Our Grady faculty are experts in their fields of research and study, and they are frequently called on by media to apply their knowledge to what is going on in the world today. Below are places where you can find some of our #GradyExperts in the news.
Jonathan Peters recognized with Russell Award
Jonathan Peters, associate professor of journalism, is one of three University of Georgia faculty members named a recipient of the Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. The award recognizes outstanding instruction by faculty members early in their academic careers. Peters teaches communication law courses to undergraduate and graduate students and has a […] learn more
Adult influenza vaccination this season higher likely to be highest ever
More U.S. adults 18 years old and older reported receiving or planning to receive an influenza vaccination during the 2020-2021 flu season than ever before according to findings from a December 2020 national survey. A total of 43.5% respondents reported having already received a flu vaccination, with an additional 13.5% stating they “definitely will get […] learn more
Faculty Profile: Amanda Bright
Amanda Bright has always wanted to make an impact on her community, but over the years the impact—and the community—have expanded. “I have always craved to have more impact,” Bright said. “I want to change people’s lives in a tangible way, and I want to do something to forward my community and not just be […] learn more
New crisis communication book melds scholarly research with practitioner experience
The intersection of professional experience in crisis communication and theoretical research of the complexities of the topic are highlighted in a new book, “Advancing Crisis Communication Effectiveness.” Edited by three Grady College professors, this book is an education in navigating the challenges that communicators face to protect public health and safety and shield organizational reputations […] learn more
Trends and challenges revealed in new book about women and leadership in public relations
Advancement barriers, gaps in leadership and lack of mentors examined A new book, PR Women with Influence: Breaking Through the Ethical and Leadership Challenges, explores how women in the profession of public relations and communication navigate through attitudinal, structural and social barriers in advancing their leadership roles. The book is led by Juan Meng, associate […] learn more
Kreshel, Lee and Middleton retire
Decades of groundbreaking thought and research, student impact and strategic programming are the legacies of Peggy Kreshel, William E. Lee and Parker Middleton who retire effective Dec. 31, 2020. “Peggy, Bill and Parker have all made incredible contributions to our college and beyond during the past several decades and they will be greatly missed in […] learn more
Bernabo recognized with Outstanding Published Article Award at 2020 OSCLG conference
Laurena Bernabo, an assistant professor in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies, won the Outstanding Published Article Award by the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender at its annual conference in October. Her article, “Expanding Television’s Cultural Forum in the Digital Era: Prime Time Television, Twitter, and Black Lives Matter,” highlighted […] learn more
Shira Chess authors “Play Like A Feminist” to spotlight more voices in video game community
Shira Chess, associate professor of entertainment and media studies, has studied video games for two decades and has observed many changes in the gaming industry. She knows how powerful the medium is and where it can grow to better serve society. In her new book, “Play Like A Feminist,” Chess encourages an expansive conversation about […] learn more
UGA researchers examine factors related to awe in luxury brands
Natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon typically inspire feelings of awe. Consumer psychology researchers at the University of Georgia investigated whether or not those same feelings might be inspired by luxury brands and what that reveals about how consumers respond to advertising. The study, “Brand Awe: A Key Concept for Understanding Consumer Response to […] learn more
EMST professors create and collaborate outside the classroom
Many university faculty members collaborate with one another on research or projects for the good of the community, but for Booker T. Mattison and Garland McLaurin, their collaboration draws on more creative elements—those of filmmaking. Mattison, an assistant professor, and McLaurin, a lecturer, each are relatively new additions to the Department of Entertainment and Media […] learn more
Recent Faculty Research & Accolades
Glen Nowak, director of the Center for Health and Risk Communication, has written about and has been widely quoted about COVID-19 and the race for a vaccine. A sample of the media outlets that have included comments from Nowak include:
“As coronavirus infections and vaccinations surge, hope collides with dread,” quote in the Washington Post (April 2, 2021)
“How to talk to skeptical relatives about the vaccine,” interviews with UGA News and WSB-TV (Feb. 18, 2021)
Nate Kohn, professor in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies at Grady College, is the co-host of the first Ebert Symposium discussion, talking about how the film industry is facing new realities because of COVID-19 and the recent focus in social justice reform. Kohn also directs Roger Ebert’s Film Festival. Joining Kohn is co-host Chaz Ebert, CEO of Ebert Digital and publisher of the film review website Rogerebert.com.
