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The School of Communication has partnered with Project Cold Case for the past seven years.

Professor Tricia Booker always warns her students before the Project Cold Case team comes to talk to her class. “You might get emotional,” she tells them. “Sometimes it’s hard to hear what they have to say.”

The class is JOU 3925-Applied Journalism. Booker, an instructor of multimedia journalism in the School of Communication, considers the collaboration one of the most impactful ways in which journalism students can learn the importance of good reporting.

Project Cold Case was founded a decade ago by Ryan Backmann after his father was murdered in Jacksonville and the case went unsolved. What started as local effort to provide support to the loved ones of murder victims has become a nationally recognized advocacy group that helps families keep those cases and victims from being forgotten. Backmann’s father’s case remains unsolved.

Each student in Booker’s class is assigned a family member of a murder victim. The assignment is to write a profile of the murdered person – not merely how he or she died, but more importantly, how the person lived. Students cull memories from survivors – everything from favorite holidays to physical descriptions. Some of the cases are local; others are from states across the country. Most of the interviews are done via Zoom, and students are required to seek additional information through online research or other sources.

JOU 3925-Applied Journalism students discuss stories with the Project Cold Case team.

The resulting profiles then run on the Project Cold Case website (), which receives thousands of visitors each month. Although it’s not the organization’s goal to solve crimes, more than a few cases have been solved as a result of the increased publicity spurred by the articles. In addition, it’s also often the first-time survivors have read anything positive about the people they’ve lost.

It’s more than just an assignment. The work students do play an important role in Project Cold Case’s objectives.

Booker says that for many of her students, it’s a step way outside of their comfort zones. “Most students have never contemplated having to converse with someone who has lost a family member so tragically,” she said. “It opens their eyes to the concept of compassion for people who might live very differently from them.”

Booker said being involved with Project Cold Case has even changed her own perspective on the aftermath of crime. “We always think of the person killed as the victim,” she said. “But the other victims are the ones left living. Their suffering never ends.”

Cliona Piligan (left) talks with her student mentor, Jessica Lee, in the school's TV studio.

To help undergraduate students succeed in their major, the School of Communication started The Flock, which pairs freshmen and recent transfers with upper-level students. The Flock, which began in the 2024-25 academic year, fosters an environment of belonging and success by helping new students utilize academic and personal support services and engage in campus activities.

The mentors meet their mentees face-to-face several times during the academic year to answer questions and help them navigate the college experience.

Mentee Cliona Piligan, a multimedia journalism student, said her mentor, senior Jessica Lee, is getting her involved in many student media opportunities. “Because of her, I am writing for Comm Connect and occasionally reporting on Inside Swoop,” Piligan said. “During the first few weeks of October, she led me to the Spinnaker and introduced me to the newspaper’s members. The first week visiting Inside Swoop, she was informative, showing me what the machines do.”

Lee, also a multimedia journalism student, said, “I am definitely interested in staying a mentor until I graduate,” adding, “I love being able to see my mentees grow into the expectations they set for themselves in the beginning of the semester.”

By Dr. Rachel Riggs Achorn
Assistant Professor, Public Relations

Jade Basilius Maines, a 2021 B.A. in Communication Studies graduate who comes from a four-generation legacy of female bookkeepers, has launched her own business, Basilius Bookkeeping, with her mother. Maines said she knows trusting a bookkeeper with one’s livelihood and business requires an immense amount of trust, and her integrity and interpersonal skills help her establish that trust with her clients.

Basilius Bookkeeping addresses a market need for affordable and trustworthy financial services for small businesses. “It has been fun to watch people’s businesses thrive,” Maines said.

Maines, a sixth-generation native of Key Largo who is one of the first of her family to go to college, picked ³ÉÈË´óƬbecause she wanted to go as far north as she could and still receive in-state tuition. “I looked at a couple of different schools, but nothing felt right,” Maines said. “I just loved Jacksonville. I loved the campus. It felt small enough to me while also having that big-city feel.”

The move to Jacksonville, 6.5 hours away from her family, was a significant shift from the one-lane roads of Key Largo, and it opened a world of connections and opportunities. Once Maines arrived in Jacksonville, she never left. She earned dual degrees in communication studies and Spanish language and literature during her time at UNF.

Maines’ passion for serving diverse communities, especially the refugee community in Jacksonville, was a driving force behind her decision to study Spanish in addition to communication studies. “God put it on my heart that I wanted to serve [the refugee] population,” Maines said.

