Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State's communication department is announcing its nearly 40-member advisory board for the 2013-14 school year.
Members include university alumni and other professionals representing all five of the department's career concentrations: broadcasting, communication studies, journalism, public relations, and theatre.
Among 14 academic units--and one of the largest--in MSU's College of Arts and Sciences, the communication department currently includes some 600 majors. Departmental faculty members also provide classes to hundreds of other majors across the institution. For more, visit www.comm.msstate.edu.
Created in the fall of 2006, the advisory board assists in fundraising and scholarship development, student recruitment, curriculum revisions, and website enhancement, among other areas. Members also provide support for special departmental events, including career fairs and the annual golf tournament that supports the scholarship program.
Board meetings are held twice a year on campus, with many members participating via teleconference.
Department head John Forde said board members "also play key roles as mentors for current majors, helping them locate jobs or internships in areas of their specific career interests and providing advice for succeeding in the various communication fields."
Over the next two years "we plan for the mentoring program to be available to all seniors in the department," Forde said.
Board member Crissy S. Linter of Dallas, Texas, said she is excited to again be part of the mentoring program. "It's been great to see the evolution [of the department] as far as involving board members with students," she added.
Board colleague Lori W. Cook of Montgomery, Ala., also expressed happiness for growth of the mentoring program, scholarship golf tournament and other academic enhancement efforts. "All of these have been very beneficial for the department and for the university," Cook said.
Forde said he and his departmental colleagues deeply appreciate the time board members devote to their responsibility.
"We feel this year's board will benefit the department and our majors more than ever," Forde said. "We're especially excited about our new website that was improved with a great deal of board input, as well as the continuing success of our golf tournament that can be attributed, in large measure, to hard work by board members."
In addition to Cook and Linter, the 2013-14 board includes (by hometown):
ATLANTA, Ga.--Ellen W. Hartman.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--Chuck Dunlap, Mark Hendren and Sarah A. Hendren.
CHIGAGO, Ill.--Terri Hickey.
COLUMBUS--Bobby Berry.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.--Gina Holland.
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn.--Colby Swann.
GULFPORT--Clay Williams.
JACKSON--John Arledge, Lorraine W. Boykin, Layne Bruce, and Camille Scales Young.
JACKSON, Tenn.--Kendall McCarter.
LANCASTER, Calif.--Connie Lillo-Thieman.
MACON, Ga.--Derek Rogers.
MERIDIAN--Kevin Ivey.
MOREHEAD, Ky.--Greg Carlisle.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Anna M. Grizzle.
ORLANDO, Fla.--Tony Morreale and Tommy Starkey.
PHILADELPHIA--Jim Prince.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.--Holli H. Seitz.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas--Butch Holiner.
STARKVILLE--Libba Andrews, Kristi Brown, Joe Dier, David Garraway, Rex Buffington, Meaghan Gordon, Rhonda N. Keenum, Ralph Olivieri, Sheri Pape, and Kyle Steward.
TUPELO--Kim F. Collins.
More information on the members is available at www.comm.msstate.edu/alumni/advisoryboard.