Carr is the Project Management and Planning Operations Rep for the Lexington, Kentucky branch of Lockheed Martin, a global security, aerospace, and information technology company, whose main business is with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. federal government agencies, including the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and NASA, to name a few.

“The program that I work in supports the modification and retrofitting of a specific model of military aircraft for a specific branch of the military,” Carr said.  In this role, Carr oversees and manages the operational aspects of the company’s projects, serves as a liaison between project management and line management, assess project issues and develops resolutions to meet productivity and quality, and works to meet client satisfaction goals and objectives.

“Knowing what we’re doing, who we’re doing it for and who our customer is, especially having come from that [military] background, has an intrinsic motivation and plays a big part in what makes us proud to do our job.”

Carr, a 2004 Department of Communication graduate, has relied on his communication background throughout his professional career as the former editor of the American Saddlebred Horse Association magazine, a supply specialist in the U.S. Army Reserve, a resource management analyst for the Kentucky Department of Education, and a database analyst and reports developer for JPMorgan Chase.

“Every job that I’ve had basically since college has had a certain aspect of project management involved, whether it’s individually or as part of a team,” Carr said. “Managing your time, managing your resources, and the people that you work with and around, making sure that you establish what’s needed from them.”

“You need to know how to interact with people, understand certain reactions, understand that not everybody receives messages the same way, learn how to communicate with people individually who may have different personality types,” Carr said. “It’s an invaluable resource no matter what job you do, and mine is no different now.”

As an undergraduate student, Carr “was well aware of the fact that a lot of people ended up in careers unrelated to their field of study, they didn’t know what they were going to do and I was no different. So, I said, ‘I’m at least going to spend my time in a major, in a field of study that genuinely interests me’. It was kind of a gamble I guess, but it’s worked out pretty well on both fronts—when I was in college enjoying it and now in my career.”

Carr credits Dr. Alan Desantis’s COM 101 class and the communication theory classes among his favorites. “It was great,” Carr said of COM 101. “You’re going out to hear the coolest guy on campus talk for an hour. One thing I thought was great about it was that a lot of people took it that weren’t communication majors. It was just something they took to fulfill their communication requirement.”

For Carr, the college environment and “being on campus a lot, in that upbeat, active scene on any given day” contributes to his fond memories as a UK undergraduate student. “It’s an experience that you can’t really replicate in any other type of environment in any other stage of life. It’s like nothing else.”

s 2012 draws to a close, the College of Communication and Information is proud to be one of the leading colleges at the University of Kentucky. We stand out as one of the two fastest growing colleges, excelling not only in enrollment and retention, but also in overall student success. And without a doubt, UK’s Department of Communication has helped get us there. The introduction of cutting edge curriculum improvements has changed the landscape of education. Our students are not just pursuing exciting programs anymore…they are are gaining career-oriented insight through real-life applicable courses and internship opportunities.

As always, I would like to thank you, the alumni and friends of our college. The progress and success of our students could not be possible without your continued support. Communication students are able to thrive in the classroom and beyond UK graduation because of your efforts. I could not be more proud of our achievements as they are a direct reflection of our dedicated past.

Please feel free to contact me anytime to discuss your ideas for our College.

Dan O’Hair, Dean

Each year the Communication Department presents an award to an Outstanding Junior and Senior for academic and professional excellence. The 2012 Outstanding Junior is Tamika Tompoulidis. The Department of Communication is honoring four Outstanding Seniors this year: Courtney Aubrey, Evan Gorman, Elizabeth Pawley and Catherine Rembrandt. This scholarship award is open to all junior and senior communication students to apply. The award winners were selected by an undergraduate relations committee.

Outstanding Junior Award Winner 

Tamika Tompoulidis 

Tamika Tompoulidis, a native of Middletown, Ohio, is the Department of Communication’s Outstanding Junior.  She currently serves as president of the Communication Student Association and Deputy Chief of Promotions in UK Student Government. Tompoulidis has been listed on the Dean’s List Honor Role since the fall 2010 semester.

