The Department of Mass Communications at the University of West Georgia has won the 2016 Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award in the Department/Program category. The University System of Georgia Regents’ award recognizes excellence in a department that displays strong commitment to teaching and student success. The award will be formally presented in May at the Board of Regents meeting.
“We are humbled, honored, and elated to receive the Regents’ Teaching Excellence Award,” said Department of Mass Communications Chair Dr. Camilla Gant. Read more ...
“When I grew up I was fascinated by radio. I wanted to b a DJ,” said Todd Grisham, ESPN SportsCenter anchor and keynote speaker at the University of West Georgia’s 2016 Media Day. Todd, a 1998 graduate of UWG and former resident of Carrollton, was also the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Department of Mass Communications.
Future UWG graduates and alumni, many of who are hoping to begin a career that will lead to the kind of success Todd has enjoyed, attended Media Day. Todd is regarded as a successful journalist, but the journey to the top wasn't always easy for him. When he first started out as an intern for Steve Gradick, owner of Gradick Communications, he worked the night shift. Read more ...
It is a great opportunity to gather and collaborate with others on the very issues that influence the community everyone shares. On February 25 the University of West Georgia raised awareness of the state of the community, focusing on Carroll County. The event brought the community and university together to take a closer look at the places we call “home.”
“When we heard from our community that they wanted a place to go for reliable and useful information to help others understand our community, for valid data about who Carroll county is, we knew that the College of Social Sciences had to step up and fill this need,” said Dr. N. Jane McCandless, dean of the College of Social Sciences (COSS). Read more ...
Public administration has always been a part of local and state government systems, but exactly how many of these officials have degrees in the field of public administration? Dr. Sooho Lee delved into this question at his lecture on “Does Public Administration Help Public Administration?”
“Overall, public administration education is highly valued by public administration practitioners, although practitioners’ use of public administration education knowledge, particularly in recent publications, is limited and they rarely engage in the public administration academic community,” he said. Read more ...
On Thursday, February 25, University of West Georgia College of Social Sciences will host the State of Community: Carroll. The presentation will include current findings affecting the state of the Carroll County community, including trends in voting, crime, public health, and demographics. The workshops will focus on leadership, data-driven decision-making, and writing grants.
“College of Social Sciences students, staff, and faculty are community engaged, civically active, and change-makers in their communities,” said Dr. Amber Smallwood, associate dean of the College of Social Sciences. Read more ...
The librarians at the University of West Georgia have completed processing the papers of the late Dr. William G. Roll to its special collections. Dr. Roll’s work—which consists of more than 200 boxes of research papers, photographs, notes, and objects such as silverware supposedly bent by the human mind—was donated to Ingram Library by his wife, Lydia Roll. The collection was given as a tribute to the many contributions Dr. Roll attributed to the parapsychological field here at UWG while serving as a faculty member from the ‘80s until his retirement in the ‘00s.
“This was our first big parapsychological collection,” said Candice Larson, archivist for Special Collections at the Ingram Library. “It focuses on poltergeists, and Roll argues that they’re not ghosts but a product of a troubled mind.” Read more ...
In July I presented a research study at the Protest Communication Ecologies Conference in Alghero, Sardinia, off the coast of southern Italy. Close to 150 scholars from 25 countries gathered to share research and perspectives on how the changing communication technology is affecting activism and the formation of protest movements.
My particular area of interest is in how protest visuals are created and circulate within and across various communication channels. In the study I presented, I looked at four different environments/ecologies in which visuals express strategic messages about social justice issues. Four visual protest case studies spanning a 40+ year period were the basis for this research. Read more ...
Most high school students receive their diploma over four years while many college students can wait as long as eight years for their degree. In the case of Ryanne Popken, an 18-year-old student from Warner Robins, Georgia, she broke all standard conventions and this Spring will have collected both her high school diploma and college degree in only three years, two of them spent in high school.
Ryanne joined the Advanced Academy, an early entrance college program for high school students, at the University of West Georgia (UWG) in 2013. She completed the Academy and earned her high school diploma in 2015. This was not the end of the road for her, though. Read more ...
The College of Social Sciences lecture series at the University of West Georgia highlights those who excel in their field. Dr. Daniel Helminiak is a professor in UWG’s psychology department as well as an established author. He has written numerous articles and an impressive 10 books. He recently gave a presentation on his latest published book titled, “Brain, Consciousness, and God: A Lonerganian Integration.”
The journey of this book began in 2005 when Dr. Helminiak proposed a paper titled, “’God’ in the Brain: Untangling Neuroscience, Psychology, Spirituality, and Theology.” This work was the inspiration behind his recent book. Read more ...
On November 5, the University of West Georgia psychology department hosted their annual lecture series in honor of the late Dr. Bill Roll and his contributions to parapsychological research. Dr. Edwin May gave a presentation on his work with the psychic spy program funded by the United States government for over 20 years, commonly known as “Stargate.” Psychic spy Joe McMoneagle also presented, who worked alongside Dr. May.
