CCIM’s Fall 2024 Semester has been filled with a wide range of events and a collection of amazing accomplishments from CCIM students, faculty, staff, and alumni.  

Throughout the months of September, October, and the beginning of November, members of the CCIM community published and presented research, welcomed prospective students and alumni to campus on multiple occasions, were recognized with prestigious awards, and much more.  

Now that holiday breaks are just around the corner and the end of the semester is drawing near, we want to take the time to acknowledge some of the wonderful things that have taken place amidst the wonderful and rewarding chaos that accompanies hard work and success.

ALUMNI NEWS

  • Department of Communication Studies alumni Bryssa Helton (’20), Claudia Metzger (’23) and Jaryd Wright (’23) visited COMM classrooms on October 24 to share valuable feedback about making the transition from college to the world of work. They also shared advice about their experiences as early career professionals. 

STUDENT NEWS

3 members of the Ball State Debate team stand outside, holding awards.
  • The Ball State University Debate Team competed at the Slippery Rock NEDA Tournament in September. The Crossfire team, Brayden Hall and Quentin Brizendine, won the open Crossfire division of the tournament. Brayden Hall was also named third overall in the speaker Crossfire division ratings. Sophia Worden also secured a third-place win in both the Rapidfire division and the overall Rapidfire speaker ratings, making her first college tournament a memorable one.  
    • From Sept. 27 to 28, the team competed in the 2024 Squirrel Shooter competition and also earned several awards, including:
      • Varsity Crossfire
        • 4th Overall: Zach Williams and Mya Davis-Jenkins
          • 1st Place Speaker: Zach Williams
          • 3rd Place Speaker: Mya Davis-Jenkins
      • Novice Crossfire
        • 3rd Overall: Logan Braunschweig and Caleb Trinoskey
          • 1st Place Speaker: Logan Braunschweig
          • 3rd Place Speaker: Caleb Trinoskey
      • Varsity Rapidfire
        • 3rd Overall & 2nd Place Speaker: Sophia Worden
        • 4th Overall & 3rd Place Speaker: Alex Wagler
      • Novice Rapidfire
        • 1st Overall & 3rd Place Speaker: Joe Basso
      • Sweepstakes
        • 3rd Place
    • On Nov. 1 and 2, the team then competed in the Yaatly Online Debating League Tournament #2. In this competition, Logan Braunschweig and Caleb Trinoskey were novice finalists and Brayden Hall and Quentin Brizendine were novice semifinalists.
    • Then, the team returned from the Fall Flyer Fling Tournament on Nov. 15 and 16 with the following accolades:
      • Varsity Crossfire
        • 1st Place: Brayden Hall and Quentin Brizendine
      • Varsity Rapidfire
        • 1st Place: Zach Williams
      • Novice Rapidfire
        • 1st Overall Speaker & 2nd Place Team: Alex Wagler
        • 2nd Overall Speaker: Caleb Trinoskey
  • Students at The McKinley Avenue Agency got hands-on experience while helping Ball State University students find a new home for the 2025-26 leasing season. The Ball State Daily Housing Fair took place on Sept. 25 at The Atrium in the Art and Journalism building on Ball State University’s campus. The Housing Fair was sponsored by a long-time agency client and advertiser, The Haven. At The Housing Fair, clients were able to meet with students face-to-face and promote their properties. It is an important revenue-producing event for the agency – which is tasked with funding student media at Ball State. 
