Our Community

Our College, Our Commitment

Our College, Our Commitment

From the Office of Dean Charles Davis

Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, one of the nation’s leading schools of its kind, views faculty, staff and student diversity of thought and inclusion of all to be core to our work and learning environments. Diversity creates opportunities for intellectual stimulation, tough conversations, learning, growth and innovation that subsequently enable our students to become effective leaders and well-rounded citizens. The College counts among its alumni Charlayne Hunter-Gault (ABJ ’63), the first Black woman to attend the University of Georgia.  We know our history and we know that at Grady College, diversity, intersectionality and inclusion make us stronger.

Being a state institution we aim to serve the population of all corners of our state. We look forward to your partnership to create opportunities and to build an inclusive culture for our College and, as a result, for our professions and industries.

The Grady College Inclusive Excellence Committee, made up of faculty, staff and students, guides the college in its inclusion initiatives through programming and long-term planning.

Giving Voice to the Voiceless

Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Ron Gault have generously created a new endowment at the University of Georgia to inspire and support students in projects that give voice to the voiceless, the charting light of the life and work of Charlayne Hunter-Gault.

This fund will provide grants to students from all disciplines across the university. It is fueled by the spirit of Charlayne’s career as a journalist and her journeys to the horizon that intellectually and geographically give voice, in Charlayne’s own words, “to people whose voices are needed—to help them realize their dreams for themselves and their communities, to help contribute to human understanding and to enlarge our capacity for empathy.”

Opportunities for Involvement

There are several additional UGA resources available for our diverse student population including:

Additional Organizations

  • The 3% Conference

  • Broadcast Education Association

  • National Association of Hispanic Journalists

  • American Advertising Federation

  • Geena Davis Institute

  • Native American Journalists Association

  • News Leaders Association

  • Journalism & Women’s Symposium

  • The Poynter Institute

  • Asian American Journalists Association

  • The LAGRANT Foundation

  • Public Relations Society of America

  • The Association of LBGTQ Journalists (NLGJA Stylebook)

  • National Association of Black Journalists

  • Society of Professional Journalists

The Latest

Read the newest headlines, get updates and discover events happening at Grady.

Two graduates stand in front of Grady college in their caps and gowns.

De’Ondre Harris selected as senior speaker for Grady College Convocation; Kate Hall to deliver UGA Commencement remarks

De’Ondre Harris, a graduating journalism major from Atlanta, Georgia, has been named senior speaker for the Spring 2025 Grady College Convocation. Grady Convocation ceremonies will be held at the Athens […]

Booker T. Mattison releases new film on Tubi

Booker T. Mattison, associate professor in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies at Grady College, is set to release his second original film for the free streaming platform Tubi. An […]

Willie Daniely speaks at a lectern in front of a screen with a GSPA logo.

Willie Daniely III (ABJ ’21) speaks at Georgia Scholastic Press Association Awards

Willie Daniely III, a 2021 alumnus who is currently a reporter at WRAL-TV, shared his early career insights with a group of middle and high school journalists and their teachers […]

Four Grady College students present at CURO Symposium

Four students from Grady College will be among the 723 participants presenting their research at the 2025 CURO Symposium. On April 7 – 8, 2025, four Grady College students will […]

Shanylah Sainvil touring a recording studio in Los Angeles during summer 2024 (Photo/Shanylah Sainvil).

Profiles of Tenacity: Shanylah Sainvil

Shanylah Sainvil is an entertainment and media studies major from McDonough, Georgia, expected to graduate in spring 2025. She is also pursuing a minor in design and media and a […]

Grady College names 2025 fellowship inductees

Grady College is proud to announce the class of 2025 Fellowship inductees: Malena Cunningham Anderson (ABJ ’80), David Chandley (ABJ ’84), Bill Crane (ABJ ’84), Sanders Hickey and Parker Middleton […]

Header reading Faculty research

Research finds influencers effective in delivering sunscreen messaging

Health communicators are frequently tasked with creating clear, effective messaging that persuade people to protect their health. Researchers at the University of Georgia studied messaging aimed at Black audiences that […]

Baker, Hennink-Kaminski, Lidey and Noland named Grady Alumni Award honorees

Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Alumni Awards, recognizing alumni who have established a tradition of service and achievement in […]

Latria Graham making a point at a lecturn.

