News Archive

Dr. Pete Smith publishes book manuscript "Birddogs and Tough Old Broads: Women Journalists of Mississippi and a Century of State Politics, 1880s-1980s"

Dr. Pete Smith, an associate professor in communication, published his book manuscript "Birddogs and Tough Old Broads: Women Journalists of Mississippi and a Century of State Politics, 1880s-1980s" with Lexington Books in August. This book manuscript examines the work of a dozen women journalists over the course of the late nineteenth and most of the 20th centuries. The women profiled in the book either walked the Mississippi State capitol beat or covered political and/or social issues of great importance to the people of Mississippi.

Aug 15, 2022

Dr. Pete Smith travels to London to plan CMST British studies course

Dr. Pete Smith, an associate professor in communication, traveled to London this past June to plan a communication & media studies course for the University of Southern Mississippi British Studies program. The course, entitled, "The Yanks Are Coming!: A Comparative Study of British and American Media and Culture," will offer undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to learn about the similarities and differences between British and American media systems and other forms of entertainment.

Jun 15, 2022

Dr. Holli Seitz & co-authors publish article in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Dr. Holli Seitz contributed to a journal article, "Do they really work? Quantifying fabric mask effectiveness to improve public health messaging," on comparing mask types on filtration efficiency, differential pressure, and leakage with the goal of providing evidence to improve public health messaging.

May 24, 2022

Dr. Holli Seitz & co-authors publish article in Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Dr. Holli Seitz contributed to a study, "Making COVID-19-Related Decisions: A Qualitative Study of University Students," investigating MSU students' perceived benefits and barriers to COVID-19 testing, reporting of test results, and quarantining. This work was part of the university's response to COVID-19, and results informed the university's communication efforts.

Apr 06, 2022

Christie Jones Lawrence presents "Leading Through Crisis" at State PRAM conference

Christie Jones Lawrence, a communication instructor, presented "Leading Through Crisis" at the 2022 State Public Relations Association of Mississippi conference held in Gulfport, Miss., on April 4. According to Lawrence, managing in a crisis is challenging--even for experienced managers. Her presentation focused on understanding the fundamentals of successfully leading through a crisis, outlining key character traits of successful leaders, identifying crisis management stages, and reviewing John C. Maxwell's seven guiding principles for leading through a crisis.

Apr 04, 2022

Dr. Holli Seitz publishes work in partnership with Veterinary Medicine faculty member

Dr. Holli Seitz, an assistant professor in communication and media studies, and Dr. Jesse Grady, an assistant clinical professor in the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, recently published their work on veterinary client preferences for information and autonomy in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Feb 28, 2022

Dr. Holli Seitz

Dr. Holli Seitz, an assistant professor in Communication & Media Studies, presented collaborative work with Dr. Antonio Gardner and Dr. Leah Pylate at the National Communication Association 107th Annual Convention. Their research, titled "Formative research to inform college health communication campaigns about COVID-19 prevention behaviors," reported the results of surveys and interviews conducted with MSU students and parents and guardians to inform the university's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Feb 28, 2022

Dr. Melanie Loehwing and co-author publish article in Quarterly Journal of Speech

Melanie Loehwing's recent publication, "The Public Screen as Contextual Field: Visibility and Agency in US Films about Homelessness," traces the evolution of depictions of homelessness in US film from 1983 to 2018. She and her co-author examine how cinematic characterizations shape the public's understanding of homelessness as a social issue and limit the types of solutions communities are willing to support.

Feb 28, 2022

MSU adds online communication and media studies bachelor’s degree

A new online degree program at Mississippi State is giving new options for students interested in earning a communication bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in communication and media studies.

Feb 22, 2022

Dr. Pete Smith receives inaugural humanities fellowship

Associate professor, Dr. Pete Smith, is a recipient of the first humanities fellowship awards from the Institute for the Humanities, receiving $1,000 and one course release this spring to allow dedicated time for humanities-related research.

Feb 07, 2022

Dr. Melanie Loehwing and co-author publish article in Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Melanie Loehwing's recent publication, "From Diversity to Dignity: Overcoming Polarization in an Age of Division," examines the rhetorical implications of key terms in diversity, equity, and inclusion work. She and her co-author offer a rhetorical genealogy of the term "diversity" as it has been circulated in higher education contexts. They suggest that critical rhetorical analysis help account for the rhetorical constraints and effects of the terms.

Dec 31, 2021

Christie Jones Lawrence

Christie Jones Lawrence, a lecturer in Communication, virtually presented "Integrated Primary & Behavioral Health Care Improves Outcomes and Decreases Costs" at the 8th Annual Healthcare Analytics Summit.

Sep 30, 2021

VIsion TV: Dr. Holli Seitz

Dr. Holli Seitz, an assistant professor in Communication & Media Studies, was featured on College of Arts & Sciences Vision TV discussing her research in health and science communication.

Sep 30, 2021

Dr. Holli Seitz accepted into Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research’s Mentoring Academy

Dr. Holli Seitz, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, was accepted into the 2021-2022 class of participants in the Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research’s Mentoring Academy.

Sep 30, 2021

Dr. Holli Seitz assists with NSF award to research brain development

Holli Seitz, an assistant professor within Mississippi State University’s Department of Communication, and Principal Investigator Andrew Lawton, an assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Biological Sciences, recently received over $870,000 to fund research on brain development.

Apr 09, 2021