The Symposium brings together esteemed filmmakers, studio executives, media luminaries, entertainment attorneys and academics to contextualize the media’s change amid the backdrop of a global pandemic, social unrest over the killings of Black Americans by police and efforts to dismantle systemic racism in the United States.
The Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) has selected Sabriya Rice, Knight Chair for Health and Medical Journalism, to its board of directors for an additional term. Rice will also serve as secretary of the board for this two-year period.
“My affiliation with the nonprofit has definitely made me a stronger, more cautious journalist. It means a lot to be a part of a group that aims to improve the quality of journalism, particularly for those who find themselves on the massive health care beat. I definitely look back at some of the stories I wrote before being introduced to AHCJ and think to myself, ‘I’d totally approach that story differently now!’ And that is a good thing.”
Joseph Watson, Jr., the Carolyn Caudell Tieger Professor of Public Affairs Communications, has been a frequent guest on WXIA-TV, 11Alive news frequently talking with Jerry Carnes (ABJ ’82) about the upcoming election. Some of the topics Watson has talked about include:
Congratulations to @jonathanwpeters, associate professor of journalism, on receiving the Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.https://t.co/jOZ4NSt6OW
As President Biden prepares for his first press conference this afternoon, @DavidClementson of @AdPR_UGA writes about "4 reasons no president should want to give a press conference.”
Janice Hume wrote a short essay about how obituaries are written to highlight positive aspects of people’s lives and avoid negative experiences. It was published by The Conversation. (April 12, 2021)
Hye Jin Yoon of our Department of Advertising and Public Relations and a team of researchers from the University of Akron study pseudo-reviews of products and their impact. The research was published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior. (April 8, 2021)
David Clementson talks about 4 reasons no president should want to give a press conference. It is picked up widely on Fox News, Yahoo News, the Seattle PI, Japan News and MSN.com, among other places. (March 19, 2021)
Juan Meng‘s new book, “PR Women with Influence: Breaking Through the Ethical and Leadership Challenges,” is profiled in Strategic Magazine (March 1, 2021)
Glen Nowak is interviewed about “How to talk to skeptical relatives about the vaccine,” interviews with UGA News and WSB-TV (Feb. 18, 2021)
Jeffrey Jones writes an editorial in the New York Daily News about Rush Limbaugh’s legacy (Feb. 18.2021)
Glen Nowak was quoted in USA Today about the difficulties in distributing the COVID-19 vaccine. (Feb 1, 2020)
Kyser Lough of our journalism faculty talks about his research in visual communication and his interest in concert photography in the latest episode of The Digital People podcast. (Jan. 26, 2021)
Proud to have Glen Nowak participate in the annual UGA Dean Rusk International Center conference (which is virtual this year) on January 25. The conference this year focused on “The Future of Global Health Governance,” and Nowak spoke on a panel on “How can governments, organizations, and the law maximize vaccine acceptance?” The others on the panel are Shawn Harmon, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia; Saad Omer, Yale School of Medicine; and Dorit Reiss, University of California Hastings Law School. (Jan. 25, 2021)
Joseph Watson, Jr. talks with WJBF about what impeachment looks like at the end of the term: “There’s always the possibility of violence…when you have criminal trials or popular figures involved. That doesn’t mean you don’t do them.” (Jan. 12, 2021)
Glen Nowak, director of our Center for Health and Risk Communication, is quoted in USA Today about the COVID vaccine education plan: “You have to match up your message with people’s ability to actually get what you’re promoting,” he said. bit.ly/3rPM9yD (Dec. 31, 2020)
Joseph Watson, Jr. talks with 11 Alive News about negative political ads. “They do work. The ad has the ability to shape the media’s narrative around them and shape the electorate’s views of them,” Watson said. (Dec. 2, 2020)
Karin Assmann talks with @mediasres on the German Deutschlandfunk about Jon Ossoff’s credentials as a journalist and how his self-identification as an investigative journalist may help or hurt him in his Senate campaign. (Nov. 26, 2020)
Wunpini Mohammed was featured in a video from The Guardian where she discussed the globalization and representation of African media.
