We want to recognize the hard work and accomplishments of our faculty and staff during
the academic year. Watch as the listings on this page increase.
Professional Honors and Awards
Haley Hatfield, Ph.D.
Rising Star Award
Haley Hatfield earned this award in recognition of her outstanding scholarly and community
contributions to the field of communication. She has published high-quality research
in leading journals, demonstrating both rigor and influence in her work. Beyond her
publications, she is deeply committed to community-engaged scholarship, ensuring her
research has meaningful impact beyond academia.
She is also an active collaborator in the New Information Technology Lab, where she
contributes to innovative, interdisciplinary initiatives and actively pursues external
funding. Her efforts have been recognized through the receipt of a Provost’s funding
award. In addition, she is a dedicated mentor, supporting students at all levels —from
high school to undergraduate and graduate — helping them achieve their goals and realize
their aspirations. Together, these accomplishments reflect her excellence, leadership,
and commitment, making her a deserving recipient of this award.
CIC faculty member Eric P. Robinson, J.D., Ph.D.is helping shape the future of transparency in government as artificial intelligence
becomes more integrated into public information processes.
Robinson, in collaboration with Erin K. Coyle of Arizona State University, earned
third place in the Journal of Civic Information’s special research competition marking
the 60th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Brett Robertson approaches academic integrity not as a policy obligation but as a
teaching opportunity. He facilitates genuine dialogue about ethical decision-making
and adopts open-access and zero-cost textbooks and materials to remove financial pressures
that can push struggling students toward dishonest choices. Students describe Brett
as someone who listens, cares, and wants them to carry ethical values into every interaction
of their lives.
Nina Brook, senior instructor and scholastic media programs director, is one of 150
journalism leaders from colleges across the country recognized for efforts to start
or expand university-led reporting programs in their region, and their contribution
to a national movement of student-powered community reporting.
Dean's Award for Outstanding Leadership
Nina Brook received this award in recognition of her exceptional leadership, dedication
and impact on journalism education. In addition to completing her doctorate last year,
she played a central role in supporting journalism majors, serving as the primary
point of contact for all journalism-related initiatives and ensuring strong program
visibility and engagement.
She directs both the Southern Interscholastic Press Association and the South Carolina
Scholastic Press Association, extending her influence to middle and high school journalism
programs. Through these efforts, she helps cultivate the next generation of media
professionals. She also works closely with colleagues in a highly effective partnership
that strengthens programming and outreach.
As an instructor of record, she is deeply committed to student success, including
overseeing a valuable partnership with The Post and Courier that places around 20
students in internships each year. These opportunities provide students with meaningful,
hands-on experience and a strong foundation for their careers. Her leadership, mentorship,
and dedication to experiential learning make her a truly deserving recipient of this
award.
Sabrina Habib
Sabrina Habib was selected to the Possibility Studies Network Research Board, an international
conference prominent in creativity studies.
Haley Hatfield, assistant professor
Assistant professor Haley Hatfield was elected secretary of the Information Systems
Division of the International Communication Association (ICA).She will serve a two-year term. Hatfield previously served as the Student & Early
Career Representative for the ICA.
Hatfield was selected for the USC Provost’s Office SEC Visiting Faculty Travel Grant
(AY 2025–2026) to support collaboration with UGA and LSU.
Bryan Jenkins, research assistant professor
Bryan Jenkins was accepted into the Scholars in Health and Alzheimer’s Research Engagement (SHARE) program. This program is a part of a 5-year grant supported by the National Institute on
Aging to develop a research training program to increase the level of expertise and
community engagement efforts of faculty conducting Alzheimer’s Disease and other Related
Dementias related research at the university.
Bryan is one of the three inaugural scholars for the program who have been awarded grant funds ($12,500) to conduct a community
engaged pilot study that seeks to improve ADRD-related health outcomes in the state.
In addition to research funds, the program also includes mentorship and professional
development opportunities to help advance the SHARE Scholars’ projects and ADRD research
skills and expertise.
Alumna and adjunct faculty Sauls, president and CEO of Homeless No More, was the 2026
community partner recipient of USC’s Martin Luther King Social Justice Award.