During the 2011-2012 academic school year, Tompoulidis was a Chellgren Research Fellow, working with Dr. Brandi Frisby on communication-related research. Her emphasis on interpersonal communication has given her experience in public speaking, taking on leadership roles and understanding methods of persuasion.

Tompoulidis plans to fulfill a master’s degree in communication and aspires to become a professor in communication.

Outstanding Senior Award Winners

Courtney Aubrey

Courtney Aubrey, a communication senior, is currently serving as the Communication Honors Society Co-President and is working as Research Assistant in healthcare communication research under Dr. Kevin Real. Aubrey is serving as an Instructional Communication Apprentice where she prepares lessons and teaches one lecture in a Workplace Communications course. She also works as a peer tutor at UK’s Multimodal Communication Consulting Center.  Aubrey has been listed on the Dean’s List since 2009.

The Louisville, Ky. native plans to use her emphasis in media communication to pursue a career in media and public relations with an athletic team.

Evan Gorman 

Evan Gorman, a Sturgis, Ky. native, is a health communication senior. He is currently serving as an intern for WLEX-18 News where he shadows newsroom producers, anchors and reporters. Gorman is a tutor in UK’s Multimodal Communication Consulting Center, working with students in speech development and delivery, leading workshops covering communication topics and visiting classrooms to promote the lab. He is also serving as a teaching assistant for Dr. Allison Scott where he assists finding media clips, composes exam questions and teaches two lectures throughout the semester.

Gorman was listed on the Dean’s List for the fall 2011 and spring 2012 semesters. He is committed to using his communication background to help people in whatever career path he takes upon graduation.

Elizabeth Pawley

Elizabeth Pawley is a senior studying interpersonal communication with a minor in psychology. The Cecilia, Ky. native will graduate in May 2013 with plans to become a career counselor for students facing uncertainty in their professional future. Pawley is currently an intern with Court Appointed Special Advocates where she assists in the planning, marketing and development of fundraising events for a small non-profit agency and shadows in a social work-related realm, observing children who are paired with a volunteer advocate to speak for them in court. She currently holds office as the DanceBlue team relations chair where she is responsible for recruiting and registering participants for UK’s DanceBlue Marathon.

Pawley is the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority philanthropy and service director, is an active member of the Communications Honor Society and maintains a 4.0 GPA.

Catherine Rembrandt 

Catherine Rembrandt, a native of Charleston, W.V., is a corporate communications senior working toward a business administration minor. She is serving as Co-President and Philanthropy Chair for the Communication Honors Society and is currently an intern with the Susan G. Komen Lexington Affiliate where she assists in preparing for the organization’s annual race, maintains the organization’s social media and website, and works with the executive director to discuss corporate partnerships. Rembrandt was also honored as the Communication Department outstanding junior for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Rembrandt will graduate in May 2013 with plans of using her communication degree within a human resources position to ultimately become a human resources director and CEO. Her communication background will enable her to influence organizations, communities, individuals, society and her own personal relationships.

s the year draws to a close, I would like to welcome you to another edition of Communication Department alumni newsletter. COMMunity is an e-newsletter, designed to keep us in touch in a convenient, interactive manner.  It is my hope that we can continue to reconnect to form a community of our alumni, faculty, and students.

I’d like to boast about some of the recognitions our faculty have received in the past few months. Many of our faculty members have been recognized for their outstanding work this year. Congratulations are in order to Dr. Nancy Harrington as the first recipient of the Douglas A. and Carole A. Boyd Professorship  in Communication.  The endowed fund was established by the Boyds last spring.  Dr. Boyd is a professor in the department and a former dean of our college and we are grateful for their continued support.  This fall Dr. Don Helme was recognized by the Kentucky Communication Association as the Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor.    Dr. Derek Lane was recognized with the Faculty Partner Award by the UK Division of Student Affairs for his ongoing support of Student Affairs and his contributions to campus life.  And Dr. Elaine Wittenberg-Lyles is the recipient of an Interprofessional Education Collaborative Development Award from MedEdPortal and the American Association of Medical Colleges, supported by funding from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation.

After our first edition I heard from many of you and I greatly enjoyed doing so.  Feel free to contact me directly, or to simply provide us with an update, click here. We are happy to have you as part of our COMMunity!

