Unit 11 | College of Media

College of Media welcomes Fall 2025 with faculty promotions and leadership appointments

University of Illinois campus with fall leaves and Block I banner

August 19, 2025

This fall, the College of Media announces two new department heads, seven faculty promotions, and one new faculty member.

In the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, Sang-Hwa Oh has been promoted to associate professor with indefinite tenure. Carrie Wilson-Brown has been promoted to senior lecturer. Penne Heede joins the department as a new lecturer.

In the Department of Journalism, Professor Jeffrey Magee has been named interim head. He previously served in the College of Media as associate dean for academic affairs from 2019 to 2022. Alison Davis and Josh Heuman have both been promoted to senior lecturer.

In the Department of Media & Cinema Studies, Professor James Hay has been named interim head. Anita Say Chan has been promoted to full professor. Jenny Oyallon-Koloski has been promoted to associate professor with indefinite tenure. Josh Heuman, Jonathan Knipp, and Carrie Wilson-Brown have each been promoted to senior lecturer.

In the Institute of Communications Research, Amanda Ciafone, associate professor of media and cinema studies, will serve as interim director of graduate studies for Fall 2025. Derek Long, associate professor of media and cinema studies, will return as director of graduate studies in Spring 2026.

Continuing for a second term within the college administration, Jason P. Chambers, professor of advertising, will serve as associate dean for access and engagement, and Stephanie Craft, professor of journalism, will serve as associate dean for academic and faculty affairs.

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Media faculty, students present research at 2025 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference

August 19, 2025

Faculty and graduate students from the College of Media co-presented various topics of research at the 108th annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication on August 7-10, 2025, in San Francisco, California.

This year’s conference theme was “Leading in Times of Momentous Change: Individual and Collective Opportunities.” Presenters included faculty in the Institute of Communications Research, the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, and the Department of Journalism; and graduate students in ICR’s PhD program and the MS advertising program.

The AEJMC aims to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education, to cultivate the widest possible range of communication research, to encourage the implementation of a multi-cultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and to defend and maintain freedom of communication to achieve better professional practice and a better-informed public.

College of Media research presenters and presentations are listed below. (Please see the AEJMC conference program for complete listings and participants.)

2024-25 AEJMC Elected Standing Committee Members

Research

Melita Garza

Publications

Stephanie Craft

Scholar-to-Scholar (Poster) Refereed Research Paper Sessions

Navigating Trust and Authenticity in AI-Generated Advertising Content

“Evaluating Consumer Perceptions of AI-Suggested Brands: Insights from the FCB Grid Framework”

Guolan Yang

Discussant

Jacqueline Hitchon

AI in Advertising: Emotional Appeals, Trust, and the New Creative Frontier

“The Influence of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ as a Persuasive Hook and Persuasion Knowledge on Consumer Evaluations”

Louvins Pierre
Jiayi Wang, MS Advertising student

Perceptions, Persuasion, and Authenticity in AI-Driven Advertising

Louvins Pierre poster presentation at AETMC

“Branding with AI: Investigating How General AI Attitudes Shape Consumer Perceptions and Intentions”

Louvins Pierre

Algorithmic Experiences

“Ephemeral Visibility and Real-Time Monitoring: How Algorithmic Rankings Amplify Fans’ Data Labor for Idols’ Publicity”

Anna Yan Liu, ICR doctoral student

Current News Strategies

“Targeting Against Disinformation: An Experimental Test of Generic and Microtargeted Corrections in Social Media”

Ewa Maslowska

Emerging Technology Diffusion

“Using the Technology Acceptance Model to Understand College Students’ Intentions to Use Mobile Applications to Change Their Behaviors”

Leona Yi-Fan Su

Environmental Communication

“Perceptions of Climate and Diversity Advocacy in Politically Trying Times: Examining Responses to Companies That Abandon, Maintain, or Expand Csa”

Cassandra L.C. Troy

Media Literacy and Information Consumption

“From Knowledge to Intentions: Testing a Model of News Literacy Behaviors”

Stephanie Craft

Refereed Research Paper Sessions

Histories from Inter and Intra-National Perspectives

“From Piñata Factories to the Pandemic: Latino Media Survived with Community Focus”

Melita Garza

Advancement in Crisis Communication and CSR research

“Tell Me More: Curiosity and Engagement with CSR Messaging”

Cassandra L.C. Troy

“AI in Advertising: Collaboration, Creativity, and Consumer Perception”

Moderating/Presiding

Chang-Dae Ham

PFR Panel Sessions

“Unlocking Opportunities: Networking and Mentorship for Graduate Students and EarlyCareer Scholars for your Academic Journey”