Maines became fluent in Spanish and used her communication studies degrees to serve non-English speaking populations, first with the group Catholic Charities of Jacksonville and later with First90 and Beyond90, two sister organizations focused on refugee resettlement in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.

Although Maines is not working at these organizations now, her work with First90 and Beyond90 was immensely rewarding and allowed her to use the interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills she learned in her communication studies coursework.

“I was responsible for securing and developing housing relationships with apartment complexes, and that task took a lot of interpersonal communication skills to build those relationships with those landlords and develop trust,” Maines said. “Figuring out how to express yourself in a professional and trustworthy way is not something everyone can do.”

Maines credits communication studies professors Traci Mathies and Sam Mathies for making an impact on her life. “Traci and Sam care about their students on such a deep level. I still keep in touch with Traci now,” she said.

Skylar Catherwood (left) and Reese Leatherman (right) enjoy the spotlight at the Gracie Awards ceremony.

Reese Leatherman, a summer 2025 digital video production graduate, earned a trip to New York to be recognized as the “Best Online Video Host or Correspondent” student at the 50th annual Gracie Awards. The award, named after Hollywood actress Gracie Allen, is given by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation and recognizes students who are making positive impacts and furthering careers in media for women.

Leatherman’s work as the main weather anchor and reporter for the School of Communication’s Inside Swoop program propelled her into the national spotlight – and it happened by chance. During summer 2024, some friends she had met in professor Ken Thomas’ RTV 3001-Principles of Broadcasting class dragged her into the School of Communication’s TV studio. Thomas convinced her to give weather anchoring a try, and that sent her down the journalism path. Thomas credits her willingness to explore opportunities outside of her comfort zone for her success.

She has also been named by the Society of Professional Journalists as one of the top three collegiate journalists in Florida, and she will be recognized at the Sunshine State Awards, to be held in Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 6 at the NSU Art Museum. You can see her entry here.

Another alum, summer 2025 graduate Skylar Catherwood, also was recognized for her efforts with Dr. David Deeley’s capstone course, which produces Inside Jacksonville. Catherwood attended the Gracie Awards luncheon and picked up an honorable mention for her efforts as anchor for the December 2024 Inside Jacksonville show.

This marks the third consecutive year students from the School of Communication have been honored by the national Gracie Awards.

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Faculty-selected winners from the M.S. in Communication Management, B.A. in Communication Studies, and B.S. in Communication were honored at the School of Communication’s graduation reception on May 2.

Below are what the Outstanding Student Award winners’ say they value the most about their time in the School of Communication.

Ashley Spicer, Outstanding Graduate Student in Communication Management: “³ÉÈË´óƬhas had a special place in my heart since I earned my bachelor's degree in 2009. To come back for my master’s degree was a sweet homecoming for me. In my experience, the professors in the M.S. Communication Management program care about student success and are experts in the subject they teach. During my time in the program, I am most proud of developing a strategic communication plan for my employer through the Strategic Communication Theory class. I also was given the fantastic opportunity of working with Dr. Christa Arnold as her Distance Learning Coach. These experiences of studying this field on a higher level deepened my understanding of communication and prepared me to apply these concepts in my professional life. Thank you to ³ÉÈË´óƬfor helping me accomplish my dreams.”

Nicole Mieszala, Outstanding Student in Communication Studies: “My time in the School of Communication has been both enriching and inspiring. One of my proudest achievements was being initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. I am deeply grateful for the consisted encouragement and guidance provided by the faculty, which has significantly contributed to my academic success and personal development.”

Cailin Lepp, Outstanding Student in Advertising: “As I reflect on my time in the School of Communication, I am most proud of the confidence I have gained in my creative and analytical skills. I will always remember the courses that deepened my love for research in this field, especially Mass Communication Research and Advertising Campaigns, where I had the opportunity to conduct research both independently and as part of a team. I am incredibly grateful for my professors and the School of Communication, as the experiences and knowledge I have gained will shape my future for the better.”

Reese Leatherman, Outstanding Student in Digital Video Production: “I’ll always be proud to have been able to ‘keep it breezy’ as Inside Swoop’s weather girl, which opened up producing for Swoop Scoop, directing Inside Jacksonville, and winning a Gracies award for my time as a reporter and anchor. I could have never done it without my professors being too good at their jobs, urging me to keep learning, pushing myself, trying and failing until I got there in the end. As cheesy and cliche as it may be, some of my greatest achievements are the friends I’ve made. Thank you, ³ÉÈË´óƬSchool of Communication.”