MFA Narrative Nonfiction mentor receives 2025 American Mosaic Journalism Prize

Latria Graham, a mentor in the Masters of Fine Arts Narrative Nonfiction program at Grady College, is one of two recipients of the prestigious American Mosaic Journalism Prize. Graham will […]

Profiles of Tenacity: Nigel Whittington

Nigel Whittington is a fourth-year journalism major from Cartersville, GA set to graduate in May 2025. Along with his journalism degree, Whittington is pursuing a certificate in sports media. He […]

Group in front of a step and repeat.

Grady AdPR students recognized with prestigious national awards for research excellence

The Grady College Department of Advertising and Public Relations is proud to announce that two of its graduate students have received distinguished honors for their research in public relations and […]

Understanding fans and cultural dynamics: “Korean Pop Culture beyond Asia”

Korean media has exploded in popularity across the globe in the past decade. “Korean Pop Culture beyond Asia,” edited by Benjamin Min Han, associate professor in Entertainment and Media Studies at […]

Ph.D. Profile – Ja Kyung Seo

Ja Kyung Seo is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Advertising & Public Relations at the University of Georgia. Her research seeks to understand how emerging technologies, including interactive […]

Profiles of Tenacity: Gabriana Carisma

Gabriana Carisma is a third-year Advertising major with a Business minor from Smyrna, GA, set to graduate in May 2025. She is the treasurer of Sigma Alpha Omega sorority and […]

Ph.D. Profile – Karen Robayo-Sánchez

Karen Andrea Robayo-Sanchez is a Ph.D. student in mass communication and public relations studies at the University of Georgia. Her research interests are international communication, leadership, gender equality and intersectionality. […]

Headshot of Wenqing Zhao with headline Ph.D. Profile

Ph.D. Profile: Wenqing Zhao

Wenqing Zhao is a doctoral student in the Department of Advertising & Public Relations at UGA. Her research focuses on health, crisis and conflict communication. She is a lab manager […]

Events

A wide angle shot of the stage at Fall Convocation

Fall 2025 Grady Convocation Ceremony

Grady College’s Fall 2025 Convocation Celebration will take place on December 11, 2025.

Fall 2025 Graduation Celebration

Graduates and their parents are invited to celebrate with other graduates and faculty/staff at this drop-in celebration. Guests will enjoy light refreshments and photo opportunities with faculty and friends. Tickets are not required for the celebration at Grady.

Prospective Student Day

Register here to join us at Grady College Prospective Student Day!

2026 Grady Salutes

We look forward to recognizing our Alumni Award honorees and Grady Fellowship inductees at Grady Salutes on March 27, 2026. More information coming soon.

Spring 2026 Grady Convocation Ceremony

Grady College’s Spring 2026 Convocation Celebration will take place on May 6, 2026. More information can be found at https://grady.uga.edu/graduation/

Summer Media Academies

Our Summer Media Academies are an intensive, residential one-week program open to rising high school sophomores to seniors interested in the mass communication field. Students take classes at Grady College in tracks including Journalism, Advertising & Public Relations or Entertainment. Click below for details about this summer program.

Headshot of Jimena Somilleda

Perspectives

Growing up as a first-generation Mexican-American, I always valued the sacrifices my parents made to get my younger brother and me at UGA. From a young age, they’ve instilled a passion for breaking generational cycles and being a voice for my community.

Jimena Somilleda

AdPR Student

Perspectives

“AdPR Academy was such a fun and insightful experience. It was a pleasure being in a room filled with diverse students from different universities. Being able to incorporate my ideas in the rebranding of an organization gave me a glimpse of what the public relations industry will be like. I am overly thankful to Grady College for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing program.”

Joyce Bell

University of Georgia, 2023 AdPR Academy cohort

Perspectives

“Through AdPR Academy, I got to build crazy skills within advertising since it is a lot workshops and networking with people from Warner Brothers, Google, a bunch of ad agencies and they exposed you to completely new things. I had a job offer after sitting down during the networking hour and that is something I wouldn’t have gotten if I didn’t go.”

Jonina Bullock

advertising student

Perspectives

“I didn’t have a lot of people who were like me in the classroom, so now I am able to be an example for students in the classroom to see that there is excellence at every level from a person who is a first gen student.”

Denetra Walker

assistant professor, journalism

Perspectives

“Having a progressive disability and being categorized as a minority has shaped me to be an outsider of the world. Never fitting in and not having a seat at the dinner party has motivated me to constantly push others to be more inclusive whether it’s at the workplace or in my personal life.”

Marcella Genut

(AB 18), recipient of 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy Award

Perspectives

“I don’t really have a professional hero, but I love seeing Black women paving the way for us, such as Issa Rae, Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes and Rihanna.”

Kacie Geter

Journalism Student