authored with Michael Burns and Kristen Farris.

Ann Burnette served as Vice President and Planner for the 2023 Annual Convention of the Southern States Communication Association in St. Petersburg, FL. She issued the call for scholarly papers, oversaw the review of over 400 submissions, and scheduled the papers, speakers, business meetings, and other events. At the conclusion of the 2023 convention, she became the President of SSCA. She also presented "Kamala Harris and the 2024 Presidential Election" to the Southern States Communication Association Convention.

Michael Burns had "Employee culture of health perceptions and the development of a training intervention" accepted to the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. The piece was co-authored with Tricia Burke and Kristen Farris. Michael also received the 2023 “Friend of Student Success Award” from the Division of Student Success at Texas State.

Casey Chilton appeared on the podcast “Storytelling Movement” created and hosted by M.A. alum Ryan McPherson to discuss essential facilitation skills in small group discussion. He also 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 this summer.

Stephanie Dailey published “Being creative within (or outside) the box: Bridging occupational identity gaps” in Management Communication Quarterly. 

Kristen Farris had "Employee culture of health perceptions and the development of a training intervention" accepted to the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. The piece was co-authored with Tricia Burke and Michael Burns. She presented a paper co-authored with M.A. alum, Maya Blitch, entitled, "Re-conceptualization of support (in)adequacy: An exploration of message feature and relational outcome differences for support gap messages" at the Southern States Communication Association Conference in St. Petersburg, FL. Kristen also chaired and presented on a panel entitled, "The Future of Family Turbulence: Exploring Relational Turbulence in Family Contexts" at the SSCA conference.

Rebekah Fox was named Editor of the Southern Communication Journal at the Southern States Communication Association Convention in St. Petersburg, FL.

Wayne Kraemer was presented with the Carrol and Barbara Hickey Award for Distinguished Service at the American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament.

Roseann Mandziuk presented “Where Femininity Meets Hate: Exposing the Rhetoric of Women and White Supremacy” as the Dean’s Seminar Distinguished Achievement. This presentation focused on archival research projects that examine the rhetoric of two significant women’s organizations, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Women of the Ku Klux Klan. Roseann attended the Eastern States Communication Association convention in Baltimore, Maryland. As Immediate Past President, she represented the National Communication Association on the panel "Enacting Transformational Change". She received the Top Paper Award from the Rhetoric and Public Address Division of the Southern States Communication Association for her essay, "'Where a fair white stone has been cast': The perverse feminism of the women of the Ku Klux Klan.” The paper was presented at the SSCA Convention in St. Petersburg, FL.

Josh Miller presented “Happy talk and diverse representation in 9-1-1: Lone Star,” to the Southern States Communication Association Conference. The paper was co-authored with M.A. alums Claire Stevenson and Tyshee Sonnier. While at SSCA, he also participated on a panel entitled “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t: Articulating a Manifesto for Future Discourses of Allyship” and on a panel where he presented work on “The Future(s) of Hope(lessness): Queer Rhetorical Pedagogy and Academic Drag Amidst Toxicity.” He also responded to an Undergraduate Honors Conference panel on rhetorics across form.

Manu Pokharel welcomed the students of COMM 5333 (Health Communication) to the BioCOMM Research Lab at Texas State to discuss the use of psychophysiological measures in Health Communication. The students were also able to see how psychophysiological data are collected using eye-tracking, GSR, and facial expression analysis system.

Student Accolades

M. A. student Abigail Mellow successfully defended her thesis, “’You’re worthless’: Exploring memorable messages of parental rejection and communication’s role in providing a sense of strength among emerging adults.”

M. A. student Rupinder Kaur presented “Ankhila Punjab: Messages to influence, advocate, and move” to the 2023 NAAAS & Affiliates Joint National Conference.

M. A. student Cassidy Trim presented “#QueerStoriesareRealStories: Countering harmful LGBTQIA+ narratives in the media through fanfiction” to the 2023 Popular Culture Association conference in San Antonio.

M.A. students Gavin Thomson and Cesar Mejia Aguilar presented a training entitled “Say it with your chest: Having difficult conversations in a respectful, collaborative, and considerate manner” at the 2023 TXST Stem Conference. The training was co-facilitated with Dr. Jasmine Austin.

M. A. students Amber Alston, Victoria Diaz, Kirara Natsuka, Luis Ortiz, Heather Poulson, Mya Taylor, Gavin Thomson, Mike Thompson, Cassidy Trim, Sarah Wood, and Elizabeth Yanas successfully completed their Master's Academic/Professional Portfolio (MAPP) as the culminating experience of the Master’s program.

Undergraduate student Larry Adisa presented his research entitled "Fallacies in the conversations of men and women: A deep dive into TikTok social conversations" to the Texas State Undergraduate Research Conference. The paper explores how discourse on TikTok shapes masculinity in fallacious ways.

Undergraduate student Haley Bass presented "Justice justifies all: How the Capitol Hill organized protest created a vision of social justice" to the Theodore Clevenger Jr. Undergraduate Honors Conference, held during Southern States Communication Association Convention in St. Petersburg, FL. 

Undergraduate student Ashton Rios presented "Neo-Colonialism and the fight for Native sovereignty in the NoDAPL Movement" to the Theodore Clevenger Jr. Undergraduate Honors Conference, held during Southern States Communication Association Convention in St. Petersburg, FL.

M. A. student Lauren Green was sworn as one of the new Graduate House Representatives for the College of Fine Arts and Communication. She will act as the liaison between graduate students and faculty, serving anyone who has concerns regarding grad life at TXST.

Lambda Pi Eta, the honor society of the National Communication Association, offers students an opportunity to meet and socialize with other Communication Studies majors and faculty, explore employment options, expand knowledge of current issues in the discipline, and provide service to the department and the Texas State community. On April 1st, Lambda Pi Eta participated in Bobcat Build to give back to the community of San Marcos. along with Faculty Advisor Mark Paz, the members of LPE  dug holes, planted bushes, shoveled rocks, and had a great time! 

