News Archive | Department of Communication

CO Connection: Anna Wilkinson

Mississippi State University's Department of Communication Head Dr. Terry Likes interviews PRISM advisor and instructor, Anna Wilkinson. Anna talks about the student PR agency, how students get involved with PRISM, the real-world opportunities of working with actual clients, and the results and awards students have earned.

Feb 28, 2023

Untold history of marginalized groups in public relations field chronicled in Fisher's new book

Mississippi State Associate Professor Melody Fisher fills a void in social science literature about public relations history with her 2022 book highlighting the practices and scholarship contributions to the field by members of ethnically and racially underrepresented groups.

Jan 30, 2023

CO Connection: Lynn Oldshue

Mississippi State University's Department of Communication Head Dr. Terry Likes interviews Lynn Oldshue ’91, (PR concentration) the gulf coast correspondent for Alabama Public Radio. She also reports for an independent newspaper in Mobile and tells stories of those in the south and around the world via Our Southern Souls. Learn more about Lynn’s experiences and advice she has for students.

Oct 18, 2022

MSU proves successful at annual CPRAM, SPRF competitions

Mississippi State students and staff members representing various colleges, departments and professional units took home numerous awards from recent College Public Relations Association of Mississippi and Southern Public Relations Federation annual competitions.

Oct 06, 2022

Dr. Heesook Choi presents “What Mobilizes Political Satire Viewers: The Role of Partisanship and Discussion Networks in the Effects of Political Satire Viewing on Political Participation"

Dr. Heesook Choi presented “What Mobilizes Political Satire Viewers: The Role of Partisanship and Discussion Networks in the Effects of Political Satire Viewing on Political Participation" at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication convention held in Detroit in August. Within the framework of social identity theory, this survey study (N = 1,203) explores the role of partisanship in the selection and processing of political satire and its influence on political participation.

Aug 03, 2022

Dr. Uyanga Bazaa & co-author present “#EAListen: A Thematic Analysis of a Successful Fan Activist Campaign" at ICA conference

Dr. Bazaa and her co-author, Megan Condis, presented their work “#EAListen: A Thematic Analysis of a Successful Fan Activist Campaign" in May at the 72nd Annual International Communication Association's conference in Paris, France. Fans are a special type of public that is of great interest to public relations researchers. Dr. Bazaa and her co-author analyzed tweets with the hashtag #EAListen to further understand online fan activism that happened to occur during the peak of Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. The authors discovered Simmers (people who play the Sims, a real life simulation video game) successfully pressured Electronic Arts (EA; the Sims developer) to ensure inclusion and diversity in their video game.

May 26, 2022

MSU students, professionals recognized by Public Relations Association of Mississippi

Mississippi State senior Flora Dedeaux is the 2022 Student of the Year for the Public Relations Association of Mississippi, joining other MSU students and professionals receiving honors during the organization’s recent PRism Awards ceremony.

May 04, 2022

Two PRISM client projects win awards at 2022 PRAM Conference

Two MSU Public Relations & Integrated Student Media Agency client projects won awards at the 2022 PRism Awards Banquet as part of PRAM’s 2022 Conference in Gulfport, Miss. PRISM students won an Award of Excellence and a Best of Show award.

Apr 12, 2022

MSU Communication students win annual prestigious awards at PRAM conference

For the fifth year in a row, an MSU Department of Communication public relations concentration student has won the honor of Public Relations Association of Mississippi Student of the Year. Flora Dedeaux, a communication major double concentrating in public relations and broadcast & digital journalism, from Gulfport, Miss., received the 2022 PRAM Student of the Year.

Apr 12, 2022

Dr. Melody. Fisher publishes article in Family and Community Health

Dr. Melody Fisher, an associate professor in public relations, recently published The study "Assessing Readiness for Barbershop-Based HIV Prevention Programs Among Rural African American Barbershop Patrons" in Family and Community Health. The study aimed to quantitatively assess the readiness of rural African American men to participate in a barbershop-based HIV prevention program.

Mar 01, 2022

MSU communication graduates, faculty win big at public relations conference

Recent graduates from Mississippi State University’s Department of Communication received four top awards at the Southern Public Relations Federation Conference in Panama City Beach this month.

Nov 01, 2021

MSU now one of three SEC schools with Certification in Education for Public Relations

Mississippi State University now is one of three schools in the Southeastern Conference and one of only 52 schools internationally to obtain Certification in Education for Public Relations, a distinction from the Public Relations Society of America earned by organizations meeting top PR education standards.

Aug 18, 2021

New MSU online communication/public relations degree meets growing demand

Beginning this fall, Mississippi State University will offer an online degree program for students interested in earning a bachelor’s in communication with an emphasis in public relations.

Aug 16, 2021

Public Relations students win top PRAM awards

Karie R. Pinnix is the 2021 Student of the Year for the Public Relations Association of Mississippi, and Abbie Kate Hancock received the Gregory Raimondo Outstanding Public Relations Student Award, presented by the PRAM River City chapter.

Jun 08, 2021

PRISM applications due March 26 for Fall 2021

Mississippi State University’s Public Relations & Integrated Student Media agency is now accepting applications.

Feb 23, 2021