History
| A Brief History of Graduate Study in Communication at Virginia Tech |
 |
In Fall 1999, the then-titled Department of Communication Studies began offering graduate courses in its new M.A. program in cooperation with the Department of English at Virginia Tech. In Spring 2003, the name of the department was changed to the Department of Communication. In Fall 2003 the M.A. became a stand-alone program in Communication, with graduates earning a Communication diploma.
List of Graduates in the M.A. Program:
Nadia Michele Aljabri, Spring 2007 (Dr. Robert E. Denton, Advisor). Nadia's thesis was titled A Comparative Pentadic Analysis of Mediated Presidential Discourse During 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
Chanda "Star" Noel Dodd, Spring 2007 (Dr. Rachel Holloway, Advisor). Star completed an internship with the U.S. Forest Service titled Environmental Communication: The Collaboration Process of the U.S. Forest Service. Star accepted a position as Communication Coordinator for Pinchot Institute for Conservation.
Kristin N. English, Spring 2007 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Kristin's thesis was titled Battleground Blog: Analyzing the 2006 U.S. Senate Campaign Blogs through the Lenses of Issue Ownership, Agenda-setting, and Gender Differences. Kristin is a graduate assistant and doctoral student in the Grady College of Communication at The University of Georgia. Kristin is published in Business Research Yearbook.
April C. Eutsey, Spring 2007 (Dr. Rachel Holloway, Advisor). April completed an internship with the Virginia Tech University Relations titled The Launching of a Brand: Integrating Communication Methods and Graphic Design.
Elyse L. Gonyo, Spring 2007 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Elyse completed an internship with Free Clinic of the New River Valley titled Public Relations and Event Planning in Non-Profit Health Organizations. Elyse is a Project Controls Analyst with LS Technologies in Fairfax,
VA, and is assigned to the Federal Aviation Administration's Command and Control Communications (C3) Program Office in Washington, DC.
Jacqueline Lee Harrison, Spring 2007 (Dr. Beth Waggenspack, Advisor). Jackie's internship was titled Practical and Theoretical Approaches to Campaign Consulting, which she completed with the McCain2008 Campaign. Jackie accepted a position as Campaign Coordinator for the Jim Ryan for Senate campaign based in Lawrence, KS.
Adrienne Holz Ivory, Spring 2007 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Adrienne's thesis was titled Sexual Orientation: A Peripheral Cue in Advertising? Adrienne is a graduate teaching assistant and doctoral student in the Virginia Tech Human Development program. Adrienne is published in Business Research Yearbook
Jason A. Moldoff, Spring 2007 (Dr. Andrew Paul Williams, Advisor). Jason's thesis was titled A Tale of Two Turnouts in 2004: Effects of News Frame Valence and Substance on College Students' Levels of Trust, Cynicism, and Political Information Efficacy. Jason is a doctoral student and Park Fellow at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Jason is published in Business Research Yearbook
Amanda Vert, Fall 2006 (Dr. Beth Waggenspack, Advisor). Amanda completed an internship with the State of Washington Department of Health. Amanda is employed as Voter Outreach Program Coordinator, Elections Division for the Washington Office of the Secretary of State.
Brittany Wilson, Fall 2006 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor).
Emiley M. Baker, Spring 2006 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Emiley's thesis was titled An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Anti-Phishing Awareness and Communication Strategies on Consumer Trust. Emiley is enjoying some time away from teaching and research while caring for her newborn. Emiley has articles forthcoming in Communication Research Reports and Journal of Website Promotion and is contributing author to the forthcoming book The Expansion Election.
Ana R. Constantinescu, Spring 2006 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Ana's thesis was titled Framing a Kidnapping: Frame Convergence between Online Newspaper Coverage and Reader Discussion Posts of Three Kidnapped Romanian Journalists. Ana is Communications Manager for the Virginia Tech Center for Geospatial Information Technology. Ana is published in Journalism Studies and is contributing author to the forthcoming book The Expansion Election.
Arin Rose Dickerson, Spring 2006 (Dr. Rachel Holloway, Advisor). Arin's thesis was titled Patriotism, Courtesy of Toby Keith: The Voice of Country Music after September 11. Arin received a Regents Fellowship for doctoral study in the Texas A&M Department of Communication.
Scott Dunn, Spring 2006 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Scott's thesis was titled Candidate and Media Agenda Setting in the 2005 Virginia Gubernatorial Election. Scott is recipient of a Roy H. Park Fellowship from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he is pursuing his doctorate. Scott is contributing author to the forthcoming book The Expansion Election.
Kyle J. Holody, Spring 2006 (Dr. Andrew Paul Williams, Advisor). Kyle's thesis was titled Framing Death: The Use of Frames in Newspaper Coverage of, and Press Releases about, "Death with Dignity." Kyle deferred admission for doctoral study and plans to begin doctoral study in fall 2007.
Christopher Jon McCollough, Spring 2006 (Dr. Andrew Paul Williams, Advisor). Chris completed a thesis titled Media Framing of the Steroids Scandal in Major League Baseball. Chris is a graduate teaching assistant at Louisiana State University's Manship School of Mass Communication, where he is pursuing his doctorate.
