Mississippi Christian University Department of Communication

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Clinton, MS
Mississippi Christian University Department of Communication

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Bachelor's & master's programs in digital media production, interpersonal & public communication, jo

10/26/2026

Student giveaway $25 Salus Market gift card!!

How to enter: attend communication department events
⭐️each event attend = one entry
⭐️each event: distinguished, alumni award reception, PRAM Q & A with alumni award recipients, homecoming tailgate
✨email [email protected]

10/23/2026

Of course, homecoming month wouldn’t be complete without celebrating our oh-so-accomplished alumni! Meet Emma Ellard, a 2024 graduate, of our department!!

Emma says her classes, professors, peers, and leadership experience in the department helped her in her professional career at the museums she now works at.

During her undergrad, she took on many leadership positions, specifically as the editor-in-chief with Blue and Gold, which honed her professional skills.

To help in their future career, Emma encourages students to pursue their passions rigorously. For her, she volunteered at the Eudora Welty House, which opened the door to her current career path.

In her career, Emma has taken Dr Kucia’s advice to heart: “Make them happy; if you can’t make them happy, then make them satisfied; if you can’t make them satisfied, then just be honest.”

We are so proud of Emma and everything she has accomplished! Keep doing great things ✨💕📝

10/21/2026

It’s the end of October which means it’s time for our homecoming festivities! Join us for a weekend full of celebration, learning, and networking with alumni, faculty, and fellow students.

More information to come - stay tuned! 🙌🏾

10/20/2026

Members of Lambda Pi Eta, the Mississippi Christian University Communication honor society, traveled to Stennis Space Center, NASA's largest rocket propulsion test site, in Hancock County this week. Students learned from the NASA Stennis communication team and took a tour of the Fred Haise Test Stand where engines that will send rockets to the moon and eventually to Mars are being tested.

10/19/2026

The new Radio MC app is here! Here's how to listen to your personally curated classic Christian favorites anywhere, anytime...

Step 1: Download the Godcaster app on your phone or tablet
Step 2: Search for the station Radio MC
Step 3: Set Radio MC as your home
Step 4: Listen, reminisce, and enjoy!

Be sure to share your new favorite app with your friends, and stay tuned for more Radio MC programs still to come!

Get the app here: https://link.godcaster.app/d/929/4126/

10/16/2026

What makes our department special? One of the many reasons is that it’s home to many long term faculty members.

Today, we will highlight Dr Merle Ziegler, a now part-time professor, who has taught at MC for 30+ years since 1994. Although he taught a variety of classes over the decades, he now exclusively teaches Communication Ethics.

Ziegler grew up as a missionary kid in Bolivia, played collegiate soccer at Cedarville University in Ohio, and earned a communication major with Bible and history minors. He went on to obtain his master’s and Ph.D. in communication at Bowling Green State University.

When Ziegler first came to MC, he served as a communication professor as well as a coach for the school’s then club soccer team for 7 years. Over the years, he’s also served as faculty council president of MC and a debate coach.

10/14/2026

Please join us in congratulating our 2026 Distinguished Young Alumna, Mary Beth Hughes Derrickson!

A 2017 graduate of MC’s Department of Communication, Mary Beth serves as a Director of Government Relations for the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, directing the Education and Workforce Development Council, and the Trade, Transportation, and Tourism Council. The association serves as Louisiana's state chamber of commerce and manufacturing association, representing over 2,000 employers from across Louisiana at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge. She served as the association's communications manager prior to moving into government relations.

A native of Denham Springs, Louisiana, Mary Beth joined the association in 2021 after working in the D.C. bureau of Fox News Channel, where she covered the 2020 presidential election, the 2020 summer protests, the events of January 6th, 2021; and two impeachment trials. In addition to her degree from MC, she holds a Master’s in Political Communication from American University. While pursuing her graduate degree, she worked on Capitol Hill for former U.S. Congressman Garret Graves. During her time at MC, Mary Beth served as a founding member of the Sports Media Team, a member of MC’s Student Government Association and of Laguna Social Tribe. Mary Beth lives in Baton Rouge with her husband, Jacob, and their miniature dachshund, Gibney.

We will honor Mary Beth for her work and her contributions to MC at our department's Distinguished Alumni Reception on Friday, October 30, at 12:00 p.m. in Aven Hall 107. Refreshments will be served. Please contact [email protected] for more information and make plans now to join us!

10/09/2026

In the same year that the Todds founded the Department of Communication, Dr Samuel Gore proposed the Aven Fine Arts building.

The building was finally finished 9 years later, as a space for photography, arts, and graphic design. Eventually, the art department moved to the Samuel Gore Arts Complex, making way for the theater and music departments.

We appreciate Gore for his vision and his dedication - even if we are just in the basement!

10/07/2026

With homecoming at the end of the month, we want to use October to remember and celebrate the people who make our department unique!

In 1950, Drs Julia and Hollis Todd launched the Department of Communication. Because Aven was not yet constructed, this department was based on the third floor of the library.

Dr Hollis Todd served as the first chairman of the department for more than 30 years.

We owe our gratitude to the Todds for their vision and commitment! 🙏🏽🎓

Please join us in congratulating our 2026 Cliff Fortenberry Distinguished Alumna, Laura Pickard Johns!Laura is a 2005 cu...

10/06/2026

Please join us in congratulating our 2026 Cliff Fortenberry Distinguished Alumna, Laura Pickard Johns!

Laura is a 2005 cm laude graduate of MC with a Bachelor’s of Science in Communication and a concentration in Public Relations. She holds a Master of Arts in Public Relations and Advertising from the University of Alabama. A communication veteran, speaker, author, and consultant, Laura has built with no outside funding a seven-figure marketing and communications agency for technology companies. After rising to vice president of business technology solutions provider Fuse.Cloud, she founded in 2021 and now serves as CEO of The Business Growers, Mississippi's only technology-focused marketing and communications firm, recognized earlier this year as one of the fastest-growing privately-held companies in the Southeast by Inc. Magazine.

Laura was honored in 2024 with a Gold Stevie Award in the Best Female Entrepreneur-Small Business category at the Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business in New York and the 2025 Silver Stevie Award for Achievement in Developing and Promoting Women, which is one of her life's great passions. She has been named to the Top 50 Under 40 list and one of the Top 50 Leading Women in Business by the Mississippi Business Journal. In addition to her successful business career, Laura recently served as the president of the MC Alumni Board. Laura is married to Jay, a worship pastor at The Way church in Brandon, and they have two boys, Levi and Wyatt.

We will honor Laura for her work and her contributions to MC at our department's Distinguished Alumni Reception on Friday, October 30, at 12:00 p.m. in Aven Hall 107. Refreshments will be served. Please contact [email protected] for more information and make plans now to join us!

Address

MC Box 4019
Clinton, MS
39058

Telephone

+16019253229

Website

http://communication.mc.edu/

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