September_CollegeNews1

College of Fine Arts and Communication | 13 Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) in Austin. The FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) represents the inter- national pinnacle of the long-distance discipline, in which races last anywhere from six to 24 hours. Eight students from journalism, electronic media and digital media innovation attended the day-long trip, shadowing reporters from interna- tional racing publications, attending a news conference with drivers and getting a personal public relations tour of the Ford and Cadillac racing garages. Chuck Kaufman , has accepted an invitation as a guest coach for the Bobcat volleyball team's game Oct. 10 against the South Alabama Jaguars. Kaufman teaches a course in Sports Media (MC4329) for which he wrote the textbook Money, Power and Pride (KendallHunt Publishers). Bailey Hanner , a senior advertising major and two-time academic honoree on the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner's List, is a middle blocker on the team. She is one of 24 varsity athletes with an SJMC major. Heidi Makady was selected as a participant for the 2025 Digital Studies Institute at the University of Michigan’s fifth annual Digital IDEAS program this summer in Ann Arbor. The summer program supports scholars and thinkers, in- cluding scholars in early career transition, at the intersection of critical digital studies and public intellectualism. In the institute’s week-long program, Dr. Makady engaged in re- search workshops, panel discussions, conversations, reflection, and dialogue on the groundwork necessary to reassemble futures of remediation, redress, repair, and longevity of digital technologies in our lives, along with community-building scholars. In August, Dr. Makady also presented at AEJMC in San Francisco on behalf of the research team, sharing findings from a study co-authored with colleagues Kelly Kaufhold , Mark Mederson , and Eun Jeong Lee which measured student perceptions of using AI tools in class for writing and video production. The study continues in the fall semester. Kristen Sussman’s dissertation research, "Harnessing the Power of Joy: Exploring the Role of Discrete Positive Emo- tions in Driving Consumer Behaviour and Advertising En- gagement," has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Digital and Social Media Marketing . In addition, a second study she led, "Moral Framing in AI-Mediated Communi- cation: Exploration of LLM Effects on Engagement Patterns Among Black Americans," has been conditionally accepted for forthcoming publication in the Journal of Interactive Advertising . Debra Price and Jennifer Scharlach completed their third Study in America trip to Seattle with students this summer, exploring careers at global corporations like Microsoft and Amazon, cultural sites, and the Seattle Mariners and the Seattle Kraken sports teams. This year students also got the chance to sharpen their confidence and presentation skills by proposing their ideas for brand loyalty and audience engage- ment to the head of global PR for Hotels.com. STUDENT ACCOLADES Digital media communication master’s students presented their research from the SJMC research group at the 2025 AEJMC conference in San Francisco. Alexander Tawiah along with Liza Kalinina presented the study Digital News and Political Self-Efficacy: The Role of Intentional and Inci- dental News Consumption in Latin America. The study also included Praise Chiedozie and Dr. Vanessa Higgins Joyce as co-authors. The University Star is a finalist for seven Associated Colle- giate Press Pacemaker Awards, including four-year news- paper. The winners of these awards will be announced at MediaFest in October. Finalist, 4-Year University Newspaper, Staff Finalist, Breaking News Story, Blake Leschber Finalist, Multi-Media Feature Story, Diego Medel Finalist, Photo Slideshow, Diego Medel Finalist, Interactive Graphic, Lucia Gonzalez Finalist, Newspaper Page/Spread Design, Meg Boles , Kate Maddisun , Nathan Moya Finalist, Information Graphic, Madeline Carpenter The University Star is also a finalist for five College Media Association Pinnacle Awards. The placing of these awards will be announced at MediaFest in October. Finalist, Gen- eral Newsletter, Column, Feature Story, Interactive/Motion Infographic, and Newspaper Spread. University Star staff members have been awarded Head- liners Foundation scholarships including: Founders Schol- ar, Blake Leschber , University Star Editor in Chief and Founders Scholar, Candace Taggart , University Star news reporter. This year 12 students will be representing Texas State Uni- versity on two teams competing in the National Bateman Case Study Competition for public relations students. Kudos to 2026 Bateman student team members Alyssia Dodson , Gabriela Garcia , Emilee Grosse , Ella Knudsen , Jenna Krause , Isabel Maldonado , Ceccibell Moreno , Mia Ocanas , Hanna Prince , Shauné Smith , Kayla Vargas and Amelia White . The faculty adviser for the Texas State Bateman teams is Debra Price . [3]