MURFREESBORO — MTSU’s College of Mass Communication celebrated
students past and present with its recent Wall of Fame alumni induction
ceremony and presentation of student scholarships and awards for the
soon-to-end academic year.
Journalism
alumna Angie Boyd Chambers, electronic media communication grad Margaret
Comeaux and recording industry alumnus Michael Knox joined 75 fellow mass
communication leaders on the college’s Wall of Fame, while more than 100
current students were recognized for their scholastic accomplishments.
“There’s a
special joy in knowing your son or daughter is successful doing exactly what
they want to do,” mass comm dean Ken Paulson told the crowd, which included
dozens of parents along with faculty, staff, students and alumni, in MTSU’s
Student Union Ballroom.
The
program for the celebration, which includes a complete list of all student
honorees as well as full bios of the Wall of Fame inductees, is available at http://ow.ly/vpiW6.
The Wall
of Fame honor began in 2000 as a way to both honor successful
mass-communication graduates and inspire current students to continue working
toward their goals.
Each year, each of the college’s departments
solicits nominees from faculty, chooses an honoree and submits his or her name
to the dean. The Wall of Fame ceremony then becomes a part of the college’s
annual Awards Day for students.
Boyd-Chambers
recently was promoted to managing director of communications for Saint Thomas
Health in Nashville, which employs more than 6,500 associates in nine
hospitals. The 2001 MTSU graduate previously served as the public relations director
for Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital and was responsible for marketing and
communications for the 286-bed Murfreesboro facility.
Comeaux,
who is senior director of music and events production for CMT, oversees the
creation, development and production of music and live-event specials for the
network. The 1995 MTSU grad serves as executive producer in charge of the
annual “CMT Music Awards,” the critically acclaimed “CMT Crossroads” series and
“CMT Artists of the Year.”
Music
producer Knox has worked with some of the biggest names in country music but is
perhaps best known for his production work with country superstar Jason Aldean.
Along with forming a production management company, Music Knox, with three of
his clients, Knox, a 2001 MTSU graduate, also serves as senior creative
director for peermusic Group in Nashville.
During the
afternoon celebration, MTSU’s School of Journalism also honored newcomer Dr.
Joonghwa Lee with its top teaching award after barely two years at the
university.
“This man,
as they say in baseball, is a natural,” said Dr. Ed Kimbrell, the longtime
professor and former dean for whom the award was named. “He cares about
students. He listens to them. He wants them to be engaged. And they are.”
Lee, who
came to MTSU in 2012 after earning his doctorate from the University of
Missouri-Columbia, quietly expressed his thanks for the honor.
“My dad
also was a professor,” Lee explained, “and I never understood why he loved his
job so much and hung out with the students, but now, after starting at MTSU, I
understand.”
One of the largest communication programs in the
nation, the MTSU College of Mass Communication offers degree concentrations in
14 major areas — ranging from journalism to digital media and media management
to recording industry management — and is accredited by the Association for
Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
The college also is home to the new Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame at MTSU, which was
officially unveiled in 2012 after four years of planning and inducted its first
six honorees last year.
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