Rhett Hobart received his Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations in 2012 from Mississippi State University. In 2014, Hobart earned his master’s in business administration at Mississippi State University. Hobart grew up in Greenville, Miss., and now works as the deputy athletic director for external affairs at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.
Sheri Pape-Blythe received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations in 2002 from Mississippi State University. In 2005, Pape-Blythe earned her Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Pape-Blythe grew up in Jackson, Miss. She now resides in Atlanta, Ga., where she works remotely as a Senior Marketing Manager at Doozy Solutions.
Assistant Communication Professor Dr. Bazaa presented her paper titled "Conceptual Definition, Operationalization, and Factors of Value Perspective" at the 73rd International Communication Association's Annual Conference that will be held between May 25 and 29, 2023. Her presentation explores value congruence, as an antecedent of the organization-public relationships, benefits from a valid measurement scale to predict quality relationships between organizations and the public.
Mississippi State University's Department of Communication Head Dr. Terry Likes interviews Bethany Shipp, Marketing and Communication Coordinator for MSU’s Office of Public Affairs. Shipp discusses her varied career path from her days from MSU as an undergraduate student, to working at Disney in Orlando, to the world of Public Relations. Shipp also discusses her love of dance to her leadership role with the PR Association of MS-Starkville chapter.
At the April Public Relations Association of Mississippi annual conference, MSU swept most categories, with MSU senior communication and philosophy major Zoie Henson from Philadelphia winning PRAM Student of the Year, and MSU senior communication major Reagan Young from Chelsea, AL, winning PRAM Outstanding PR Student.
Uyanga Bazaa is a native of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and has been a part of MSU’s Department of Communication for two years. Dr. Bazaa received a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from Texas Tech University and a Master of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of Kansas. At MSU, Dr. Bazaa teaches Research in Public Relations and Advertising, Public Relations Case Problems, Health Communication and Campaigns, and Introduction to Communication.
Addie Thompson is a senior communication major concentrating in public relations from Oxford. Thompson is involved in Public Relations Student Society of America, Shackouls Honors College, and Brickfire Mentoring Program. In the future, she hopes to work on the marketing and content management side for small businesses.
Assistant Communication Professor Dr. Uyanga Bazaa and co-authors published #EndtheSTIgma: An Exploratory Analysis of the 2019 HPV Awareness Day Conversation on Twitter & Instagram in the April Health Communication journal. The current study explores the risk communication conversations on Twitter and Instagram in the context of the 2019 HPV Awareness Day, through the theoretical lenses of the stigma associated with HPV, HPV-related cancer, and the HPV vaccine.
Associate Communication Professor Dr. Melody Fisher presented "Blurred Lines: Public Relations Ethics" at the 2023 annual PRAM conference. This interactive presentation took a case study approach to address public relations ethical dilemmas. Attendees learned best practices to maintain the integrity of the public relations profession and become responsible advocates for their organization and clients.
The Public Relations Association of Mississippi honored the achievements of Mississippi’s best public relations professionals and students during their annual awards ceremony last week. The awards recognize outstanding work by Mississippians in the field of public relations and celebrate select individuals for their contributions to the profession. Christie Lawrence, President of Surge Advisors and past president of the Starkville-MSU Chapter is the 2023 PRAM Professional Achievement Award winner, the state’s top honor recognizing excellence in public relations.