The Department of Communication, Media, and Screen Studies (CMS) has been awarded the Rex Mix Program of Excellence Award, the top honor presented annually by the Undergraduate College and University Section of the National Communication Association (NCA). This prestigious accolade, which recognizes outstanding undergraduate communication programs in the United States, is named for Dr. Rex Mix, a speech communication professor and former leader of the NCA’s Undergraduate College and University Section. The award acknowledges excellence in curriculum, program quality, course design, and special projects.
David Petroski, CMS Department chair, said, “This award means a great deal to us. Our faculty and students have worked hard to make the CMS program a place where creativity, curiosity, and collaboration thrive. Even through challenges, we’ve stayed committed to doing things differently — engaging students in meaningful, forward-looking ways that truly reflect what communication and media can do. I’m particularly proud that we’re getting recognized as a department that continues to innovate — fostering creativity, critical inquiry, and collaboration that prepare students to excel as thoughtful, engaged communicators in an evolving media landscape.”
Bruce Kalk, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said, “Southern’s Department of Communication, Media, and Screen Studies is a gem. The faculty enthusiastically mentor students, many of whom enter directly into careers in broadcasting. I for one am extremely proud that the department has earned this distinguished award. It is richly deserved!”
The department offers a B.A. degree in communication, media, and screen studies, and minors in arts administration and cultural advocacy, communication, film studies, media studies, public relations, and social media. It also boasts the CMS Digital Production Facility (DPF), an advanced media production hub designed to equip Film, Television, and Media Production (FTMP) students with the tools and expertise necessary for mastering their craft. Featuring state-of-the-art technology, the DPF offers a fully functional television broadcast studio, editing suites, a live-streaming podcast studio, and access to high-end field equipment.
Students in the CMS program find limitless opportunities for careers, whether it’s in the boardroom or in the field; making, curating, or critiquing mediated communication; working in front of a camera; or preparing for graduate studies. “Currently about half of our students are in the FTMP concentration in the major and are pursuing careers in broadcast and filmmaking,” Petroski said. “The other half of our program are students who specialize in communication, media, and screen studies pursue careers in areas like advertising, corporate communications, public relations, human resources, social media management, and more. They explore the impacts and implications of how communication and media are rapidly changing in an increasingly online and technologically driven world.”
Alena Ruggerio, vice chair, NCA Undergraduate College and University Section, wrote in a congratulatory letter, “We received several superb applications, but your nomination packet for the Rex Mix Program of Excellence Award stood above the rest.”
The NCA Undergraduate College and University Section addresses the interests of faculty and administrators in small to mid-sized undergraduate colleges and universities. It offers a forum for exploring teaching, research, and administration, and particularly for exploring the ways in which these areas are related. One of its most important functions is to build a scholarly, professional community for academics in smaller departments who want to exchange ideas and collaborate with other communication professionals.
The award will be presented at the National Communication Association convention in Denver, Colo., on November 20.
