College of Information and Communications

2023 News

From advertising major to full-time Instagram, TikTok content creator

Carson Light has built her own personal brand through social media, accumulating over 31,000 followers on Instagram and over 4 million views on TikTok.

CreateAthon@USC celebrates 10 years of inspired student design and community impact

In 24 hours, the student teams participating in CreateAthon@USC 2023 brainstormed, designed and developed a record 194 creative assets for eight regional nonprofits.

24/7 PR: Stephen Brown’s multiverses

PR guru, movie critic, collector and diehard Gamecock fan — alumnus Stephen Brown does a little bit of everything.

Visual communications major Xavier Martin accepted for the prestigious Eddie Adams Workshop

Senior Xavier Martin was selected for this prestigious photography workshop in upstate New York based on his portfolio submission.

What impact are you having over the horizon?

Former CEO and advertising alumnus Ed Chambliss brings business perspective to the CIC as an adjunct professor in marketing.

No name, no fame: America's deadly small talk

A public relations class advocated for anonymity for mass shooters in the media in the Invent2Prevent competition. The team of students presented the campaign to the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., and earned a second-place win.

SJMC hosts BEA On-Location 2023 conference

More than 90 faculty members from over three dozen institutions came to campus to learn about the latest trends in augmented reality, virtual reality and 360° video.

J-school honors accomplished alumni at annual ceremony

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications presented awards to five alumni at the annual awards ceremony. The awards recognize exceptional graduates whose careers represent significant professional achievement.

USC Alumnus Atsuro Riley Returns as Visiting Author at the 2023 Fall Literary Festival

When poet Atsuro Riley arrived at USC University Libraries on October 11 for the 2023 Fall Literary Festival, it was his first time setting foot on campus since he graduated from the School of Journalism 40 years ago.

Meteorologist to manager: Darci Strickland's story

Alumna and award-winning journalist Darci Strickland began her career with WLTX as a meteorologist but has recently entered a new role as content manager and senior journalist, spending part of her day managing and part of her day reporting and anchoring.

J-school seeks to hire three professional track instructors

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina invites applications for three nine-month professional-track instructors to begin January 1, 2024, or August 16, 2024.

Today's time machine; how a USC professor used VR to re-create Rome

Decades ago, it would have been outlandish to think about getting a lifelike experience of Rome viewed from the 1700s. But instructor Jason Porter and his research team used a combination of VR and USC library records to re-create 18th-century Rome from the eyes of a classical Italian artist.

CIC assistant professor studies big data and over-reliance in political campaigns

Most people tune into political campaigns interested in who is winning and what that candidate is going to do while they are in office, but CIC assistant professor Jacob Long is focused on what was able to create that successful campaign and the methods used to bring that candidate to the top.

The mustard in the sandwich

Don’t know Humpy Wheeler? You don’t know NASCAR! This journalism alumnus even has an IMDB page. He's the voice of Tex Dinoco, the smooth-talking gold 1975 Cadillac Coupe de Ville in the Pixar film Cars 3.

Reigning supreme

For food service industry veep Stacey McCray, it’s always Bo Time! With her master's in public relations from the SJMC, she plays a critical role in ensuring things run smoothly as Bojangles promotes tailgating and football traditions.

USC graduates dive deep and discover dream careers at Riverbanks Zoo

How many alumni does it take to open a new aquarium filled with 11,000 animals? Turns out, quite a few. And three of them were Ad/PR majors.

Alex Grant runs it back

Broadcast journalism graduate Alex Grant produces exciting social media video content for the Carolina Panthers. The Columbia native cut his teeth in Gamecock Productions.

SJMC makes strong contributions to 2023 AEJMC conference

School of Journalism and Mass Communications faculty and graduate students were honored for excellence in research and teaching at the 2023 AEJMC Annual Conference in Washington D.C.

Telling the stories that matter

USC graduates are shaping the future of public broadcasting from coast to coast.

J-school invites applications for visual communications tenure-track faculty position

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the assistant professor level in the visual communications sequence with a specialization in immersive communication.

J-school names new director

Orangeburg native Damion Waymer has been selected as the next director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in USC’s College of Information and Communications.

Overtime Elite - a private school, basketball league and media conglomerate

Amen and Ausar Thompson, the identical twin brothers who were just selected as the fourth and fifth picks, respectively, in the 2023 NBA draft. The duo symbolizes the transformative potential of Overtime Elite, which offers young athletes a new path to maximize their earning potential. Jabari M. Evans, assistant professor of race and media, writes about Overtime Elite for The Conversation.

Foundational learning: Alumna Tjuan Dogan helps people around the world access online education

Dogan, who has a bachelor’s in advertising, a master’s and a Ph.D. in education all from USC, crafted a career path that now has her helping nontraditional students find new career options through education.

Brooks Hearn: Rooted in research

Brooks Hearn, a senior public relations manager at Chernoff Newman, reflects on her time at USC as a public relations major and Honors College student and how it shaped her future career.

Graduate looks back on lessons learned at USC

Journalism major Holly Poag discusses her time and experiences at the college and The Daily Gamecock.

Advertising team wins prestigious Mosaic Award

The Advertising Team from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications won the prestigious Mosaic Award at the American Advertising Federation District Three Regional Student Competition for their "You Deserve Better" campaign for the job search platform Indeed.

Faculty honor outstanding SJMC students

Outstanding students were honored at the annual awards reception for excellence in scholarship, creativity and research in the fields of advertising, journalism, mass communications, public relations and visual communications.

Laura Smith wins 2023 Bliss Award for Distinguished Broadcast Journalism Education

A panel of former Bliss winners unanimously selected Smith, a consummate broadcast educator, based on letters from students, colleagues, and documents supporting an exemplary record of teaching, research, and service.

