The Department of Communication celebrated many wins in the 2023-2024 academic year. There were many faculty and students who won major awards at the international, national, regional, and college level. Below are some of the highlights from the past year.  

Awards in Research 

• Scott Branton, Waterhouse Family Institute Grant 

• Abbey Dilatush, Master’s Education Section’s Top Quantitative Thesis Award, National Communication Association 

• Amnee Elkhalid, Research Cultivation Grant, National Communication Association 

• Joe Hatfield, Janice Hocker Rushing Early Career Research Award, Southern States Communication Association 

• Joomi Lee, Research Cultivation Grant, National Communication Association 

• Meredith Neville-Shepard, American Studies Division’s Outstanding Article Award, National Communication Association 

• Meredith Neville-Shepard, Philosophy of Communication Division’s Distinguished Journal Article Award, National Communication Association 

• Meredith Neville-Shepard and Ryan Neville-Shepard, James Madison Prize for Outstanding Research in First Amendment Studies, Southern States Communication Association 

• Ryan Neville-Shepard, Fulbright College Outstanding Researcher Award, University of Arkansas 

• Amy Whiteside, Bostrom Young Scholar Award, Southern States Communication Association 

• Amy Whiteside, Top Graduate Student Researcher Award, Department of Communication, University of Arkansas 

• Amy Whiteside, Excellence in Research Award, Graduate and Professional Student Congress, University of Arkansas 

Awards in Teaching 

• Margaret Butcher, Not-so-New Faculty Commendation, Wally Cordes Teaching Faculty Support Center, University of Arkansas 

• Jake Dionne, Mary Lay Schuster Mentoring Award, Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Symposium 

• Jake Dionne, Jennifer Bender Advisor of the Year Award for Lambda Pi Eta, National Communication Association 

• Ryan Gliszinski, Teaching Excellence Award, Department of Communication, University of Arkansas 

• Lauren Lambert, Teaching Excellence Award, Department of Communication, University of Arkansas 

• Rebecca Leach, New Faculty Commendation, Wally Cordes Teaching Faculty Support Center, University of Arkansas 

• Madison McBride, Top First Year Teaching Assistant Award, Department of Communication, University of Arkansas 

• Angela Mensah, OMNI Center for World Peace and Justice Award, University of Arkansas 

• Meredith Neville-Shepard, Not-so-New Faculty Commendation, Wally Cordes Teaching Faculty Support Center, University of Arkansas 

• Kwentaria Rupert, Top Second Year Teaching Assistant Award, Department of Communication, University of Arkansas 

Written by Ryan Neville-Shepard, Associate Professor and Vice Chair

Photo by UARK Faculty Orientation