Five member of Ball State's Student Research team stand together inside.
  • The Center for Information and Communication Sciences (CICS) Student Research Team composed of Anita Mawutor Sedzro, Femi Osholake, Landon Reed, Temilade Akinwolere, Frema Benedicta Boamah, Yuna Han, and Benjamin Gyamfi presented at the 2024 Annual Civic Learning Symposium. With their presentation, titled “Civic AI: How Artificial Intelligence Supports Civic Engagement,” they were able to contribute to the ever-changing of AI. 
  • The Mckinley Avenue Agency’s leadership team also traveled to the College Media Business & Advertising Managers convention in Philadelphia in early November and was recognized with numerous awards. This year marks the highest number of placings the agency has received in one competition. The awards received include: 
    • First Place 
      • Best Sales Proposal  
      • Best Non-Traditional Revenue Generating Operation 
    • Second Place 
      • Best Back to School or Orientation Guide 
      • Best Non-Advertisement Multimedia project 
      • Best Sponsored Content  
      • Best Living (Renters) Guide 
    • Third Place
      • Best Coupon Book 
      • Best Print Ad Non-Newsprint 
      • Best Ad Campaign and Paid Self-Promotional 
    • Honorable Mention:  
      • Best Multimedia Ad Campaign 
      • Best Paid Design Product
      • Best Sales or Marketing Program 
  • Senior Journalism Major Abigail Denault has been honored by the Community-Engaged Alliance with the Richard J. Wood Community Commitment Award, becoming the first student from Ball State to receive this prestigious recognition. The award celebrates students who demonstrate outstanding commitment to community engagement and the advancement of civic responsibility. Denault, who is also a Global Studies minor, was selected based on her extensive contributions to community engagement, leadership, and advocacy for democratic values. Read more about her and this honor here.
  • Ball State Esports wrapped up November with some exciting wins
    • For the first time, the team swept the Collegiate iRacing League Week competition with three first place wins — all of which were achieved by Ar Muhammad Aleef
    • Daniel Nanney also placed 2nd in the College Cup Series
  • The Varsity League of Legends team also won the 2024 Battle for Indiana competition hosted by Butler University.
  • Ball State Esports has also been selected as a finalist in two categories for this year’s collegiate Esports awards. The Varsity Rocket League team was nominated for Team of the Year and Gannon Nelson, a coach of the Varsity Valorant team, was nominated for Coach of the Year.
  • Students from ICS 601: Foundations of Information and Communication Sciences launched the first Artificial Intelligence Virtual Symposium. This collection includes data analysis, case studies, and key findings, providing a comprehensive guide for understanding how AI influences job trends and economic development. It is designed to benefit researchers, educators, policymakers, and industry leaders interested in the implications of AI on workforce strategies and future employment landscapes in Indiana.

