School of Journalism & Media

Master’s Student, Lady Vol Swimmer Katie Mack Finds Calling On Rocky Top

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For College of Communication and Information master’s student Katie Mack, the decision to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was life-changing.

It was on Rocky Top that the Lady Vol swimmer found her calling for sports communications and media and aspires to turn that into a career after she graduates this May. 

“I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life before I set foot on this campus,” Mack, who will receive her master’s degree with a concentration in journalism and media, said. “I really think that this school has really helped me hone those skills, gain … Read more “Master’s Student, Lady Vol Swimmer Katie Mack Finds Calling On Rocky Top”

Graduating Senior Ben Slotnick Finds a Home After Transferring to Rocky Top

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An internship with the Tennessee Smokies may have brought graduating senior Ben Slotnick to Knoxville, but it was the Tennessee Vols culture that made the area feel like home.

Slotnick applied for the internship on a baseball coach’s recommendation, and for the past two years he has been a studio host and play-by-play commentator for the minor league baseball team.

Slotnick said working with the Smokies helped him get used to Tennessee Vols culture, adding once he got to the school, it helped make the transition much easier.

Prior to enrolling in the School of Journalism and Media at … Read more “Graduating Senior Ben Slotnick Finds a Home After Transferring to Rocky Top”

CCI Recognizes 2024 Retirees, Students, and Award Winners

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Every spring, the College of Communication and Information recognizes and honors those who have made significant achievements in their work, whether it be excellence in teaching, research, or volunteering, or the time that they have contributed before retiring. In 2023, CCI has had much to celebrate from its graduate students, faculty, and staff. The following are those who were recognized this spring.

Celebrating CCI Graduate Students

The CCI Graduate Student Research Award recognizes outstanding research and creative activity by a current graduate student in the college. This year’s recipient is Kibum Youn with the Tombras School of Advertising and Public … Read more “CCI Recognizes 2024 Retirees, Students, and Award Winners”

Graduating Senior Madisun Richardson Pursuing Career in Strategic Communications

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Graduating senior Madisun Richardson enjoys working on projects highlighting University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students.

Richardson works as a social media intern for the Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM) generating content for the university’s social media pages. She has been with the office since September 2022.

Working at OCM has been one of her favorite experiences at Rocky Top and she is grateful for everyone in that office who supports and encourages her. 

“They make sure that whatever actual tasks I am doing in the internship role are applicable to what I want to do when I graduate,” Richardson said. … Read more “Graduating Senior Madisun Richardson Pursuing Career in Strategic Communications”

UT Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society Initiates New Members

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Nine students from the School of Journalism and Media and the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations were initiated into the Willis C. Tucker chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society on Monday.

Friends and family gathered in the College of Communication and Information lobby on Monday to celebrate the newest cohort of students to be inducted into the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society chapter.

“Our Kappa Tau Alpha initiation ceremony welcomes nine students this year, all of whom are among the best of what we have to offer from the Tombras School of Advertising … Read more “UT Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society Initiates New Members”

Graduating Senior Tucker Harlin Grateful For Hands-On Experiences In Journalism 

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Graduating senior Tucker Harlin (left) at the 2023 BlueCross Bowl in Chattanooga with Fox Sports Knoxville. Harlin helped broadcast the games live.

Graduating senior Tucker Harlin always had an interest in sports.

Not so much playing sports, but rather a fascination with what goes into covering sports. His interest led him to get involved in a broadcasting class in high school. He also prepared news packages for the high school television station,worked as a color announcer for his high school football team, and delivered play-by-play commentary for basketball and one baseball game.

With his interest in journalism successfully piqued, he … Read more “Graduating Senior Tucker Harlin Grateful For Hands-On Experiences In Journalism ”

Graduating Senior Ainslee Raasch Named CCI’s First TEGNA Producer-In-Residence

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First-generation graduating senior Ainslee Raasch and her family regularly tune in to watch WBIR-TV, Channel 10. 

So, when she shared that she will work at the station this summer as a producer, they were overjoyed.

“It was super, super exciting when I got the call that I had gotten this job with WBIR,” Raasch said. “That is the news station most of my family watches, so they were incredibly excited for me. It was like I told them that I was going to be working for a celebrity. It was super adorable.”

The Knoxville native was hired through American media … Read more “Graduating Senior Ainslee Raasch Named CCI’s First TEGNA Producer-In-Residence”

Student Media Organizations Announce Leadership Teams For 2024-2025 Academic Year

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Junior Kylia Berry in the studio at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Student media organizations at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have announced their student leadership teams for the 2024-2025 academic year.

The incoming student leaders for Ablaze magazine, The Daily Beacon, Lumos Media Services and The Volunteer Channel (TVC) were recently selected following a very competitive process.

Meet the Student Media Leaders

Madelyn Stone, Ablaze Editor-in-Chief

Stone will serve as editor-in-chief of Ablaze during the 2024-25 academic year, continuing a role she currently holds. During her time as editor-in-chief, Stone has worked to continue the rebrand to Ablaze from … Read more “Student Media Organizations Announce Leadership Teams For 2024-2025 Academic Year”

Lumos Media Services, GSMNP Partnering To Create Videos Highlighting National Park

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Lumos Media Services student videographer Edward Cruz capturing video in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last summer.

Last summer, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) sought a video production company to collaborate with on making a training video for park employees and volunteers.

Park volunteer and College of Communication and Information alumnus Steve Staley (’79), who has more than 40 years in experience in the film industry, suggested reaching out to his alma mater to see if they could recruit some students to help.

It was then he learned about Lumos Media Services, a student-run commercial video production … Read more “Lumos Media Services, GSMNP Partnering To Create Videos Highlighting National Park”

Students Attend Realscreen Summit 2024 in New Orleans

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Students attended Realscreen Summit in 2024 in New Orleans. From left to right: Adjunct Lecturer Clint Elmore, Adjunct Lecturer Melissa Sykes, Fulton Myrick, Garrett Wright, Lukas Vyniauskus, Aaliyah Hammontree, Sierra Scott and, Katlynn Gill

On his first day at Realscreen Summit 2024, senior Lukas Vysniauskas attended a speed networking session.

He met around twenty individuals with various levels of expertise in film production. An aspiring documentary filmmaker, Vysniauskas said he learned a lot about different aspects of the industry, including opportunities he was unaware of prior to attending Realscreen, an annual global market and conference for the unscripted and non-fiction … Read more “Students Attend Realscreen Summit 2024 in New Orleans”