murray state
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 […]
Read More
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. […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
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 […]
Read More
Alumnus wins Emmy for Outstanding Achievement-Magazine Program
Congratulations to JMC Alumnus Eric D. Seals (’09), Founder and Director of Digifé, Chicago’s award-winning documentary production house, on winning its first Chicago/Midwest Emmy® Award for their series You Don’t Know CHI. Eric and his team took home the Emmy® for Outstanding Achievement for Magazine Program – Single Program/Series.
Read More
A Note from the Chair
It has been an honor to serve on the JMC faculty for 18 years, with the last five as its chair. And I will continue to enjoy that honor until the end of June. But all good things must come to an end, so that other good things can begin. Such as retirement. The department has made […]
Read More
100 Years of Gratitude: PRSSA Hosts JMC Friendsgiving in Wilson Hall
By Jasira Jouett The Murray State Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) hosted a Friendsgiving celebration for the department on November 20, 2025. Students and faculty gathered on the first floor of Wilson Hall to share gratitude with one another and celebrate the centennial of a beloved campus building. Over 20 […]
Read More
Wilson Hall Turns 100: A Century of History
By Harrison Borrenpohl Wilson Hall, one of Murray State University’s most iconic buildings, turned 100 in 2025. When it first opened in 1925, Wilson was one of the university’s first academic buildings. It has stood throughgenerations of students and a remarkable campus evolution. What began as the college’s original classroom and administration building now serves […]
Read More