A photojournalism adventure at the Carolina Cup: The thrill of the chase

Students participating in the Talmadge Moore LeGrand photojournalism workshop at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications photographed the 88th running of the Carolina Cup, a steeplechase racing event in Camden, South Carolina.

Alumna Jenni Williams lives out her childhood dream

Honors alumna Jenni Williams discusses how her childhood dream of becoming a news reporter became a reality while attending USC and the South Carolina Honors College.

Alumna writes encouraging words to graduating seniors

Hazel Mathieu (PR, '20) encourages students and new graduates to not lose sight of what's important to them when exploring the different options and routes open to them after college.

Makeup for Manhattan

SJMC graduate Adam Collins has always wanted to move to New York. So with little more than a suitcase and some big city grit, he did. Because of his creative versatility and strong background in visual communications, he landed a design job before he even found an apartment.

SJMC students racking up big wins in national broadcast competitions

Broadcast journalism students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications have won major awards in two national competitions: the Hearst Journalism Awards and the Broadcast Education Association Awards.

Aliyah Boston’s mind is as sharp as her shooting

Reigning women’s college basketball player of the year Aliyah Boston dominates on the court and in the classroom. She jokingly describes herself as an “academic weapon.”

Jelani Cobb to speak at joint symposiums

Jelani Cobb, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, journalist, historian and journalism school dean, will be the keynote speaker for the joint Inclusive Excellence Research Symposium and the Media & Civil Rights History Symposium on March 30-31.

Alumna Erika Ryan is representative of the next generation of storytellers

From editor-in-chief of "Garnet and Black" magazine to interviewing Martin Scorsese, Erika Ryan has left an impression on every newsroom in her career path. The mass communications alumna has explored almost all forms of news media from being a print journalism major to now producing National Public Radio’s "All Things Considered."

Contributions of four Black SJMC alumnae commemorated with bricks on Horseshoe

As a tribute to the Black alumnae featured in the student-produced documentary The Backbone, USC's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion installed 18 personalized bricks on the Horseshoe. Four of the women are alumnae of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

SJMC students win big at 2023 AAF Midlands Awards Gala

Best of Show was just one of the many awards students from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications brought home from the AAF Midlands American Advertising Awards Gala on Feb. 18, 2023.

Life by the reins

Kristen Terebesi. If you follow USC’s equestrian team, you might recognize the name. Terebesi discovered her passion for horses early and has been turning heads as an equestrian competitor for as long as she can remember.

Seven degree shift

Chris Horn doesn't want to make a big deal about retirement, but the University of South Carolina community will miss him. Horn, who retired in December 2022, has been a mainstay at his alma mater for 34 years.

PR grad Lauren Harper drives political engagement, pitches big tent

Lauren Harper knows what she wants, but she also knows when to pivot. In high school, she planned to pursue a journalism career, but she switched to public relations her freshman year at USC, caught the public service bug then carved her own path.

DIY enthusiasts thrive through difficult times

Chance and Mackenzie Edwards packed a lot of life into a short time period: They got married, went on a honeymoon; he got laid off and they started a business — all during a pandemic. But for the CIC graduates, the struggles led to something they’re now thankful for.

Jack Claypoole gets it done

Jack Claypoole likes to finish things — and there’s always something else that needs finishing. Right now, that means shepherding projects as executive director for strategic initiatives for his alma mater.

Advertising senior named one of the nation's most promising multicultural students

Senior advertising major Amari Edwards was named one of the 50 members of the 2023 class of AAF's Most Promising Multicultural Students.

Arreya donates digital signage software to School of Journalism and Mass Communications

Students taking our digital signage class will benefit from a software donation by Arreya Software which gives them hands-on experience with all areas of digital signage, from design and creation to distribution and scheduling.

PopCorners commercial wins 20th Super Ad Poll

Senior finance major Kevin Judge called it Sunday night at 9:11 p.m., tweeting, "PopCorners with the best ad of the night." Whether reading the room or expressing his personal opinion, he was spot on.

Willingness to take rejection in stride brought an alumna’s dreams to fruition

Growing up, Kimberly Elchlepp, PR 2012, religiously watched sports TV when she wasn’t playing volleyball or softball. She went on to make her sports enthusiasm into a career as a college sports senior publicist for ESPN, but not without a few detours in her career path.

J-school faculty produce and direct independent documentary on Holocaust survivors

Three School of Journalism and Mass Communications faculty directed and produced "TRACES, Voices of the Second Generation," which follows 19 children of Holocaust survivors telling their parents' stories and the impact it had on "second-generation survivors."

Public relations team wins second place in national competition

Students from the PR Campaigns class in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications won second place in the national Invent2Prevent Competition sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security and EdVenture Partners.

Former journalism professor lands on front lines of Murdaugh trial

Jay Bender, a former USC media law professor, has been appointed by S.C. Circuit Judge Clifton Newman to serve as a liaison between the court and the media for the high-profile Alex Murdaugh murder trial.

Thompson wins copy editing award

Junior public relations major Emily Thompson is the recipient of this year’s Henry T. Price Award for Outstanding Student Copy Editing. The award includes a $450 scholarship.

Doctoral student wins Breakthrough Graduate Scholar Award

Ali Zain, a third-year doctoral student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, was awarded a 2023 Breakthrough Graduate Scholar Award from the University of South Carolina Office of the Vice President for Research.

Calling Deion Sanders a sellout ignores the growing role of clout-chasing in college sports

Jabari M. Evans, assistant professor of race and media, writes for The Conversation on the increasing role of fame and money in college sports.

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