TEDx Texas State addresses “compleXity”

The 2023 TEDx Texas State event garnered rave reviews as speakers explored the concept of “complexity”. Our world is made up of complex systems and processes that have allowed our species to flourish. Operating in the background, these structures impact our everyday experiences and are often taken for granted. Talks focused on identifying and navigating these complex systems and explored and advocated for solutions to complex problems and challenges we face. The talks represented a variety of fields and perspectives including technology, health, the arts, media, social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences.

The 2023 Speakers

Jennifer Dahlgren is an Assistant Professor at El Paso Community College in the Sign Language and Interpreter Preparation Program and a graduate student at Texas State University. Dahlgren has worked in the field of communication access, education, interpreting and advocacy for more than 15 years with a passion for the empowerment that comes through communication. Dahgren has trained countless service providers and students in the medical, legal, educational, social services and business fields. They have presented both nationally and internationally to audiences large and small, and actively engage in advocating for communication access rights for persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind and DeafDisabled so that they can function independently and equitably in society. Additionally, Dahlgren advocates for the intersectional needs of the LGBTQ and Deaf communities.

Dr. Elizabeth Ekren is a staff researcher at the Texas School Safety Center. She completed her Ph.D. in Development Studies, with a concentration in Social Anthropology, from the University of Bonn (Germany). She has B.A.s in Russian Language and Psychology from Yale University and an M.Sc. in Russian Studies from the University of Oxford (UK). In her past work, she has explored topics such as German refugees’ encounters with municipal welfare structures, Syrian slum-dwellers’ practical abilities to practice government-mandated health measures, and small business owners’ legal operating difficulties in post-communist countries. At the Texas School Safety Center, Dr. Ekren works to evaluate the effectiveness of school safety trainings and conduct research-based assessments on various school safety policy topics.

Madeline English is the Founder and Creator of the Queer Agenda, a Texas-based queer education station specializing in history, issues, and support. Through her work with the Queer Agenda, Madeline has raised hundreds of dollars for Texas-based queer youth organizations and has amassed a following of over fifteen thousand learners. Madeline has been studying queer history for six years and is passionate about bridging the gap in traditional educational settings. Currently, she is studying English at Texas State University and plans to further her education in graduate programs relative to gender and sexuality. Madeline is an avid writer with publications such as "Things Humans Do That I Miss," "You May All Go to Hell, But I Will Go to Bucc-ee's," "Why Pride Isn't Just for June," and "Being an Effective Trans Ally."?

Dr. Philip Salem is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Texas State University. Salem’s publications include work on organizational communication, interpersonal communication, communication and technology, research methods, and communication theory. Salem was the third person to receive the Outstanding Member Award for Contributions to the Discipline and the Association from the Organizational Communication Division of the International Communication Association. Salem’s most recent work relates complexity theory to human communication and to communication and organizational change. Salem’s textbook about human communication technology is now in its third edition.

Ethan Ramirez is a central Texas artist and craftsman whose creative endeavors focus primarily on story telling through the layering of different materials and the creative use of space. He currently attends Texas State University to explore how a professional education in Interior Design could be layered with his artistic background and his practical experience building tiny homes and furniture. Since coming to university, Ethan has been afforded the opportunity to work with the architecture firm HKS and the social impact studio CoAct as they continue to address college aged homelessness. Ethan also leads the Texas State interior design organization “1988,” which helps connect interior design students to design professionals through workshops, designer talks, and networking events.

Dr. Intisar Tyne is an Assistant Professor at Texas State University with three major degrees in Architecture. She earned her PhD from the University of Kansas with a specialization in healthcare space design. Her dissertation research is based on the socio-political impact on 19th century mental healthcare facility design. Her dissertation is one of the earlier attempts to provide the historical understanding of contemporary mental healthcare issues that are shaping the architectural discourse today. Intisar was born in the culturally diversified city of Dhaka in Bangladesh. Intisar’s current research analyses the gender-based disparity in Bangladeshi mental hospitals.

Broderick Turner currently serves as a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State and looks forward to fulfilling his new role as a United States diplomat in Brazil at U.S. Consulate Porto Alegre. He completed his undergraduate studies in 2020 at Texas State University and earned a degree in International Relations and French. During his time at Texas State, Broderick completed his Honors thesis titled, “Paths of Iron: Contextualizing Franco-Swiss Economic Relations in the Region of Haute-Savoie through Translation” where he discusses the importance of translation and its assistance in breaking down barriers within language systems. He went on to receive a Master's in Global Affairs from Yale University in 2022 and was a Rangel International Affairs Fellow.

TEDx Texas State by the numbers

• 7 amazing speakers shared their ideas on the red dot
• 2 Emcees, both students from Communication Studies
• 4 main stage performances, all students from the College of Fine Arts and Communication: Musical Theatre “Young, Gifted, and Black”, Bobcat Country, Mariachi Nueva Generacion, and Grupo Folklorico Octochtli dance company
• 1 trombone quartet- The Mescal Quartet
• 2 DJs
• 4 COMM Studies (Michael Burns, Kristen Farris, Mark Paz, and Ann Burnette) and 1 Mass Comm (Prisca Ngondo) faculty members curated the event and/or coached speakers
• 3 student interns served on the leadership team: Elizabeth Yanas (COMM grad student) Abbye Shattuck (senior PR student), and Oscar Hough (sophomore Theatre student)
• 7 months preparing
• 28 graduate and undergraduate student volunteers
• 2 student photographers
• 4 alumni videographers
• 255 tickets sold
• 11 departments or organizations sponsored this year’s event
• 326 people total attended the event
• $4771 in ticket and t-shirt sales
• $9,450 in cash sponsorship
• $1,100 in product sponsorship
• 15 gallons of coffee served
• 144 cookies, 100 bananas, and 100 apples eaten

Bobcats Shine at Final Tournaments of the Fall Semester

The LBJ Debate Society and Elton Abernathy Forensics Society, Texas State’s competitive speech and forensics team, competed at several events in the final months of the fall semester and earned many accolades.