Laura Stafford
Professor & Chair

Department of Communication
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506-0042
comm.uky.edu

Crumrine and girlfriend, Hannah Huggins. Huggins is a 2009 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information.

Chris Crumrine graduated from the University of Kentucky’s Department of Communication in 2008. His multifaceted involvement in the university as an undergraduate primed him for his current position in Executive Communications in UK’s University Relations.

Crumrine works closely with UK President Eli Capilouto in a vital supporting role that encompasses reading, writing and research for the president and University Relations team. He has developed a broad set of experiences in a job that changes everyday.

“I provide staff support to President Capilouto and the University Relations Office. My day-to-day role involves managing a lot of information from across the campus and the community, ensuring that it is available to President Capilouto quickly and succinctly. I spend a great deal of my time reading and writing to support the myriad of activity that happens in this office each day,” Crumrine said.

As a UK student, Crumrine served as Student Government Chief of Staff, a position he credits as one of his most influential experiences as an undergraduate. His role in Student Government allowed him “to see a lot of the institution students don’t normally get to see or don’t come in contact with.”

“It gave me some really important leadership skills. You are communicating internally with the organization, which is a different type of communication than when you’re talking with students who are outside the organization,” Crumrine said. “You find very quickly that there is no one student that is just like the other, so you spend a lot of time listening and then aggregating all that you’ve heard and coming to a clear and concise position.”

Crumrine’s interest in public policy and work experience with State Higher Education Executive Officers solidified his focus in higher education public policy. His work with the association of State Higher Education allowed for the combination of communication and political science into a position that involved drawing state-level higher education data reports for agencies such as Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education.

“The applicability of what I learned in the College of Communication as a communications grad works in any position. It worked at SHEEO when I was trying to write and translate very data-heavy pieces for a mass audience to consume, who may not deal with that data everyday. My communications background helped me pull details and pass the most important things along to people who were going to use it in whatever capacity,” Crumrine said.

With an undergraduate degree in communication and a master’s degree in public administration from UK as well, it is fitting that Crumrine could not stay away from the university for long. In his second year with University Relations, he is back at his alma mater and could not be happier.

“When I was at SHEEO there were three positions I would leave any job for and this was one of them. I’d like to say I have the best job on campus. I get to work with some really outstanding people. Some people who are incredibly passionate about what they do, about students, about faculty, about UK. I’m extremely lucky,” Crumrine said.

Crumrine remains connected to the university in more than just a career context. Philanthropy is a passion he cultivated during his undergraduate years at UK and is something he continues to stay active in. Serving as the Marketing Chair and Internal Communications Director for UK’s DanceBlue philanthropy event as a student, he actively took part in the production of an event he describes as “a single moment that captures a very powerful spirit and effort for an incredible cause.”

“Working with that executive team showed me the importance of feeding your passions and being involved in things that are bigger than one’s self and that you care about deeply. I am still involved in DanceBlue, but from an alumni aspect, because of how much of an impact it had on me. The feeling you get; it really puts it all in context,” Crumrine said.

Jennifer Y. Barber, a 2005 graduate of the UK College of Communication and Information, has become a standout among the tax attorney community in Kentucky.  Barber is in her fifth year as a tax attorney at Bingham Greenbaum Doll LLP.  As a member of the firm’s Tax and Finance Practice Group, her focus is in tax advising counseling and managing state tax litigation for clients. Barber also provides services in the area of economic development.

In 2011, Barber was recognized in Business First’s Forty Under 40, a feature the Louisville business-focused publication has produced annually since 1996.  Barber, who, at age 27, was nominated by her mentor and supervisor at Bingham Greenbaum Doll LLP, joined the ranks of a select group of up-and-coming business leaders in the Louisville metro area.

“Being a tax attorney is both challenging and rewarding,” Barber said. “I was so honored to be nominated and win that award. It helped boost my career and credibility as a young attorney.”

Barber credits her communication background for developing the basic skills and confidence that have improved her litigation skills. Her early communication classes “challenged the way I analyze people and the media,” Barber said. “It was challenging not just in the classroom, but also in everyday hurdles like public speaking, being comfortable in front of an audience and communicating effectively.”

