UA Department of Advertising and Public Relations

05/20/2026

Happy retirement, Susan Daria!

Ms. Daria taught in our department for over two decades and changed the lives and careers of countless students. We’re grateful for her dedication and contagious enthusiasm. Her final section of APR 419 this spring raised over $9K for Secret Meals For Hungry Children and brought the total to $311K across the years.

We celebrated her retirement at our end-of-year party at venuetuscaloosa and she was recognized by Dean Butler at the UA College of Communication and Information Sciences awards luncheon.

Thank you Ms. Daria - enjoy 30A!

05/09/2026

Congrats to Dr. Jihoon Kim on participating in the inaugural THRIVE program cohort!

He was one of 10 faculty from across the university selected for the Transformative Human-Centered Research for Impacting Vulnerabilities Everywhere (THRIVE) initiative hosted by the Institute for Social Science Research in The University of Alabama J. Frank Barefield Jr. College of Arts & Sciences.

The cohort spent the past year developing innovative and interdisciplinary research ideas and recently gathered for a finale and celebration.

Dr. Kim’s research focuses on consumer psychology and immersive media in contexts such as advertising, tourism, and sports. His latest publications look at topics such as virtual reality, CEO influencer activism, and solo travel motivations.

Congrats Dr. Kim!

04/27/2026

Introducing Dr. Bawole, Dr. Taylor, and Dr. Rebaldo!

Three newly minted PhDs recently defended dissertations chaired by our faculty.

Dr. Claudia Bawole defended “Speaking for the institution, speaking as peers: A case study of graduate student ambassadors as intercultural public relations practitioners,” chaired by Dr. Laura Lemon.

Dr. LaTonya Taylor defended “Universities as critical rhetorical arenas: Insights on multivocal storytelling from faculty and public relations staff at universities studying slavery,” co-chaired by Dr. Laura Lemon and Dr. Damion Waymer.

Dr. Toni Rebaldo defended “Measuring consumer dealbreaker judgment: Scale development and initial validation,” chaired by Dr. Nancy Brinson.

Congrats on completing these great studies and reaching these career achievements!

04/20/2026

Congrats to our outstanding alumni and students who were recognized at UA College of Communication and Information Sciences Honors Day!

Outstanding Alum in Advertising: Dana Andrzejewski Livingston

Outstanding Alum in Public Relations: Jim Bakken

C&IS Bert Bank Distinguished Service and Achievement Award: Bill Heyman

C&IS Outstanding Service by a Graduate Student: Claudia Bawole

C&IS Mark D. Nelson Leadership Award: Mary Katherine Gunn

C&IS Susan Colvin Prize: Sarah Schwartz

A+PR Outstanding Graduate Student: Toni Rebaldo

A+PR Barban Scholar: Counts Shanks

Outstanding Senior in Advertising: Jackson Davidson

Outstanding Senior in Public Relations: Mallory Cook

04/14/2026

Congrats to our colleagues on their Fall 2026 promotions!

Dr. Brian Britt will be promoted to Full Professor

Dr. Courtney Boman has been awarded Tenure and will be promoted to Associate Professor

Congrats on these hard-earned career milestones!

04/09/2026

We had a great time in Austin at this year’s American Academy of Advertising conference!

04/01/2026

Minerva students pranked Mark Barry this morning by showing up to class donning beards!

03/29/2026

Check out this recap of our students' strong showing at this year's AAF Tuscaloosa advertising awards!

Create Your Story

03/09/2026

Our department was well-represented at this year’s International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC)!

Drs. Enzhu D**g, Courtney Boman, and Jack Lipei Tang along with PhD candidate Jiali Zhang presented research in Orlando.