Dr. May began his career in low energy, experimental nuclear physics before becoming interested in parapsychological phenomena in 1975. While involved with the government’s 22-year project in parapsychological research, he presided over 70 percent of the funding and 85 percent of the data collection. The U.S. government closed down this program in 1995. Read more ...
The University of West Georgia’s College of Social Sciences recently welcomed Associate Professor of Mass Communication Dr. Soo Moon to share her research findings for a comparative analysis that she conducted on the Internet and social capital among youth in China, Japan, Korea, and the United States.
Prior to working as a professor at UWG, Dr. Moon worked as a professional journalist for 12 years in Seoul, South Korea. Her past research studies have focused on the social implications of the media and investigated changes that are occurring as the result of the introduction of new technology and media ethics. Read more ...
On Thursday, November 5, the University of West Georgia psychology department will be hosting an annual event, The Bill Roll Lecture, in honor of the late Dr. William Roll and his contributions to parapsychological research. This year Dr. Edwin May will be here to discuss his work with the psychic spy program, funded by the U.S. Government for over 20 years, commonly known as “Stargate.”
Dr. May will be discussing topics such as the history of the program, how the psychic spies seemed to provide accurate information, his ideas about how precognition could work, and examples of recently declassified information from the United States intelligence community. Read more ...
In light of modern woes deriving from criminal justice versus social justice, the Ingram Library’s Penelope Melson Society, criminology department, and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion presented “When Criminal Justice Meets Social Justice.” This panel discussion consisted of five questions with responses from key members within the criminal justice community, ranging from a police officer over the uniformed division at UWG to public defenders to a U.S. Secret Service agent.
“The panel was important to provide a public forum to differentiate many of the myths and realities of the criminal justice system, where they could actively engage in reflective discussion with experts in the field,” said Dr. David Jenks. Read more ...
AffordableCollegesOnline.org (AC Online), a leading resource for online learning and college affordability information, has released its third annual ranking for the 2015-2016 Best Online Criminal Justice Programs. The University of West Georgia has been ranked number eight in this prestigious ranking.
“Credit for this award belongs to the pioneering leaders and faculty in the College of Social Sciences,” said Associate Dean of Online Development, Dr. Jason Huett. “This is one of the best and most innovative criminology programs in the country with an unwavering commitment to excellence in online education and student success. UWG Online is proud to support their efforts.” Read more ...
Dr. Mark Kunkel, department of psychology, and Dr. Kathie Barrett, department of political science, have been working on a project to provide affordable textbook alternatives for students in two major courses at the University of West Georgia. They have been awarded grants from Affordable Learning Georgia, a USG initiative that promotes student success. This is an opportunity to offer core courses that do not require textbooks or additional costs for students.
Dr. Kunkel will be replacing a costly psychology textbook with a free textbook from OpenStax. The textbook is required for Introduction to General Psychology, a course that typically has 180-280 students per section. Read more ...
University of West Georgia professors Dr. Daniel Williams, Department of History, and Dr. Robert Schaefer, Department of Political Science, presented in celebration of Constitution Day on September 17. The program entitled “Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Religion: The First Amendment and American Politics” gave insight how the First Amendment was formed and how it continues to present issues in modern society.
Dr. Schaefer, former technical chair of Bob Riley’s Alabama citizen’s Constitution Commission, explained how the First Amendment is a confusing topic to most individuals including those involved in the political arena. He compared interpreting difficult scripture to the difficulty of interpreting the Constitution. Read more ...
The University of West Georgia’s Ingram Library, in partnership with the psychology department, is pleased to present an exhibit highlighting the career of former University of West Georgia faculty member, Dr. William G. “Bill” Roll entitled Bill Roll: Contributions to Parapsychology. The exhibit will be on display in the Ingram Library’s Thomas B. Murphy Reading Room from September 14, 2015 through January 8, 2016.
Dr. Roll (1926-2012) was a renowned parapsychologist and psychology professor at UWG. In 1958, Dr. Roll rose to professional prominence during a poltergeist investigation called the Seaford case, which he conducted along with a fellow colleague at Duke University, J. G. Pratt. Read more ...
The University of West Georgia College of Social Sciences (COSS) and the Community Foundation of West Georgia worked together to continue the Annual All-College Service Day on Friday, September 11. The COSS partnered with various nonprofit organizations in the community for a day dedicated to serving humanity and doing public good.
“We are very excited to continue our All-College Service Day in partnership with the Community Foundation of West Georgia and the nonprofits they assist,” said Dr. Amber Smallwood, associate dean of the College of Social Sciences. “We expect to gift nearly 300 hours of service through a single morning of service in the community.” Read more ...
The University of West Georgia’s The WOLF Internet Radio was selected as a finalist in the category of Best Station Imaging for College Broadcasters, Inc.’s (CBI) 2015 National Student Production Awards. This marks the second time in less than a year that The WOLF Internet Radio has been named as a finalist in a national competition.
“This award allows us to showcase multiple student talents to show multiple reasons why The WOLF Internet Radio is the best station,” said Operations Manager Shawn Isaacs. Read more ...
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