In her first two years, she drafted seven U.S. Supreme Court briefs. “Most lawyers are lucky to draft one brief and some never do, so that has been a huge accomplishment to me,” Barber said.

As a student at UK, Barber served as an Ambassador, traveling the state and country, speaking with students and alumni to promote the university. She worked with former UK President Lee Todd on the UK Strategic Planning Committee and was active in the Chi Omega sorority.

“As an Ambassador, I was an advocate for UK, just as I am for clients today. There’s definitely a crossover from my college experiences to my career,” Barber said.

Reflecting on her undergraduate years, Barber said she has happy memories. “I loved everything about UK – certainly the people, the classes, tailgating, basketball and football games, there’s so much,” Barber said.  “It was such a wonderful experience.”

Barber also graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2008.

A career in government began in an unusual way for Crosbie. The 1992 Department of Communication graduate experienced a break-in into her home, which was the driving force that launched her career in government. The police who responded to the incident “put their life on the line,” a gesture Crosbie said made her more “plugged-in” to local government. After working in pharmaceutical sales with the same Fortune 50 Company for 18 years, she became involved in politics and took the opportunity to go into public service full time.

“I became an advocate for our police and fire departments. That’s what got me interested at the local level. When I started working, the seat in the district I lived in was open. When I started looking at the people who served on council, I realized a lot of them weren’t like me. They didn’t look like me. They didn’t sound like me. They didn’t have young children. They all had very different life circumstances. I thought this might be a position where I can really make a difference and bring new energy to the council,” Crosbie said.

After her 2011 campaign for Kentucky State Treasurer ended in a tight loss, Crosbie is now serving as the Finance Chairman for the Kentucky State Republican Party. At the conclusion of her third term as Lexington’s District 7 councilmember this December, Crosbie will represent Kentucky on a national level as the National Committee Woman for the Republican National Committee.

“There is one female and one male from each state who serve on the RNC. That’s a position I just took over after the Republican National Convention. I plan programs for Republican women who want to get involved in politics, and I am very heavily involved in fundraising for the state,” Crosbie said.

Crosbie’s Lexington upbringing has influenced her career in sales and government and lends a personal insight into local issues Lexington has seen throughout her three terms. Her connection to the University of Kentucky has remained strong since graduation.

“Living in Lexington and attending UK has given me a lot of insight in dealing with student issues. Not only was I very involved as a student at the University of Kentucky, I bleed blue through and through,” Crosbie said. “I was president of the Student Activities Board my senior year, so I had the opportunity to do programing that involved working with business leaders in the community. I was also an advisor for my sorority after I graduated from college, so I kept in touch with the students.”

Crosbie recognizes her experiences at UK as the foundation of her career successes.

“My education at UK, and specifically my degree in communication, taught me how to deal with people. All of the communication classes you have to take, whether it is interpersonal communication or public speaking, really prepare you for whatever career you choose,” Crosbie said.

Her communication background and leadership roles on campus have served her well in both sales and politics.

“I liked interpersonal communication and public speaking. At the time I took it I was so fearful of standing up in front of people, but it has helped me time and time again in my professional life,” Crosbie said.

Her term as president of the Student Activities Board was a leadership role Crosbie credits as one of her most defining experiences. Working closely with the president of the university and a board of diverse students, she planned events representative of the entire student body and developed effective skills useful in the political domain.

“The skills I learned in planning those events and dealing with people have paid off in my professional career,” Crosbie said.

For Crosbie, the University of Kentucky represents her first sense of freedom and responsibility.  She urges students to “get involved in different things and meet different people. Take advantage of the time there, meet as many people as you can and have lots of fun.”

“Those were some of the best years of my life,” Crosbie said.

Location:  LCLI 303

Appointment Needed?  No.