Dean Charles Davis talks with Georgia Hollywood Reporter about why he turned to teaching, what makes a good interview and the rewards of being an author. View the Instagram interview on video.
Glen Nowak was an invited presenter/speaker at a meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, an entity that advises the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services. He was one of four people invited to speak to the Committee on “Building Confidence in the U.S. immunization system before, during, and after COVID-19 vaccine implementation.” Nowak also was also interviewed by the Associated Press about two appointees to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Atlanta headquarters by the White House.
Joseph Watson, Jr. of the Public Affairs Communications program is interviewed on WSB-TV about polls and the election. “Polls are snapshots in time and I encourage everyone to look at a series of polls…but ultimately the only poll that counts is…the actual vote.” (Oct. 13, 2020)
Neil Landau (MFA ’18), director of screenwriting for the MFA Film program, was interviewed for the Georgia Hollywood Reporter about his background and his new teaching role at UGA. (Oct. 12, 2020)
David Clementson of AdPR talks with Sputnik News about the vice presidential debate. “…while the vice presidential candidates can be intriguing and inspire speculation…voters are voting for president not vice president.” (Oct. 6, 2020)
Neil Landau (MFA ’18), our director of screenwriting in our MFA Film program, was interviewed on the Atlanta Film Chat Podcast by Chuck Thomas. Listen to the podcast: atlantafilmchat.com. (Oct. 6, 2020)
Congratulations to Grace Ahn, one member of the team of UGA researchers, on winning top paper honors from the I/ITSEC Simulation Committee. The research brings military families, and others separated by distance, together through virtual reality. (Oct. 5, 2020)
Joseph Watson, Jr. is interviewed by @11AliveNews about Joe Biden choosing Kamala Harris as his running mate. (Aug. 12, 2020)
Grace Ahn of our AdPR department talks with IOSNewsSA about moderating bad news:
“Unfortunately, a lot of information is negative these days, and we’re motivated to pay more attention to negative news… because it has a direct linkage to our survival.” (Aug. 10, 2020)
Joseph Watson, Jr. was interviewed by 11 Alive News about the obligation of TV stations to air political ads. “They have to take that ad, and the network is not liable for airing that even if it’s potentially slanderous…,” Watson said. (July 27, 2020)
Shira Chess of our EMST faculty discusses her new book, “Play Like a Feminist” with @WUGAFM. She discusses leisure equality and advocates putting together gaming circles, much like book clubs.
Congratulations to James Biddle of our EMST faculty, who is now a certified instructor of Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve. Our college is now a Blackmagic Learning Partner for DaVinci resolve certification instruction.
Anne Gilbert of our EMST faculty quoted in the @TheAtlantic about the alternate fan groups for My Little Pony. “This is a fan community that has prided itself on…pushing boundaries and cloaking themselves in irony…” Gilbert said. (June 23, 2020)
Booker T. Mattison’s latest short film, “Ungubani (Who Are You?),” has been picked up by The Urban Movie Channel, which will distribute it beginning January 2021.
Janice Hume, the Carolyn McKenzie and Don E. Carter Chair for Excellence in Journalism, is quoted in Adweek about the importance of obituaries. (April 23, 2020)
Shira Chess, associate professor in EMST, writes in MIT Press about top mobile games for non gamers. (March 23, 2020)
Jonathan Peters,
Carolina Acosta-Alzuru of our @AdPR_UGA faculty is quoted in The Washington Post about the first telenovela, “El Corazon Nunca se equivoca,” that features a gay couple. (pay wall)
Congratulations to Vicki Michaelis and Carlo Finlay of Grady Sports for having their New Approaches to Promote Diversity and Inclusion grant renewed. This grant helps support the UGA-Grady High School Sports Broadcast Program: t.uga.edu/5bS
Congratulations to Dean Charles Davis (MA ’92), on the publication of the second edition of “Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records,” with co-author Dan Cullier.