At the Fall Finale hosted by University of Nebraska-Lincoln, LD debaters Jacob Everett, Samantha Nava, Taylor Tate, and Jacob Graybill finished third place overall. Texas State's students outperformed schools from around the country, including North Texas, Truman State, Missouri Valley, Sacramento State, and Central Michigan. In addition, Jacob Everett and Taylor Tate qualified for the National Forensics Association national tournament in the Spring. Students also earned individual accomplishments. Taylor Tate was the top speaker in the Junior Varsity division and finished in second place. Jacob Everett was the 5th place speaker in the open division and finished third. Bobcats earned wins against debaters from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, North Texas, Nebraska-Lincoln, Illinois State, Florida State, Fullerton, Washburn, Lafayette, and Sacramento State.

Callum Ritter had an impressive showing at the Off-Broadway Swing Forensics Tournament at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. The tournament was hosted by Texas State alum Trent Webb. Ritter was the champion in three events, including Poetry, Program Oral Interpretation (POI), and Prose and placed fifth in Dramatic Interpretation on the first day of the tournament. He placed first in POI, second in Poetry, fourth in Prose and fifth in DI on the second day of the tournament. Ritter was also the overall top individual competitor at the tournament.

At the Fall TIFA Championships hosted by Tyler Junior College, the Bobcats won the first-place debate sweepstakes award, second place individual events award, and top overall school sweepstakes award. The team won over 15 individual awards including first place in Dramatic Interpretation (Callum Ritter), first place in Poetry Interpretation (Callum Ritter) and first place in two-person parliamentary debate (Darian Burroughs and Jacob Everett).  

LBJ Museum and Communication Studies welcomes Julian Castro

Wayne Kraemer and Ann Burnette joined other LBJ Museum of San Marcos Board members and Communication Studies faculty in welcoming the Honorable Julian Castro to speak at the LBJ Museum Annual Gala. Mr. Wayne Kramer serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the museum, and Dr. Ann Burnette serves as the secretary.

Faculty Accolades

Jasmine Austin served as co-editor of a special issue of the journal Applied Communication Research. She published “Generating more inclusive media memory: The limits and possibilities of news archives” in Media, Culture, & Society. She also published “Narrating the past on fairer terms: Approaches to building multicultural public memory” in Critical Studies in Media Communication. Jasmine and M.A. alum Tianna Cobb published “Red table talk: Discussions on social marginality in Communication Teacher. Jasmine will serve as the 2023 National Communication Association Preconference Planner and is the 2023 Activism and Social Justice Division Program Planner for the National Communication Association Conference. She gave a "Negotiating Conflict" presentation to Texas State athletes as part of the Student Athlete Development Series. Jasmine was also named an Honorary Coach by the Texas State football team.

Ann Burnette and M.A. alum Anthony V. LaStrape published a book chapter, "Advantage authenticity: Naomi Osaka's activism for social justice and mental health," in the book Social Justice and the Modern Athlete: Exploring the Role of Athlete Activism in Social Change.

Michael Burns received a $16,000 REP grant to fund “Mental Health, Soft Skill, and Coping Strategies for First Responders”.

Stephanie Dailey published “The visualization of public information: Describing the use of narrative infographics by U.S. municipal governments” in the journal Public Policy and Administration. She also published “The great resignation in higher education: An occupational health approach to understanding intentions-to-quit for faculty in higher education” in the journal Teaching and Teacher Education. Students in Stephanie’s graduate Organizational Communication course completed applied research projects for a Central Texas nonprofit, using secondary data to help diagnose communication issues and offer recommendations for increasing diversity, employee motivation, communicating uniqueness, and employee morale. Stephanie also received an $8,000 RED grant to fund "I Can’t Stop Thinking About My Kids": Exploring How Childcare Apps Affect Working Parents’ Well-Being”. She welcomed Elissa Fontenot, Assistant Director of Digital @TXST to her “Social Media in Organizations” class as a guest speaker. Students learned about Elissa's past and current work in social media, received career advice, and got more information about social media policy. 

Elizabeth Eger and M.A. alum Tori R. Miller published "#RepresentationMatters on TV: A critical textual analysis of intersectional representation at work on NBC’s Superstore” in Feminist Media Studies. She welcomed Maria Freed of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) and Rex Long (PhD Student from TXST Anthropology and Doctoral Fellow of TXST's Translational Health Resource Center) to her COMM 5303 qualitative methods graduate seminar. The students in the class will work as co-researchers on a qualitative project on Texas rural community resiliency and libraries. She presented a guest lecture, "Ethnographies of difference-based organizing and organizational identities" via Zoom for The University of Texas at San Antonio. She presented a poster at the TXST 2023 Health Scholar Showcase with doctoral student Rex Long, M.A. student Britney Treviño, and Melinda Villagran called “Using COPEWELL to Build Community Resilience in Texas.” Elizabeth and her COMM 5303 M.A. students also practiced qualitative participant observation in a field activity on the TXST quad and at Old Main. 

Kristen Farris and M.A. alum Ifeoluwatobi (Tobi) Odunsi published “Predicting college students' preventative behavior during a pandemic: The role of the health belief model, source credibility, and health literacy” in a special issue of American Behavioral Scientist focused on, "Health Communication and the COVID-19 Pandemic." She co-authored an article with M.A. alum Ifeoluwatobi Odunsi entitled, "Enacting preventative behavior during a pandemic: The role of health beliefs, information source credibility, and health literacy" that was accepted for publication in a special issue of American Behavioral Scientist focused on health communication and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marian Houser received a $16,000 REP grant to fund “Mental Health, Soft Skill, and Coping Strategies for First Responders”.

Josh Miller received the 2023 Janice Hocker Rushing Early Career Research Award from the Southern States Communication Association. He also received an $8,000 REP grant to fund “The Poor People’s Campaign Coalitional Leadership”.

Manu Pokharel published "Social media narratives can influence vaccine intentions: The impact of depicting regret and character death" in Computers in Human Behavior. She presented “Social Media Narratives Can Influence Vaccine Intentions: The Impact of Depicting Regret and Character Death” to the Our COVID Experience: Day of Reflection event hosted by Texas State. She also presented “Political Party Collective Norms, Perceived Norms, and Mask Wearing Behavior: A Test of the Theory of Normative Social Behavior” to the Spring 2023 Health Scholar Showcase at Texas State.

Student Accolades

M.A. student Abigail Mellow earned the Thesis Research Support Fellowship from Texas State's Graduate College. This competitive award was granted to fund Abigail's research focusing on messages of parental rejection, and how supportive communication and resilience may facilitate improved outcomes (e.g., post-traumatic growth, anxiety, depression, relationship satisfaction) even in instances of parental rejection. 

M.A. student Kirara Nagatsuka placed in the finals for the 3-minute thesis competition. Her thesis is titled, "Am I not Japanese Enough? Socialization of Hafu in Japan and Their Mental Health"

M.A. student Heather Poulsen presented her and Victoria Diaz’s competitive paper, “Theoretical analysis of the organizing context of planned parenthood of Greater Texas amid governmental tension” in the Organizational Communication Division at the Western States Communication Association in Phoenix, AZ.

M.A. student Gavin Thomson had his paper, “The Brooklyn Net’s uphill battle against contradictory vaccination policies” accepted to the Organizational Communication Division for WSCA 2023.

The Communication Studies Graduate Association (CSGA) is a departmental organization dedicated to unifying the graduate students in Communication Studies at Texas State University. CSGA hosted their welcome back bowling event.  CSGA hosted a “Mardi Gras Kickback” at Sewell Park complete with King Cake, games, and snacks. 

TEDx is coming...

TEDxTexasStateUniversity speakers have been chosen and tickets are now on sale at txstatepresents.com. The event takes place February 11th on campus at the Performing Arts Center. Click here to view the list of speakers and purchase tickets.

This year's theme is compleXity. Our world is made up of complex systems and processes that have allowed our species to flourish. Operating in the background, these structures impact our everyday experiences and are often taken for granted. TEDxTexasStateUniversity’s 2023 theme will explore compleXity. Talks will focus on identifying and navigating these complex systems and will explore and advocate for solutions to complex problems and challenges we face. The talks will represent a variety of fields and perspectives including technology, health, the arts, media, social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences. It promises to be a day of inspiration and conversation as we discover what it means to be a citizen in this complex, global world.

Career Readiness Holds Events for Students

The Career Readiness Program, led by Dr. Michael Burns, hosted two events featuring Texas State Alumni. For additional information, please visit the website for the Career Readiness Program.

Career Readiness hosted the fall CSCR Networking Event. Alumni came to San Marcos to meet and talk with students in a casual setting.

M.A. alum Justin Garcia, Manager of Global Lead Development for Amazon Webservices (AWS), hosted an interviewing intensive workshop. Justin interviews over 200 people a year and trains all AWS interns on interviewing. AWS is known for having some of the toughest interviews in industry, and this experience set students up to ace every interview coming their way.

Faculty Accolades

Tricia Burke received a top paper panel award from the Training and Development division of NCA for "An exploratory investigation of employee perceptions for the development of a culture of health training intervention." The piece was co-authored with Kristen Farris and Michael Burns. The award was presented at the National Communication Association convention in New Orleans.

Ann Burnette presented research from a forthcoming book, "From a Whisper to a Movement: Investigating the Shared Rhetorical Spaces of Whistleblowing and Public Protest," at the National Communication Association Annual Convention in New Orleans. The NCA panel included other authors whose work will also appear in the book.

Michael Burns presented “Public Speaking Best Practices” to Pi Alpha Delta, Texas State's pre-law fraternity. Michael also hosted three guest speakers in his Sport Communication class this semester: Bobby Trosset, Host of the Ravens Vault Podcast, Joe Hamlin Director of Partnership Strategy for the Cleveland Browns, and Susan Hazzard Managing Director of Communications for USA Track & Field. All of the speakers presented about working in the sports industry and provided students with advice on how to break into the industry. He received a top paper panel award from the Training and Development division of NCA for "An exploratory investigation of employee perceptions for the development of a culture of health training intervention." The piece was co-authored with Kristen Farris and Tricia Burke. The award was presented at the National Communication Association convention in New Orleans.

Stephanie Dailey presented “Examining Resilience in Organizing” to the Organizational Communication Division at the National Communication Association convention in New Orleans.

Elizabeth Eger received the 2022 Anita Taylor Outstanding Published Article Award from the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender. The award recognized her article published in the International Journal of Business Communication entitled, “Co-constructing organizational identity and culture with those we serve: An ethnography of a transgender nonprofit organization communicating family identity and identification." Elizabeth received two career awards at the National Communication Association Convention in New Orleans. She received an Ethnography Division Early Career Award, which awards outstanding contributions to ethnographic research, and an Organizational Communication Division Outstanding Teaching Award (Tenure-Track), which honors superlative teaching in higher education in organizational communication. She received a top paper from the Critical Cultural Studies Division of NCA for "'Girl, it's bad in here.': Intersectional Undocuqueer Experiences of Organizational Violence in NBC's Superstore." The paper was co-authored with M.A. alum Emily Pollard. Elizabeth presented "Service Industry Workers as Family: Theorizing How Personal Workplace Relationships Both Build Community and Perpetuate Organizational Violence" to NCA's Ethnography Division. The paper was co-authored with M.A. alums Emily Pollard, Hannah E. Jones, and Riki Van Meter. She also chaired the panel “People and Advocacy in Organizations” at the convention.

Kristen Farris received a top paper panel award from the Training and Development division of NCA for "An exploratory investigation of employee perceptions for the development of a culture of health training intervention." The piece was co-authored with Michael Burns and Tricia Burke. Kristen also received a top paper panel award from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning division of NCA for "The COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for instructor sensemaking." The awards were presented at the National Communication Association convention in New Orleans. Kristen published "Illuminating the faculty voice: Lessons from the pandemic to prepare for future crises" in Qualitative Research Reports in Communication. The article was co-authored with Erik Timmerman and Marian Houser, along with M.A. alum, Luke Dye. Kristen presented "Messages of support (in)adequacy: An exploration of message feature and relational outcome differences for support gap messages" to the Interpersonal Communication Division of NCA. The paper was co-authored with M.A. alum Maya Blitch.

