January & February 2019 College News

Each organization received a 60+ page report detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization's social media posts. Students' social media audits also ofered suggestions for improvement, grounded in scholarly theory and research. Elizabeth Eger was awarded a Research Enhancement Program grant for $8,000. She will explore “Understanding communication about presenteeism in relationship to workers’ occupations, organizations, and intersectional identities." Graduate students from Elizabeth’s Qualitative Research Methods in Communication course conducted an applied project for the Provost's Ofce to interview Texas State deans, directors, and chairs about faculty diversity and inclusion. Tey are currently working on a fndings report that will be available this summer. Kristen Farris and Stephanie Dailey were awarded a Research Enhancement Program grant for $14,900 to focus on “Memorable messages of frst-generation college students.” Roseann Mandziuk received a Fulbright-Nehru Professional Excellence Award, and is currently teaching three courses at Indraprastha College for Women in Delhi, India. [ 2 ] She also has been invited to deliver guest lectures in Chennai, Vellore, and Guwahati later in the spring, including consulting with the organization Women in Security and Confict Management and Peace (WISCOMP). Josh Miller and Lindsay Timmerman were awarded a Research Enhancement Program grant for $16,000. Teir research will focus on “Managing disclosure of marginalized identities: Examining disclosure decisions of LGBTQ immigrants.” STUDENT ACCOLADES Communication Studies students Sydney Wilson , Joey Kuykendall , [ 3] and Alisha Mohammed , were featured experts in videos for the Texas OnCourse website. Texas OnCourse is a set of resources that are designed to help high school students prepare for and succeed at the university level. Te project is a collaborative efort developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Te Texas OnCourse website can be found here. ALUMNI ACCOLADES Maria Jose Holguin Cruz (B.A., 2015) currently serves as an Academic Advisor with the University of Texas at San Antonio. Shelby DeWitt (B.A., 2018) works as a recruiter for the Marbridge Foundation. Marbridge provides an alternative to group homes for adults with intellectual disabilities, ofering a full range of services tailored to individual needs and abilities. Joey Kuykendall (B.A., 2017) [ 3] accepted a position as the Coordinator of Partnership in the Texas State Sports Properties team of Learfeld Communications. In this new role, he maintains relationships between the Texas State Bobcats corporate partners, property staf, and the Athletic department. Learfeld Communications administers Texas State University’s athletic multimedia. FORENSICS ACCOLADES Tree members of the Elton Abernathy Forensics Society have been selected to compete in the 94th annual Oratorical Contest of the Battle of Flowers Association in San Antonio. Held every year ahead of Fiesta, this oratorical contest is the oldest university and college-level competition in the state of Texas. Te event awards generous monetary prizes to its fve top fnalists. Under the guidance of Forensics Director, Wayne Kraemer , Texas State students have enjoyed a great deal of success in the competition, boasting several champions from past years and many Top-Five fnalists. Tis year, Tyler Cole , Jordan Drake , and Lily Montemayor will represent Texas State. Tis year’s theme is, “Te Lone Star Story: An Epic Saga of the Events that Changed Texas Forever.” The LBJ Debate Society and The Elton Abernathy Forensics Society hosted the Spring Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association (TIFA) Championship Tournament on the Texas State University campus. Texas State won the first place overall school sweepstakes trophy, first place in debate school sweepstakes, and second place individual events sweepstakes. Texas State was also awarded the hosting spot for the Spring 2020 Championships. Tyra Williams was named the tournament’s Outstanding Speaker. She was named Top Novice in Dramatic Interpretation, took first College of Fine Arts and Communication | 5