Alekzander Jenkins, Outstanding Student in Multimedia Journalism: “The ³ÉÈË´óƬSchool of Communication has helped me pursue my goals and excel in journalism. My professors have been supportive and helpful in assisting me throughout my journey by opening up opportunities I never thought possible, including internships at local news organizations. I am also very grateful to my classmates who helped push me and support me these past four years.”

Contessa Michalkiewicz, Outstanding Student in Public Relations: “My time at the School of Communication has been such a rewarding time of growth. I have learned so much about myself and how I want to proceed in my career. The creation of three successful campaigns across my time here has been tremendously gratifying. My experiences leading a team of amazing peers and gaining tangible skills has been life changing. Working with the nonprofit Fostering Connections was so eye opening and made me truly fulfilled to see the impact my work can help create.”

Eden Vannan, Highest GPA in the B.S. in Communication: “Being part of the School of Communication gave me so many chances to step outside my comfort zone and try new things. Taking on the role of director for Inside Swoop challenged me and helped me build confidence in my production skills. I’m thankful for the people I’ve met and the supportive environment that made the challenges worthwhile.”

By Tricia Booker
Instructor, Multimedia Journalism

Artificial Intelligence has become such a common buzzword that it’s hard to define, even as it’s incorporated into everything from planning vacations and writing ad copy to completing college essays and diagnosing medical problems. But where does AI get its information from?

In a comprehensive study, Dr. Siho Nam set out to discover how AI gains its knowledge for use in the global media world – and whether the learning process violates copyright laws and deprives the original content creators of compensation, recognition, or both.

Nam’s study, entitled “Who Gets Paid (for) What? The Cultural Political Economy of News Content in Generative AI,” was recently published in the journal Emerging Media. Nam, an associate professor in the School of Communication, has been at ³ÉÈË´óƬsince 2005. His work focuses on international media and journalism, with a particular interest in Korean media.

In his research project, Nam studied the practice of “scraping,” which refers to AI tools scraping across websites to gather information.

“It’s tough to detect if generative AI uses copyrighted materials, mainly because of the opacity of training datasets and proprietary models,” he said. “While some AI outputs, such as text that mirrors copyrighted content verbatim, can be easily traced to their original sources, the training process itself is hardly transparent… AI companies rarely disclose their data sources unless required by law or exposed by investigative journalism. In my opinion, the real problem with AI is not that it’s too complex to understand, but that it’s too opaque to scrutinize.”

The practice poses a particular risk to the field of journalism, he said. While AI content can be helpful for generating summaries and key points, the tendency to normalize AI writing can lead to “diminishing journalistic rigor,” Nam said. “This is particularly concerning for commercially driven journalism, which is especially vulnerable to the cost-saving appeal of AI.”

The result can already be observed, he added, as readers become accustomed to absorbing curated and ideologically slanted content rather than balanced news.

Nam said he was most surprised by the “sheer scale of unpaid and underpaid labor” involved in empowering AI, from Reddit posts to data annotators. Content providers often have no idea their work is being used to train AI and subsequently fuel the multibillion-dollar AI industry.

 Siho Nam enjoys a lighthearted moment with his family in Korea.

On a recent trip to Korea with his family, he observed similar issues with AI. “Korean news organizations are adopting AI tools for speed and efficiency, or simply to jump on the bandwagon,” he said. “I was most struck by how AI was frequently framed as a strategic tool in a global race for national competitiveness. In this frenzy, critical issues such as privacy, bias, and public accountability are often sidelined in Korean news coverage.”

Even as he worries about AI’s influence on the media industry, he remains hopeful that journalists will adapt and endure. After all, he points out, AI can’t report on news as it’s being covered on the ground.

Not yet, at least.

Dr. Christa Arnold, Dr. Margaret Stewart, and Dr. Berrin Beasley won a $10,000 grant to conduct a research project, titled “Using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect suspicious social media posts: Applying mediated statement analysis (MSA).”

Dr. Roy Christopher published two books, Post-Self: Journeys Beyond the Human Body and Follow for Now 2.1: More Interviews with Friends and Heroes. He also published a book chapter, “The end of an aura: Nostalgia, memory, and the haunting of hip-hop,” in The Routledge Companion to Remix Studies.

Dr. Sydney Brammer published “Maintaining the complex personal and professional elements of our lives in academe” in the Journal of Communication Pedagogy, “Exploring the role of body neutrality perspectives in feminist Pedagogy” in Feminist Pedagogy, and “RIP TOP G: Rhetoric, responses, and realities surrounding the social media ban of Andrew Tate” in Violence Against Women. She also presented her research at the National Communication Association, World Communication Association, and the International Conference on Social Media & Society.