CCIM UNIT NEWS

Poster with a rock-themed text saying "CCIM Media Facilities World Tour, Ball State University. J101- Fall 2024
  • Students in JOUR 101 recently embarked on the CCIM Media Facilities World Tour where students got a peek behind the scenes in almost all of Ball State’s world-class media facilities and were introduced to the faculty who support them. The intent was to show students the behind-the-scenes of some of the different media covered in the class and to help them understand how they can get involved in the myriad of hands-on programs. As part of the tour, students visited: 
Students stand listening in the Unified Media Lab to Korey Ohlenkamp.
  • The Embodied Media Cognition Lab with Sungwon Chung 
  • The Unified Media Lab with Corey Ohlenkamp 
  • The Holden Center for Strategic Communication with Betsy Meyer 

A class of students stands in the McKinley Avenue Agency at Ball State, Listening to Betsy Meyer.
A class of students stands listening to Jennifer Palilonis in an EMDD classroom.
  • Unified Media Services Equipment Checkout 
  • Studios A, B C, D and E as well as the Surround Suites and Screening Room 
A class of students stands next to Ball State's studios, listening to a professor.
  • The Department of Media has announced the addition of a vocal performance class which will explore things like voiceover work, radio news, podcasting, and setting up a home studio.

FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS

  • School of Journalism and Strategic Communication Assistant Lecturer Taulbee Jackson recently presented at the Ball State University Teachers College Center for Economic and Civic Learning’s 2024 Civic Learning Symposium. His presentation “Solving the News Desert Crisis” outlines an alternative path forward for journalism in the future, specifically in rural news desert communities.
  • The International Association for Computer Information Systems accepted the paper, “EMMA: An ethical socio-technical decision support system for HVAC consumption” for the 2024 IACIS conference. This paper was written by Ball State’s Dr. Chris Davison, Dr. David Hua, Dr. Edward Lazaros, and Dr. Allen Truell as well as two CICS graduate students and Dr. Colin Allen from the University of Pittsburgh. 
  • In October, Associate Professor in Communication Studies Marcy Meyer presented a chapter from her book, “Iconographic Research Poetry,” at the 2024 International Symposium on Poetic Inquiry in Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Center for Information and Communication Sciences Assistant Professor Dr. Luis Orozco presented as lead author on the work titled, “A Cross-Sector Analysis of Technological Implementation Challenges Faced by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Midwest” at the Information Systems Education Conference (ISECON) 2024, which was held virtually on October 19. 
  • Department of Communication Studies Associate Professor James Rediger was invited to lead a roundtable discussion at the Lilly Teaching and Learning Conference in Traverse City Michigan on October 11. The roundtable explored how a stepwise or transitional approach to role-switching in course design can launch students from learners to leaders. During this roundtable, participants learned and discussed innovative methods in course design and assignments that blend traditional and experiential learning to enhance professional preparedness and mastery of content. 
  • Assistant Professor Dr. Faisal Kalota from the Center for Information and Communication Sciences was selected as a recipient of the Faculty Excellence Award at the ATMAE 2024 Annual Conference. This award recognizes his outstanding contribution and dedication to excellence in his field. The award was presented at the awards luncheon at the conference in Las Vegas at The Plaza Hotel and Casino on October 31. 
  • Dr. Luis Orozco also presented as lead author for the work titled, “Hispanic Immigrants and Self-Directed Learning: A Review of Affordable Technologies for Continuous Learning” at ATMAE 2024 in late October in Las Vegas. 
Chair of the Nobel Peace Commitee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, two men from NCHC, and Dr. Robin Blom stand inside in front of a National Collegiate Honors College banner.
  • Professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication Dr. Robin Blom co-authored the application for a prestigious partnership that the Ball State Honors College has recently been awarded. The Honors College has been selected as an initial Partner in Peace with the Nobel Peace Center. They accepted this award and met with the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee at the national honors conference in late October. As part of the Partners in Peace program, Dr. Blom developed and is teaching HONR 199 “The Honors of the Nobel Peace Prize” this semester. The goal of the class is to officially nominate individuals and/or organizations for the Nobel Peace Prize. The students in the class made an initial list of about 100 candidates and we are currently down to the single digits. After Thanksgiving break, the students will vote on the final nominee(s) and write the nomination letter. 
  • In November 2024, the research journal article “Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in education: Implications for information systems instructors” by Dr. Hesham Allam, Dr. Edward Lazaros and Dr. Chris Davison was published in Issues for Information Systems.
  • Dr. Nancy Carlson, retired Associate Professor in the then Telecommunications Department, received the Women in Business Unlimited (WIBU) 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes individuals who have continually served Delaware County and contiguous with excellence, creativity and initiative for approximately 15 years; have served as a role model and an active support system for women in their respective fields; has served on at least one local non-profit organization; exhibits qualities of teamwork, integrity, and dedication; and are trailblazers who have given back to the community through their time, talent, and/or resources.
  • The research titled “Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity in Healthcare for the Advancements of Industry 5.0” by Dr. Firoz Khan will be presented in December at the 5th EAI International Conference on Wearables in Healthcare 2024. It explores the transformative impact of AI in healthcare and highlights the pressing need for strong cybersecurity to safeguard patient information. 
  • Dr. Hesham Allam partnered with scholars outside of Ball State University to create and submit the paper “Generative Artificial Intelligence and Workforce: A quantitative Survey Analysis” to the 2025 Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences. The conference will be held in Waikoloa Village, Big Island, Hawaii on January 7, 2025. 
  • Dr. Luis Orozco from the Center for Information and Communication Sciences was recently awarded the Alpha Support grant for his project “Digital Resilience During COVID-19: Best Practices Among Hispanic Businesses.” The project will explore the challenges Hispanic small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) faced during the COVID-19 Pandemic and their digital transformation strategies. The goal is to identify best practices to help Hispanic SMEs navigate similar crises, aligning with the CICS community engagement focus.

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

  • Fall 2024 Commencement will be on Dec. 14 in Worthen Arena starting at 10 a.m. If anyone would like to sign up for faculty seating, they should do so on this document by Dec. 3 at 5 p.m.