School of Journalism and Mass Communications faculty and graduate students were honored
for excellence in research and teaching at the 2025 Association for Education in Journalism
and Mass Communication held Aug. 8-10 in San Francisco.
Photo (l to r): Top faculty paper award recipients: Joon Kim, Ali Zain and Jungmi
Jun. Top graduate student paper recipients: Dante Mozie, Yu Chen and Carrie Jingyi
Xiao.
Assistant professor Brett Robertson in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications
has been honored with the award, which recognizes faculty who demonstrate exceptional
commitment to undergraduate education, innovative teaching methods and a profound
impact on student learning.
Garnet Media Group names Kelly Davis top CIC professor
Kelly Davis was named Best Professor in the College of Information and Communications
in Garnet Media Group’s Best of Carolina showcase.
Students in The Carolina Agency said she "... consistently leads and inspires our
agency’s strategic communications professionals, both past and future, serving as
both a dedicated mentor and a role model."
Mary Anne Fitzpatrick was awarded the National Communication Association's prestigious Charles H. Woolbert
Research Award for her 2002 article, “Toward a Theory of Family Communication,” published
in Communication Theory.
The article emerged as the top candidate owing to the endurance of family communication
pattern theory, the generative impact of the theory on the field of family communication,
and the far-reaching impact of the theory across several subfields of the discipline.
TCA won the CIC Access and Engagement Award which recognizes faculty, staff and student
organizations whose contributions best exemplify the college’s access, engagement,
and inclusive excellence commitments and objectives.
Damion Waymer received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Leadership
Waymer was recognized for a number of achievements, including: successful reaccreditation
and centennial his first year here; addressing curricular challenges; took the lead
on shepherding new communication BA through approvals; asking good questions and challenges
assumptions; and embracing change.
The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication awarded the SJMC
an honorable mention for the 2024 Equity and Diversity Award. The school was honored
for efforts over the past three years that demonstrated a firm commitment to and progress toward becoming a
leader in equity, diversity and inclusive excellence in teaching, research, service,
and focusing on improving faculty, staff, and student composition.
Publication Awards
Damion Waymer's article, Arts promotion and Black urban displacement: Exploring the paradox of the positive
in government public relations and urban renewal discourse, was honored with the 2024 Outstanding Scholarly Article Award by the African American
Communication and Culture Division of the National Communication Association.
The awards committee described Waymer's scholarship as "exceptional" and thanked him
for his "hard work and for demonstrating AACCD'S commitment to centering issues concerning
African Americans and Black ethnicity in your scholarship."
Shannon Bowen, Marlene Neill and Denise Bortree were awarded the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity
in Public Communication Top Ethics in PR Pedagogy Award.
This award is a distinguished honor given annually to one exemplary paper in the field
of ethics in public relations pedagogy. It recognizes groundbreaking research that
significantly contributes to the understanding and teaching of ethics and responsibility
in public communication.
Funded Research and Grants
Sabrina Habib and Jeff Williams are Co-PIs on a $500,000 project from the U.S. Department of Justice, “Microtrainings
on Critical Policing Issues: Creating and evaluating accessible, digestible trainings
based on the Excellence in Policing and Public Safety (EPPS) Masters in Public Safety
Leadership.” They will be working with colleagues from the Excellence in Policing and Public Safety Program at theJoseph F. Rice School of Law.
Feili Tu-Keefner (PI), and Brett Robertson (Co-PI) - Project Library PREPARE: Planning, Response, Emergency Preparedness, and
Resilience Education - $249,721
USC Propel Programs
Anli Xiao and Haley Hatfield were accepted into the USC Propel Research Mentorship Program. This one-year training
program is designed to prepare faculty for securing federal grants. The application
process is highly competitive, and acceptance into this program signifies the university’s
recognition of exceptional research capabilities.
Sabrina Habib and Linwan Wu were accepted in the Propel AI Program which is offered by the USC vice president's
office. They will represent the CIC in this one-year campus-wide discussion on AI-related
research.
Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.