Dr. Junga Kim published “Consumer preferences in user- vs. item-based recommender systems for search and experience products” in Journal of Marketing Management.

Dr. Chunsik Lee and Dr. Junga Kim published “The role of corporate data responsibility (CDR) communication strategy in building trust in Gen AI through perceived ethics” in Journal of Public Relations Research, “The role of user empowerment, AI hallucination, and privacy concerns in continued use and premium subscription intentions: An extended technology acceptance model for generative AI” in Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, and “Influence of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation beliefs on the third person effect: Implications for social media content moderation and corrective action” in Online Information Review.

Dr. Siho Nam presented “Who and what are left out? A critical discourse analysis of OpenAI's partnerships with news organizations” and “K-can sell anything: A corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis of Korean Wave White Papers, 2018-2022” at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Dr. Jae Park published a book chapter, “The impact of digital partisan news algorithms in the 2022 midterm election,” in Media Messages in the 2022 Midterm Election. He also presented "Analyzing Super Bowl advertising: Message strategies and their effects" and Exploring consumer adoption and communication in mobile peer-to-peer (P2P) services" to the International Academy of Business Disciplines.

Dr. Nataliya Roman and Dr. Berrin Beasley published “Unwanted guests or welcomed neighbors? Portrayals of Ukrainian refugees in Russian, Polish, and UK news coverage” in International Communication Gazette.

Dr. Rachel Riggs and Dr. Sydney Brammer published a book chapter, “Adolescent girls’ sense-making about sexual assault victimization after exposure to a sexual assault narrative in media,”in Teens, Sex & Media: Understanding Media Impact on Adolescent Sexuality, Sexual Health, and Advocacy. Riggs also won a ³ÉÈË´óƬResearch Enhancement Plan Grant.

Dr. Margaret Stewart and Dr. Christa Arnold published “Truth and lies on social media during COVID-19: Applying Mediated Statement Analysis (MSA) for digital deception detection” in Proceedings of the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference.

There are eight great ways to stay connected with the School of Communication:

1. Join the School's Professional Advisory Board.

   The board helps us make sure we are getting students prepared for the current media environment. If you have risen to a position of leadership at a news organization, PR firm, advertising agency or other media outlet, please contact the school's director, John Parmelee. Even if you don't want to be on the board, feel free to email the director with any advice on making the curriculum better.

2. Join the School's Alumni Association.

   This is a great chance to interact with fellow communication alumni and current students. To join, please contact the School's Alumni Association, mention your interest in joining, and please include your name, contact information, year of graduation and track. Also, all communication alumni are invited to be a part of the conversation on Facebook. This is the "go to" spot for ³ÉÈË´óƬcommunication alumni. The Facebook group includes information about alumni social events, recently posted communication jobs, tech tips, departmental news, and pictures/video from school events such as Media Week. In addition, communication faculty members have joined the group, so you can connect with your old professors. Here's how to join the alumni Facebook group: Search for ³ÉÈË´óƬcommunication alumni and ask to join.

3. Let faculty know how you're doing.

   Below is a link that lists faculty and their email addresses. Faculty love to hear what their former students are up to and are always happy to offer advice.

4. Participate in the Internship + Job Fair.

   Every spring, representatives from companies such as WJXT, The Florida Times-Union, United Way and Mayo Clinic meet with communication students to discuss upcoming internships and jobs. If you are a leader at a company that is looking for interns to do advertising, public relations, journalism or production, please contact professor Bobbi Doggett to participate.

5. Be a guest speaker or mentor to our students.

   Your expertise in advertising, public relations, journalism or production could be a real benefit to current students. We are always looking for guest speakers to come to communication classes. A good time to do this is during the fall semester when the school hosts Media Week, an opportunity for media professionals to speak with students and faculty about the media landscape. Contact John Parmelee for more information. If you want to mentor our students, please fill out a profile on our .

6. Contribute to Alumni Notes.

   This is your chance to let faculty and fellow alumni know of any big career or personal changes in your life. Also, consider contributing a 300- to 500-word piece on which professors made the biggest impact on your career. Submissions will be published in the alumni newsletter. Contact John Parmelee to submit.

7. Donate to the School.

   Even a small gift can help us enhance our facilities, academics and recruiting of top-quality students and faculty. To contribute, please go to .

8. Join us on:

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