Andy Kavoori has been selected for a Fulbright award. He will serve as the Garcia-Robles-Fulbright Distinguished Chair in U.S. Studies at the Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico for the Spring 2020 academic term. He will teach courses on American Media, Culture and Politics, plus conduct ethnographic research on Son Jarocho, a regional and diasporic entertainment media form.
Taylor Cole Miller, assistant professor, Entertainment and Media Studies, will be the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts and UGA nominee for a Whiting Public Engagement Fellowship from the Whiting Foundation. This is a national and very prestigious competition. The Whiting Public Engagement Fellowship celebrates and supports faculty in the humanities who embrace public engagement as part of the scholarly vocation.
Congratulations to Lori Johnston (ABJ ’95, MFA ’17), of our Department of Journalism, for being named a finalist in the Religion Reporting Excellence Awards presented by Religion News Association. Johnston is being recognized for for her writing for The Washington Post.
Glen Nowak, director of the Center for Health & Risk Communication and professor of advertising, will participate in a panel session on vaccination hesitancy at the June 4, 2019, meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) in Washington, D.C. NVAC is a Department of Health and Human Services advisory committee. He will present research that Michael Cacciatore, Nate Evans, and Nowak completed regarding vaccination confidence and hesitancy.
Congratulations to Juan Meng, associate professor of public relations, for receiving the Most Dedicated Reviewer recognition from the International Communication Association Public Relations Division.
Jeffrey P. Jones, Executive Director Peabody Awards, Lambdin Kay Professor, Entertainment & Media Studies, talks about the 78th annual Peabody winners in Variety, May 17, 2019. “We look for stories that are very connected to the sociopolitical world, or the moment that we’re in as a society,” Jones said.
Congratulations to John Weatherford, lecturer in the New Media Institute, on being selected to participate in the 2019 UGA Active Learning Summer Institute. Hosted by the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Institute is a three-week intensive program for 12 faculty to redesign courses and implement evidence-based instructional strategies that engage students in the learning process.
Bryan Reber, the C. Richard Yarbrough Professor in Crisis Communication Leadership and AdPR department head, and Juan Meng, associate professor of public relations, publish the North American Communication Monitor, addressing topics including “fake news” and how to tackle it, how communicators provide insights for decision-making and leadership performance. The survey is sponsored by the Plank Center at the University of Alabama.
Wojdynski studies media consumption
As a faculty member, Bart Wojdynski derives satisfaction from seeing the switch flipped within the minds of his students.
“I love watching students develop interests they didn’t know they had,” he said. “My goal is to try to meet students at the intersection of what they want out of a class and where they might want to go in the future.”
Booker T. Mattison, an assistant professor at Grady College, is an author, filmmaker and educator who prepares students for careers in the state’s booming film and television industry.
What are your favorite courses and why?
My favorite course is “Advanced Production” because I am able to midwife compelling and diverse narrative short films from our supremely talented entertainment and media studies students. Since this is a capstone course, I have the opportunity to work with content creators who are about to graduate and make their mark in the world.
Glen Nowak, director of the Center for Health and Risk Communication, has written about and has been widely quoted about COVID-19 and the race for a vaccine. A sample of the media outlets that have included comments from Nowak include:
Nate Kohn, professor in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies at Grady College, is the co-host of the first Ebert Symposium discussion, talking about how the film industry is facing new realities because of COVID-19 and the recent focus in social justice reform. Kohn also directs Roger Ebert’s Film Festival. Joining Kohn is co-host Chaz Ebert, CEO of Ebert Digital and publisher of the film review website Rogerebert.com.
Joseph Watson, Jr., the Carolyn Caudell Tieger Professor of Public Affairs Communications, has been a frequent guest on WXIA-TV, 11Alive news frequently talking with Jerry Carnes (ABJ ’82) about the upcoming election. Some of the topics Watson has talked about include:
