News Archive

Dept. of Communication faculty, alumni and students collaborate on film

Example teamThree graduates of the Department of Communication premiered their short film project, “The Example,” a fictional account of the historic race riots in Beaumont, at the Jefferson Theatre in March 2016. Helming the project were writer Gordon Williams, who is also the studio operations manager for LUTV; director Wyatt Cagle; and producer Kenneth Dupuis.

“Production for the film happened in summer of 2015, and it was a great opportunity for LU students to get some hands-on work experience with Department of Communication staff, faculty, alumni and other experienced professionals on set,” said Williams. Read more...


Student documentaries featured on LUTV on Fox

An upcoming edition of "LUTV on Fox" features three student-produced documentaries on a range of topics. LUTV on Fox is a multi-award winning television program produced by the students, alumni, staff and faculty of the Department of Communication at Lamar University. The program is scheduled to air on Saturday, June 6, 2015 at 4:30 p.m. on KBTV Fox 4.

The 30-minute program will feature documentaries made as part of a news production class taught by assistant professor Dr. Shenid Bhayroo. Read more...


COMM students win numerous Excellence in the Media Awards

Students from the Department of Communication earned a number of awards for their work at the The Press Club of Southeast Texas's annual Excellence in Media Awards annual banquet on June 5, 2015. 

  • LUTV Productions and Lamar University Public Relations' commercial for LU "Be A Cardinal" recruitment campaign won second place in the Television Public Service Announcement category.
  • The Big Red Sports Network's commercial for the "BRSN All Access Player won first place in the Broadcast Internet Video category.
  • LUTV Production's program LUTV on FOX (President Evans edition) won second place in the Documentary category.
  • LUTV Production's commercial for The City of Beaumont’s "311 Mobile App" won first place in the Television Public Service Announcement category.
  • The communication department's JASON project documentary also won an honorable mention in the Public Relations documentary category.

Ms. Stanley nominated for TSUS Regents' Teacher Award

Mrs. Ruth Stanley is Lamar University's nominee for the TSUS Regents' Teacher Award. The Board of Regents of the Texas State University System annually recognizes one exceptional teacher from a TSUS member institution with the Regents' Teacher Award. Regents' Teachers are selected by the chancellor based on their outstanding performance as educators, contributions to the development of courses, and use of innovative teaching methods, among other criteria.


2014 Excellence in Media awards

Students from the Department of Communication earned a number of awards for their work on the University Press student newspaper at the The Press Club of Southeast Texas's annual Excellence in Media Awards annual banquet in June 2014.


Department of Communication alumnus Bill Macatee delivers commencement address

Bill MacateeLamar University conferred 1655 degrees at spring commencement in the Montagne Center in May 2014. LU alumnus and professional sports broadcaster, Bill Macatee delivered the commencement address.  Macatee earned a Bachelor of Science degree in speech from Lamar University in 1978 and is a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity.  He was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2011 and serves on the Board of Advisors for the College of Fine Arts and Communication. Macatee is a prominent, network sports broadcaster who has anchored network coverage of the Olympics, covered 24 Masters golf tournaments, 24 US Open Tennis Championships and has called 16 years of NFL play-by-play for CBS Sports. Read more...


Dr. Scarduzio co-authors textbook

Scarduzio book coverAssistant Professor Jennifer Scarduzio is the co-author of the textbook Surviving Work: Toxic Organizational Communication published by Kendall Hunt in May 2014. The book approaches organizational communication by focusing on the dysfunctional practices, which lead to toxic organizational communication. This student-friendly groundbreaking publication provides the reader with a guidebook of sorts that is rooted in theory, but more importantly that gives guidelines on what to do and say when one encounters sources of workplace dysfunctionality.


Department holds 4th Annual Spring PR Professionals Series

Organized and hosted by Dr. Paul Hemenway, the Department of Communication held its 4th Annual Public Relations Professionals Series in April 2014. The series features established public relations professionals from Southeast Texas discussing their work in nonprofit, government and corporate sectors.

Marcus Powers, public relations coordinator for the McFaddin-Ward House, kicked off the three-week series with a discussion of handling press and publicity for one of the oldest "living museums" in Southeast Texas. Tammy Kotzur, executive director of the Port Arthur Convention & Visitors Bureau discussed the challenges of publicity for Port Arthur’s government-funded tourism organization. Finally, Renwick DeVille, vice president and owner, and Payton Keith, associate, from the full-service public relations firm Harris, Deville & Associates discussed the challenges of handling publicity, issues management, and crisis communications for organizations internationally.


Communication major Kristen Stuck wins prestigious Headliners Foundation of Texas scholarship

Junior Kristen Stuck is majoring in communication with an emphasis in journalism and a minor in political science. She has worked at the student newspaper, the University Press, for a year and will be a co-editor for the 2014-2015 year. After graduation, she plans to attend law school to specialize in communication law. Read more...


Communication students gain valuable experience on the set of Family Know Best

Family Knows Best gameshow

Produced and hosted by Department of Communication graduate Josh Yawn, Family Knows Best is Southeast Texas’s first and only family game show. The show is a collaborative effort between students, alumni, staff and faculty of the Department of Communication and the Department of Theatre & Dance. The second season of Family Knows Best was filmed in August 2013, and aired on Fox 4 on Saturdays, October through December 2013. Read more...