Rebekah Fox presented research from a forthcoming book, "From a Whisper to a Movement: Investigating the Shared Rhetorical Spaces of Whistleblowing and Public Protest," at the National Communication Association Annual Convention in New Orleans. The NCA panel included other authors whose work will also appear in the book.

Marian Houser published "Illuminating the faculty voice: Lessons from the pandemic to prepare for future crises" in Qualitative Research Reports in Communication. The article was co-authored with Erik Timmerman and Kristen Farris, along with M.A. alum, Luke Dye. 

Maureen Keeley presented “Facilitating Meaningful Final Conversations in Family: Practice Insights from Research” to health and social care providers in Hong Kong. The presentation was part of a webinar series on family-centered end-of-life care sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Maureen also presented “Death and Dying during a Global Pandemic: Strategies for Renewing Commitment, and Transforming Fear to Hope, at End-of- Life” to the Communication and Aging Division at the National Communication Association convention in New Orleans.

Roseann Mandziuk gave The LBJ Museum’s Annual Fall Lecture, presenting about Lady Bird Johnson’s 1964 Whistle Stop Tour, during which the former first lady travelled through the south giving speeches in favor of the Democratic ticket. For more information about the presentation, see the recent article published in the San Marcos Daily Record. As the current President of the National Communication Association, Roseann presented “From Lee to Jackson: Dismantling Structures of Oppression in New Orleans” to the opening session of the NCA convention in New Orleans.

Manu Pokharel published “Tailored visuals, implementation intentions, and sun safe behavior: A longitudinal message experiment” in Health Psychology. She also published “Developing skin cancer education materials for darker skin populations: Crowdsourced design, message targeting, and acral lentiginous melanoma” in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine. Manu was named co-project director of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training Grant. The goal of the project is to educate diverse workers about heat and cold stress hazards, help them identify symptoms, and train them to manage and treat extreme temperature-related health issues. It also seeks to empower the workers by highlighting employee rights, employer responsibilities, whistleblower laws, OSHA’s Complaint Policies and Procedures, and anti-retaliation provisions (11(c) through the training modules. Manu will develop promotional and training materials, advertise the training sessions, assist in revising training materials, and evaluate the effectiveness of the training. Manu presented “Using Narratives to Correct Politically Charged Health Misinformation and Address Affective Belief Echoes” to the Health Communication Division at the National Communication Association convention in New Orleans. She also presented “Depicted Regret, Character Death, and Vaccination Intentions: A Social Media Experiment” which was co-authored with M.A. student Kirara Nagatsuka.

C. Erik Timmerman published "Illuminating the faculty voice: Lessons from the pandemic to prepare for future crises" in Qualitative Research Reports in Communication. The article was co-authored with Marian Houser and Kristen Farris, along with M.A. alum, Luke Dye. 

Melinda Villagran presented “Death and Dying during a Global Pandemic: Strategies for Renewing Commitment, and Transforming Fear to Hope, at End-of- Life” to the Communication and Aging Division at the National Communication Association convention in New Orleans.

Student Accolades 

M.A. student Kyle Chitwood presented “Tales of a cowboy: Analyzing Western myth in the narratives of Dave Chappelle’s ‘8:46’” to the Scholar II Scholar panel at the National Communication Association convention in New Orleans.

M.A. student Kirara Nagatsuka presented her topic on biracial individuals in Japan in the final round of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. She also presented “Decolonize our own Research! Can we Overturn #CommSoWhite?” and “Depicted Regret, Character Death, and Vaccination Intentions: A Social Media Experiment” at the National Communication Association convention in New Orleans.

Alumni Accolades

M.A. alum Emily Pollard received a top paper from the Critical Cultural Studies Division of NCA for their paper, "'Girl, it's bad in here.': Intersectional Undocuqueer Experiences of Organizational Violence in NBC's Superstore." The paper was co-authored with Elizabeth Eger.

M.A. alums Emily Pollard, Hannah E. Jones, and Riki Van Meter presented "Service Industry Workers as Family: Theorizing How Personal Workplace Relationships Both Build Community and Perpetuate Organizational Violence" to NCA's Ethnography Division. The paper was co-authored with Elizabeth Eger.

Career Readiness Hosts Engaging Events for Students

The Career Readiness Program, led by Dr. Michael Burns, is hosting multiple events this semester, all featuring Texas State Alumni. For additional information, please visit the website for the Career Readiness Program.

M.A. alum Victoria Locke, Vice President of Research & Assessment at Istation, presented “Companies Love Data: Leveraging Your Empirical Research Methods Course in Industry”. She discussed why it is crucial to understand the research process and how that prepares students for careers in many different industries. Istation is an award-winning educational technology company located in Dallas. Recent work at Istation includes research on the ISIP as a screener for the risk of dyslexia, the use of ISIP in bilingual and dual language education, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning. Victoria currently develops and implements product research and innovation for the Istation’s Indicators of Progress (ISIP) suite of assessments that are used by millions of students.

Not a Trivial Event

Lambda Pi Eta is the honor society of the National Communication Association, offering undergraduate students the opportunity to expand knowledge of current issues in the discipline, explore employment options, and provide service to the department and the Texas State community.

The Delta Beta chapter of Lambda Pi Eta competed in Plucker's Wing Bar trivia competition. They were joined by Texas State President Kelly Damphousse, who provided some clutch answers. Pictured are President Damphousse and the members of the honor society, including Faculty Advisor Mark Paz.

Faculty Accolades

Tricia Burke had “The mediating role of social control in the relationship between family communication patterns and emerging adults’ weight-related outcomes” accepted for publication in the Southern Communication Journal. The paper was co-authored by M.A. alum Trevor Kauer. Tricia also had “Examining changes in affection and ‘feeling touched out’ after the birth of a child” accepted for publication in the Journal of Family Communication. The paper was co-authored by current M.A. student Abigail Mellow.

Ann Burnette published "Retire like a man: Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, and competing masculinities" in the book Rhetoric of Masculinity: Male Body Image, Media, and Gender Role Stress/Conflict. The piece was co-authored with M.A. alum Dr. Anthony LaStrape. She also published "The politicization of protests and protection: The major free speech issues during COVID-19 pandemic" in Public Communication in the Time of COVID-19. The piece was co-authored with Rebekah Fox. Ann did a live radio interview with host Roy Holly of KNAF, discussing the LBJ Museum of San Marcos and President Lyndon Johnson's connection to Texas State University.

Casey Chilton presented “Inspiring Others to Believe What You Believe (Quickly)” to the Texas Youth Preparedness Council Fall Training Event as they prepare their Community Impact projects for the Texas Emergency Management Conference.

Elizabeth K. Eger published "Resisting cookie-cutter fundraising norms: Rethinking power in nonprofit organizing," in Casing Organizational Communication, Volume 2. Elizabeth hosted a virtual session in which M.A. alumni presented on their research papers and how they use Communication Studies in their work-life. Presenters included: Chelsea Biggerstaff, Mike Cavanagh, Niko Corbin, Livia Hendrickson, Ramces Luna, Brad Palmisano, and Michael Tahmoressi.

Rebekah Fox published "The politicization of protests and protection: The major free speech issues during COVID-19 pandemic" in Public Communication in the Time of COVID-19. The piece was co-authored with Ann Burnette.

Marian Houser published the third edition of “Handbook of Instructional Communication: Principles & Practices of Teaching Rhetorical & Relational Perspectives” with M.A. alum Angela Hosek. The new edition of handbook covers an up-to-date array of topics that include social identity, technology, sex and gender, race and ethnicity, risk and crisis, and civility and dissent This volume demonstrates how to understand, plan, and conduct instructional communication research as well as consult with fellow scholars across the communication discipline.

Maureen Keeley published “Interdisciplinary simulation for nursing and medical students about final conversation: Catalyzing relationships at the end of life (CAREol)” in Palliative and Supportive Care.

Manu Pokharel published “Developing skin cancer education materials for darker skin populations: Crowdsourced design, message targeting, and acral lentiginous melanoma” the Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 

Lindsay Timmerman published “Redefining ‘healthy mom, healthy baby’: Making sense of traumatic birth stories through relational dialectics theory” in the Western Journal of Communication.

Student Accolades

Student Accolades

M.A. student Kirara Nagatsuka published, "Emotion, attachment, representation, and loss: A comparative study on what it means for objects to 'spark joy'" with Valerie Manusov in the Atlantic Journal of Communication. 

M.A. students Camille Kenner and Luis Ortiz presented "Drowning in oil: A case study of a small paper company in Odessa, Texas" at the Organizational Communication Mini-Conference in Austin, TX. 

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.

Michael Burns, Kristen Farris, and Marian Houser co-led a study abroad program in collaboration with Daris Hale, Ian Davidson, and Nico Schuler from the Department of Music that went to London and Paris. Students in the program earned credit for a variety of courses including COMM 1310, Introduction to Fine Arts, HON 3397H (International Culture), and graduate-level Instructional Communication. In addition to completing assignments centered around cultural content, students attended concerts and toured locations such as the British Museum, the Tate Modern, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, the National Gallery, and Buckingham Palace. In Paris, students toured locations such as the Louvre, the Memorial de la Shoah, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower, in addition to attending Jazz concerts and the Strauss opera “Elektra”.

Michael Burns also led a second program that went to Rome, Florence, and Vienna and was co-led with Daris Hale from the Department of Music. Students in the program earned credit for a variety of courses including Fundamentals of Human Communication, Introduction to Fine Arts, International Culture, and Rhetorical Criticism. In addition to completing assignments centered around cultural content, students toured locations such as as the Pantheon, the Colosseum, Vatican City, Schonnbrunn Palace, the Sigmund Freud Museum, Mozart’s House, and the Vienna State Opera House. Students also attended musical events such as “La Traviata” and Verdi’s “Four Seasons”.

Stephanie Dailey co-led an education abroad program with Seth Frei from the Department of Management, traveling across Portugal with fifteen Communication and Business students to explore communication in global organizations. Students earned credit for MGT 4390V/COMM 3324 (Professional Skills for the Global Workforce) and COMM 3335 (Communication and Identity in International Work Cultures). Topics for both courses included team collaboration, coworker communication, networking, conflict negotiation, leadership, and intersections among personal, social, organizational, and occupational identities. In addition to cultural excursions, multiple business site visits, and class discussions, students engaged in two service learning activities: communication consulting to help a small-batch olive oil producer and volunteering with Serve the City to establish a community garden in Lisbon.

Faculty Accolades

Tricia Burke published “Supportive coparenting, affection, and mental health after the birth of a child” in Communication Reports. She published a book chapter entitled “Ideal body wishes for the soon-to-be Mrs.: Communicating resistance and acceptance of everyday body talk” in Casing Interpersonal Communication: Case Studies in Personal and Social Relationships (3rd edition). Tricia had “Recognizing the blurred boundary between health-related support and control in close relationships” accepted for publication in the journal Personal Relationships. She also published the chapter “Weight-related communication: Helpful, hurtful, and unavoidable” in Introduction to communication studies: Translating communication scholarship to meaningful practice (2nd edition).

Ann Burnette received the College of Fine Arts and Communication College Achievement Award for Service.

Michael Burns co-led two study abroad programs over the summer teaching students in London, Paris, and Rome. Michael was recently interviewed by US News & World Report for an article focusing on student email etiquette and the do's and don'ts of emailing. He also presented to over 1000 incoming freshmen at Bobcat Welcome, focusing his presentation on academic success and adjusting to college life.