Schedule:
Wednesday, October 17– 8:30am – 11:30am and 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Monday, October 22– 8:30am – 11:30am
Tuesday, October 23– 8:30am – 10:00am
Wednesday, October 24– 8:30am – 4:30pm
Wednesday, October 31– 9:00am – 4:00pm

In four months’ time, COM-RIT, specifically Patrick Helm (hardware engineer) and Benjamin Grimes (software/database programmer), developed a robust, stand-alone DVR server system capable of efficiently capturing and storing streaming video and transcripts from up to 12 digital television streams. In lieu of traditional software topology, this prototype uses virtualization technology to run fully optimized loads with incredible reliability. The hardware architecture is centered around a single enterprise-class, rack-mounted, server with full redundancy. A comprehensive server management system allows us to ship a unit to a host location and fully manage and troubleshoot all aspects of the system remotely. The end result of this development is a highly-efficient, very robust and fail-safe television server that runs on less energy than a typical household coffee maker.

Goals for the next phase of this partnership are to deploy 10-20 additional DVR servers across the Tennessee Valley with the hope that access to such a system and its data would help to foster new research collaborations and additional funded opportunities.

For the past 8 years, the Department of Communication has been developing innovative strategies and technologies to capture, store, and analyze media content.  The department’s DCA Lab’s “COMMTV” is a searchable, streamable television archive which currently stores approximately 1.5 million hours of television transcripts and streaming video to support the department’s media research.

The capture and analysis of broadcast television coverage of issues related to public health and safety is an innovative strategy in developing effective interventions in risk and crisis situations. Risk and crisis communication is a research area that the Department of Communication targeted for development approximately five years ago. We have been highly successful in that effort, due in large part to our recruitment of Dr. Timothy Sellnow and Dr. Shari Veil, both leaders in risk and crisis communication research.

Thanks to COM-RIT for helping us capitalize on this new opportunity!

Sample graph of key terms from the DCA Lab's "COMMTV" search interface.

Sample graph of channel distribution from the DCA Lab's "COMMTV" search interface.

As we enter the new academic year, I would like to welcome you to the first edition of the new Communication Department alumni newsletter.  COMMunity is an e-newsletter, designed to keep us in touch in a convenient, interactive manner.   It is my hope that we can reconnect to form a community of our alumni, faculty, and students.

There have been several changes in the administrative personnel of the department and college in the last few years.  After Dean David Johnson returned to our faculty, we welcomed Dr. Dan O’Hair as Dean of the College in Fall of 2009.  Dan joined us from the University of Oklahoma.  In addition to leading our college, he conducts an active research program in Risk and Health Communication, Business Communication, and Media Management.  Dr. Tim Sellnow and Dr. Deanna Sellnow came to the college in 2007 from University of North Dakota. Dr. Deanna Sellnow, whose focus is in Instructional Communication, became our Director of Undergraduate Studies.   Dr. Tim Sellnow, who also conducts research in Crisis Communication, currently serves as the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs. I joined the faculty in 2008 after several years at The Ohio State University.  Then, following Dr. Nancy Harrington’s service of an incredible 12 ½ years as chair, and her return to our faculty ranks, I began my term as chair last year.

One of the exciting developments in our program is our recent changes to update our major to be more career focused.  Students can specialize in “Corporate Communication,” “Health Communication,” “Mass Communication,” or for those interested in a broader orientation, “Human Communication.” See link: http://comm.uky.edu/career-paths/.    We also now offer students a minor in Communication.

I am proud to say our college has grown. We currently have 350 undergraduate majors and premajors and 75 minors, as well as approximately 50 MA and PhD students working towards their degrees in Communication.  The Graduate Program approaches the study of Communication as a social science with an emphasis on both theory construction and practical application through empirical research methods in order to generate new knowledge about communication as a core process.

Our internship program has also grown. These are vital to helping our student’s in their careers.  In the late 1990′s we offered 20 to 30 internships a year.  Under the direction of Cyndy Miller, we have grown to where we are averaging between 125 and 150 internships a year.  We have over 300 organizations across the country with which our majors can intern.  We’d like to thank Cyndy Miller for her outstanding work directing this program as well as all of you who have sponsored one of our interns.

Finally, we’d like to hear from you.  To provide us with an update, click here.  We are happy to have you as part of our COMMunity!

Laura Stafford, Chair

Department of Communication