2026 Outstanding Seniors Awarded
On April 19, 2026, JMC Department faculty and friends gathered on the first floor of Wilson Hall for the annual celebration of our department’s outstanding seniors, plus several other notable achievements. Department Chair Dr. Kevin Qualls opened the ceremony. Next, each of the Curriculum Coordinators took to the podium to sing the well-deserved praises of […]
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MSU Ads Club Tackles NFL Charities Campaign
After a four-year absence, the MSU Ads Club competed in the National Student Advertising Competition hosted by the American Advertising Federation. The 2025-2026 NSAC assignment asked students to create a branding campaign for National Football League charities. Ads Club members presented their entry in the District 5 preliminary round in Kettering, Ohio (Dayton area), on […]
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I Never Wrote A Slogan – My Journey from Murray State to Spotify
By Megan (Summers) Haneline (ADV ’13) Too many years ago, I was sitting among the cluttered bookcases in Professor Welsch’s office, daydreaming of having my own office someday, when he asked where I saw myself after graduation. I’m sure my answer was something like writing catchy slogans at an ad agency in New York City. […]
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The Lisa Crites Story: Broadcast Journalist to Breast Cancer Survivor, Patented Inventor and Author
Lisa Crites began her studies at Murray State in 1985 as a music major scholarship recipient. While expanding her talent as a classical pianist during her freshman year, she was drawn to journalism. “The music department was on the 3rd floor, and journalism was on the 6th, of the same building. Once I began hanging […]
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A Note From the Chair: A Ballast in the Midst of Change
The president of Murray State is still in his first year. Our VP of finance is in her first year, too. And the new provost will begin on July 1. The JMC department is in its first year of a revised curriculum. One newly minted PhD will join the ranks of the JMC faculty this […]
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The Murray State News Receives Four Awards at Southeast Journalism Conference in Georgia
The Murray State News received four awards at the recent Southeast Journalism Conference in Cartersville, Georgia. The conference is a vibrant learning community of collegiate journalists from member colleges across the Southeast. Schools from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee are members. The schools represent large public universities, regional universities and private […]
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JMC Faculty Enjoy Scholarly Pursuits Via Sabbaticals During 2025-26 Academic Year
When faculty contemplate sabbaticals, it is a process. There are rules, agendas, timelines and ashuffling of departmental responsibilities while a professor is absent for a semester. “I felt lucky in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications as my colleagues all volunteered to take bits and pieces of my responsibilities, so I could take my […]
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The News Wins Big in Kentucky Press Association Winter Awards Conference
The Murray State News won 15 awards, including third-place general excellence, in the student division at the Kentucky Press Association’s winter conference Jan. 23 in Louisville. The contest recognizes the best work across writing, reporting, visual journalism and design for Kentucky newspapers and news sites. The Kentucky Press Association holds contests in advertising and news […]
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Local Chapter Officers Attend PRSSA National Leadership Assembly
By Jasira Jouett (PR ’27) The Murray State Chapter of PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) recently sent two officers to the PRSSA National Leadership Assembly in New Orleans, Louisiana, where they gained valuable insights and made connections they brought back to the MSU campus. Members Jasira Jouett, president-elect and Jada Poindexter, PR director, represented the MSU chapter during the two-day event at […]
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JMC Alum Roars with 2025 Detroit Lions
By Natalie Sturgeon (PR ’25) What originally sold me on Murray State was the clear dedication that the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications faculty members had for their students. Even as a prospective public relations major, it was obvious that the professors and administrators cared for each student’s education – and their dreams. Once […]
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