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 co-led an education abroad program with Dr. Seth Frei (Department of Management) traveling across Portugal with fifteen Communication and Business students. Stephanie published “’Define yourself… #EXSTpride’: Exploring an organizational hashtag through the Structurational Model of Identification” in Management Communication Quarterly. Through a qualitative analysis of the hashtag #EXSTpride, the study shows how organizational hashtags produce and reflect identity and identification. 

Elizabeth K. Eger received a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies. The community conversations project was funded for $14,851 and examines LGBTQ+ work, health, and communication experiences in Texas. Elizabeth published "Creating and sustaining service industry relationships and families: Theorizing how personal workplace relationships both build community and perpetuate organizational violence" in the journal Behavioral Sciences. The piece was co-written with M.A. alumni Emily Pollard, Hannah Jones, and Riki Van Meter. Elizabeth also published "LGBTQ+ Workers" in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication with M.A. alumni Morgan Litrenta, Sierra Kane, and Lace Senegal.

Kristen Farris co-led a study abroad program over the summer teaching students in London and Paris. Students in the program earned general education credit for COMM 1310 and Intro to Fine Arts. Kristen also published "The influence of leadership styles and supervisor communication on employee burnout" in the Journal of General Management. The paper was co-authored with M.A. alum Yifan Xu.

Rebekah Fox received the College of Fine Arts and Communication Presidential Distinction Award for Research.

Marian Houser co-led a study abroad program over the summer teaching students in London and Paris. Students in the program earned general education credit for COMM 1310 and Intro to Fine Arts.

Daniel King received the Department Achievement Award for Teaching.

Roseann Mandziuk received the College of Fine Arts and Communication College Achievement Award for Teaching.

Josh Miller received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching and the College of Fine Arts and Communication Presidential Distinction Award. Josh also published two articles: (1) “The inclusion paradox of local deliberation: The case of Holland, Michigan's LGBTQ+ non-discrimination controversy” in the journal Argumentation and Advocacy and (2) “The normal heart and "sickly" body: The case of Matthew Bomer's extreme weight loss” in Communication Quarterly.

Mark Paz received the College of Fine Arts and Communication College Achievement Award for Service.

Manu Pokharel received the College of Fine Arts and Communication College Achievement Award for Research. Manu also published “Visual tailoring and skin cancer prevention: Comparing personalized, stock, and non-ultraviolet images” in the journal Health Communication and “Encouraging replotting to promote persuasion: How imagining alternative plotlines influences message processing and intentions” in Communication Research. In addition, she presented “Stories of regret and death: A social media experiment” to the Health Scholar Showcase hosted by Translational Health Research Initiative. The paper was co-authored with M. A. student Kirara Nagatsuka and received the Health Research Accelerator award. (Kirara pictured on left, Dr. Pokarel pictured on right)

Student Accolades

The Communication Studies Graduate Association (CSGA) held its first two events of the semester. First, CSGA held an event on “(Re)Envisioning Success in Graduate School,” which provided students with a deeper understanding about how to conceptualize success, develop goals for the semester, and share time management strategies. The organization held a Communication Studies Trivia event, which was hosted by M. A. alum Austin Allen. Graduate and undergraduates gathered to show off their trivia knowledge, build community, and win prizes.

Undergraduate student Kylie Arthur, M. A. student Luis Ortiz, Dr. Elizabeth K. Eger, and M. A. student Cassidy Trim (pictured left to right) met as a new research team to discuss their funded research project partnering with LGBTQ+ Texan organizations and workers. The project is part of a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) and examines LGBTQ+ work, health, and communication experiences in Texas.

Alumni Accolades

Maria (Exum) Garrett (M.A., 1990). Maria has enjoyed a nearly 30-year career in HR leadership and corporate Talent Management, Training & Development, and Leadership Development roles with tech industry firms such as Motorola, AMD, Freescale, and NXP Semiconductors. She recently launched MG Leadership, LLC - an independent executive coaching & org performance consulting firm that offers executive coaching services, coaching-based leadership development experiences; and consulting with executive leadership teams on matters related to org performance & leadership effectiveness. 

 

Career Readiness Hosts Engaging Event For Students

The Career Readiness Program, led by Dr. Michael Burns, hosted two events this semester, all featuring Texas State Alumni. For additional information, please visit the website for the Career Readiness Program.

The first workshop featured M.A. alumna Ali Cross, presenting “Human Resources 101: COMM Jobs in HR.” The event was held in-person and via Zoom. Ali is currently the Executive Assistant for the People Operations (HR) Director at Samsung Austin Semiconductor. She spoke about the ins and outs of HR based on her experience.

The second workshop featured M.A. alumna Shanna Schultz. She presented, “Rhetoric is Not Dead: How I Use Rhetorical Methods in Corporate Communications.” Shanna is a marketing and communication professional (MarComm) with expertise in social media execution, content marketing, and B2B marketing strategy. She currently works for Genuent, an IT staffing company, as a writer and marketing partner. She is also an adjunct professor of speech and communication at San Jacinto College.

Forensics and Debate Continue Tradition of Excellence

The LBJ Debate Society and Elton Abernathy Forensics Society, Texas State’s competitive speech and forensics team, competed in two virtual tournaments over Spring Break: The International Forensics Association (IFA) Championship Tournament, and the National Online Championships (NOC).

More than 70 schools participated in the International Forensics Association tournament. Texas State finished second in the nation at the for the overall sweepstakes award. 

• Abby Robertson was the 3rd place overall student in the competition. She took 2nd place in Communication Analysis and 2nd place in Program Oral Interpretation.
• Johnny Vasallo and Abby Robertson took 3rd place in Duo Interpretation, and Johnny Vasallo finished in 3rd place for Dramatic Interpretation.
• Haley Bass took 3rd place for Informative Speaking.
• Theo Januski finished in 7th place for Dramatic Interpretation.
• Hector Manriquez took 6th place in Dramatic Interpretation.
• Ashton Rios finished in 5th place for Poetry Interpretation.
• Christian Cisneros was a Semi-finalist in IPDA Debate.
• Jake Graybill was an Octa-finalist for IPDA Debate.