Rebecca Smith, Spring 2006 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Becky completed an internship with Angels of Assisi titled Public Relations and Development in the Non-Profit Sector. Becky is Senior Development Specialist for Central Piedmont Community College.
Weirui Wang, Spring 2006 (Dr. Rachel Holloway, Advisor). Weirui's thesis was titled Chinese Governmental Post-Crisis Management of the 2003 SARS Epidemic: Evaluation and Frame Correlations between Government and Mass Media. She is recipient of the Graham Endowed Fellowship from Pennsylvania State University where she is a doctoral student in Mass Communication.
Antra Higgins, Spring 2005 (Dr. Rachel Holloway, Advisor). Antra’s capstone experience included an internship with Edelman Public Relations in Dallas, TX office. Antra now works as Assistant Account Executive in Edelman’s Dallas office.
Jamie Hypes., Summer 2005 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Jamie’s capstone experience included an internship for Roanoke Adolescent Health Partnership. Jamie is employed a Corporate Trainer for Carilion Health Systems.
Jina N. Gaines, Summer 2005 (Dr. Rachel Holloway, Advisor). Jina's thesis was titled The Tension Between Opportunity and Outcome: The University of Michigan's Supreme Court Cases of Affirmative Action and the Implications of Cultural Expression. She is employed in the field of public relations.
Heather Toro, Spring 2005 (Dr. Stephanie Sargent, Advisor). Heather’s thesis was titled Public Perceptions of Credibility of Male and Female Sportscasters. Heather is an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Communication at Radford University.
Rebekkah Warburton, Spring 2005 (Dr. Stephanie Sargent, Advisor). Rebekkah’s thesis was titled The Impact of Sports Fanship on Person Perception.
Charles W. Dyson, Jr., Summer 2004 (Dr. Beth Waggenspack, Advisor). Charles' thesis was titled Native Sovereignty, Narrative Argument, and an International Shift: The 1974 Rhetoric of George Manuel and Vine Deloria, Jr. Charles is employed for Equality Virginia in Richmond.
Nate Koenigsfeld, Summer 2004 (Dr. Rachel Holloway, Advisor). Nate completed the thesis, Verizon Communications: An Examination of Organizational Discourse "Before" and "After" 9/11. Nate is Affiliate Manager for ReliableRemodeler.com and is based in Portland, OR.
Jenna Lazenby-Jones, Spring 2004 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Jenna completed an internship with the Salem Civic Center. She is News Bureau Manager for Virginia Tech University Relations.
Colleen Mihal, Summer 2004 (Dr. Matt McAllister, Advisor). Colleen's thesis was titled Democracy, Citizens' Media, and Resistance: A Study of the New River Free Press She is a doctoral student in Communication at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Elena Gabor, Summer 2003 (Dr. Edward H. Sewell, Jr., Advisor). Lena's thesis was titled, The Stereotype Caravan: Assessment of Stereotypes and Ideology Levels Used to Portray Gypsies in Two European Feature Films." Lena is a doctoral student and graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Communication at Purdue University.
Erin R. Bull, Spring 2003 (Dr. Rachel L. Holloway, Advisor). Erin is a school teacher.
Margaret J. Cline, Spring 2003 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Molly is employed at Tele-Works, Inc., in Blacksbug, Virginia. Tele-works specializes in e-Government technology (IVR applications).
James Matt Giglio, Spring 2003 (Dr. Matthew P. McAllister, Advisor). Matt is an Instructor and Public Speaking Coordinator in the Department of Communication at Virginia Tech.
Katie E. Reynolds Place, Spring 2003 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Katie completed the thesis Public Relations and Community Support: Assessing Fortune 500 Web Sites. She is a doctoral student and graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland. Katie is a 2007 Top Student Paper in Public Relations recipient at the National Communication Association.
Jing Jiang, Summer 2002 (Dr. John C. Tedesco, Advisor). Jing completed the thesis Linking East with West: Web Sites as a Public Relations Tool for American and Chinese Banks Operating in a Culturally-Evolving Chinese Society. Jing is a Ph.D. student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of South Carolina.
Tel Amiel, Summer 2002 (Dr. Stephanie Lee Sargent, Advisor). Tel completed the thesis Individual Differences in Internet Usage Motives. Tel is a Ph.D. student in Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia.
Matthew D. Harrington, Spring 2002 (Dr. Stephen Prince, Advisor). Matt completed the thesis G. W. Pabst and the New Objectivity: Social Criticism and the Loss of Idealism in the Weimer Republic. Matt is a Reference Assistant in the Fenwick Reference Department in the library at George Mason University.
Jennifer Chin, Fall 2001 (Dr. Robert E. Denton, Jr., Advisor). Jennifer is a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington teaching public speaking and public relations.
Andrea M. Eger-Criscione, Spring 2001 (Dr. Rachel L. Holloway, Advisor). Andrea is a Corporate Communications Officer for WVPT, a public television station in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.
Tiffany J. Shoop, Spring 2001 (Dr. Sam E. Riley, Advisor). Tiffany is a Ph.D. student in the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee.
|
|