The National Online Forensics Championships saw 37 schools from 15 states compete. Texas State finished second in the nation at the NOC.

• Johnny Vasallo was the second place overall speaker and Abby Robertson was the 5th overall speaker in the tournament.
• Johnny Vasallo took a gold medal in Dramatic Interpretation and a gold medal in Prose Interpretation.

Silver Medalists included:

• Abby Robertson for Communication Analysis and Poetry Interpretation
• Hector Manriquez for After Dinner Speaking
• Haley Bass for Informative Speaking

Bronze Medalists were:

• Abby Robertson for Program Oral Interpretation
• Johnny Vasallo for Poetry Interpretation. 

The LBJ Debate Society and Elton Abernathy Forensics Society are coached by two faculty from the Department of Communication Studies: Mr. Wayne Kraemer, Director of Forensics and Mr. Jeremy Hutchins, Associate Director.

Faculty Accolades 

Ann Burnette became Vice President of the Southern States Communication Association (SSCA) during its Annual Convention in Greenville, S.C. She will plan next year’s Annual Convention in St. Petersburg, FL. She and Rebekah Fox received a Top Paper Award from the SSCA Freedom of Speech Division for their paper "The Politicization of Protests and Protection: The Major Free Speech Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic." Ann was also interviewed for the Podcast, "The Medium is the Message," about the Southern States Communication Association Conference in Greenville, South Carolina.

Michael Burns delivered a three-day training program on executive presence and public speaking for London-based engineering firm Smiths, working with the organization's emerging leaders. He also delivered a two-part training on organizational change and value setting for the Campus Recreation staff at Texas State.

Elizabeth Eger was invited for a virtual presentation for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on ethnographic research, positionality, and reimagining "failures" in fieldwork. Her graduate organizational communication seminar welcomed four visiting scholars who shared findings from their research and discussed graduate students' questions about theories, methods, and praxis. Visitors included Dr. Heewon Kim of Arizona State University, Dr. Shawna Malvini Redden of Sacramento State University, Dr. Josh Barbour of UT Austin, and Dr. Kirstie McAllum of Université de Montréal. 

Kristen Farris received the top paper award from the Instructional Development Division of the Southern States Communication Association for "Faculty Resilience and Uncertainty Management Amidst Pandemic Pedagogy." She also presented on a panel entitled, "Building College Students' Resilience through Family Communication" through the Interpersonal Communication Division of SSCA.

Marian Houser received the top paper award from the Instructional Development Division of the Southern States Communication Association for "Faculty Resilience and Uncertainty Management Amidst Pandemic Pedagogy."

Josh Miller’s Rhetoric, Race, and Memory class visited and toured the Calaboose African American History Museum in March. The students learned about local San Marcos history and how people communicate about the past in ways that inform our present and collective future. For pictures, visit the museum’s Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/p/CbdHAHCl5Io/

Manu Pokharel presented “Stories of Regret and Death: A Social Media Experiment” at Texas State’s Translational Health Scholar Showcase. Manu also published “Death Narratives, Negative Emotion, and Counterarguing: Testing Fear, Anger, and Sadness as Mechanisms of Effect” in the Journal of Health Communication.

Lindsay Timmerman published “Stigmatized Disclosure in Close Relationships," a chapter in the Handbook of Research on Communication Strategies for Taboo Topics.

Student Accolades

Undergraduate student Alexandria Blott presented the paper “Shame Switches Sides: The Resurgence of the #MeToo Movement in France to Combat Incestual Abuse” at the Undergraduate Honors Conference during the Southern States Communication Association Annual Convention in Greenville, S.C.

M.A. student Kyle Chitwood presented “Magic Mushrooms and Magical Arguments: Exploring the Claims of "Fantastic Fungi" at the 13th annual International Research Conference for graduate students sponsored by Texas State.

M.A. student Madeleine Field presented “Taking the bi out of Invisibility: Advocating for the Bisexual Community through Consciousness-Raising” at the 13th annual International Research Conference for graduate students sponsored by Texas State.

M.A. student Gabby Garza presented “Handle with Scare: Re-defining the Final Girl in Horror: A Training for Horror Writers” at the 13th annual International Research Conference for graduate students sponsored by Texas State.

Undergraduate student Rasika Gasti presented “The Women's Temperance Crusade: A Persuasive Evaluation of Its Functions, Strategies, and Tactics” at the Undergraduate Honors Conference during the Southern States Communication Association Annual Convention in Greenville, S.C.

M.A. student Kirara Nagatsuka presented “Stories of Regret and Death: A Social Media Experiment” to the Translational Health Scholar Showcase at Texas State.

M.A. student Mary Katie Tigert presented the “Dudley's Dixie Night: A Rhetorical Analysis of Anne Dudley's Speech at the National American Woman Suffrage Convention” at the Southern States Communication Association Annual Convention in Greenville, S.C..

M.A. student Elizabeth Yanas presented “Altering Public Memory: Contemporary Efforts to Transform the Aesthetics of Concentration Camps” at the Southern States Communication Association Annual Convention in Greenville, S.C.

The Communication Studies Graduate Association (CSGA) held an event about local advocacy and activism. The organization invited Bobcat Alum, Sam Benavides, to talk about how she uses what she learned in her Communication Studies classes at her job, which centers on local advocacy. Community organizing and local activism rely on a wide array of communication skills, including much of what students have been learning about in their courses.

Alumni Accolades

M.A. alum Luke Dye received the top paper award from the Instructional Development Division of the Southern States Communication Association for "Faculty Resilience and Uncertainty Management Amidst Pandemic Pedagogy."

M.A. alum Nancy Heise presented “Nora Ephron and Hope for Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Was 2021 the New 1996?” at the Southern States Communication Association Annual Convention in Greenville, S.C.

M. A. alum Ifeoluwatobi Odunsi received the top paper award from the Instructional Development Division of the Southern States Communication Association for "Faculty Resilience and Uncertainty Management Amidst Pandemic Pedagogy."