Moderating/Presiding

Chang-Dae Ham

Panelists

“The Privacy-Personalization Dilemma: Crafting Ethical Data Strategies in Advertising”

Panelist

Harsh Taneja

Research Panel Sessions

“Developing Research Agendas for Advertising and Visual Communication: Insights from Professionals in an Ever-Changing Media Landscape”

Panelist

Harsh Taneja

“How to Arm Your Students with Just Enough Business Skills to Cover Anything”

Panelist

Melita Garza

Teaching Panel Session

“Ethical Leadership and Journalism Education Amid, Well, Everything”

Panelist

Stephanie Craft

Commission on the Status of Women, AEJMC Council of Affiliates, and Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication, Florida International University

Workshop Session: Women Faculty Moving Forward: Pathways to Success

Panelist

Melita Garza

AEJMC Elected Standing Committee on Research

Research Award Panel Session: James A. Tankard/AEJMC-Knudson Latin-America Prize Book Awards

Discussant

Melita Garza

Award Panel Session: Nafziger-White-Salwen Dissertation Award

Panelist

Cassandra L.C. Troy, runner-up

Washington Media Scholars Foundation Graduate Research Scholarship Winners

“Invisible Persuasion in LLM-Based Recommendation: How Flattery Style and Product Involvement Shape Intention to follow Recommendation and Click-to-Action via Consumer Judgment Confidence”

Seo-Jeong Heo, ICR doctoral student

“What makes generative AI ads persuasive? Regulatory Fit Theory Application”

Boram Cho, MS Advertising student

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Associate professor of advertising Leona Yi-Fan Su selected for 2025-26 Emerging Research Leaders Academy

August 18, 2025

Leona Yi-Fan Su, associate professor of advertising and a faculty affiliate at the Institute of Communications Research, was selected by the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute for the 2025-2026 Emerging Research Leaders Academy.

The ERLA allows mid-career researchers to refine their goals, make connections, and develop skills to strategically lead collaborative, multi-investigator research teams, and pursue center-level or large-scale, collaborative research funding.

Su, who was one of 15 Illinois researchers chosen for this year’s cohort, engages in a range of interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects on science and health issues.

Her key research areas include studies on social norms, humor, incivility, social media, engagement metrics, virtual assistants, big data, machine learning, brand communication, science communication, health communication, and environmental communication.

ERLA candidates are nominated by a dean, department head, or director, and evaluated by a campuswide selection committee. Factors such as their commitment to the program, future leadership potential, and how their participation will benefit their career as well as that of the Illinois research enterprise, are all considered before the final selection is made.

Throughout the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters, ERLA members will engage in reflection and personal assessment, clarify their vision and goals, and develop five-year action plans that they will present at the ERLA graduation in April 2026.

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Penne Heede

Lecturer

Affiliations

Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising

No posts found.

Contact

mheede2@illinois.edu

Journalism alum, ocean expert Annie Crawley wins 2025 Illini Comeback Award

August 14, 2025

Annie Crawley (BS ’90, journalism) was one of two recipients to win the University of Illinois Alumni Association’s 2025 Illini Comeback Award.

Crawley, a.k.a. “Ocean Annie,” is a pioneering underwater filmmaker, environmental photojournalist, author, and ocean advocate whose career spans more than three decades.

She has become a driving force for ocean literacy, exploration and conservation through immersive storytelling and education. She founded “Dive Into Your Imagination”—a series of award-winning illustrated books and award-winning DVDs that have reached global audiences, inspiring millions to care for and become a voice for oceans.

The College of Media is hosting a special screening of Crawley’s film The Island of the Shark, Guardians of Malpelo, followed by a Q&A with Crawley on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 4:30 p.m. at Spurlock Musem. The event is free and open to the public. Participants may also join by registering for the Zoom link.

Crawley’s recent work includes ocean-themed visual compositions for symphonies with renowned composer Stella Sung—merging science, music, and art to spotlight noise, chemical, and sound pollution. Her latest documentary, The Island of the Shark: Guardians of Malpelo, highlights shark conservation and the fight against illegal fishing in Colombia.

As a columnist for Scuba Diving Magazine and an in-demand speaker, Crawley challenges us to dive deeper—to hear the ocean’s story and recognize the role we all play in the ocean’s future.

Since 1980, when the Illini Comeback Award was established, the UIAA has invited prominent and accomplished alumni back to the campus to participate in various activities during Homecoming Weekend.

Honorees are provided opportunities to interact with current students and share information about their professional experiences and the value of their University of Illinois education.

UIAA Alumni Awards will be presented in conjunction with Homecoming Week, September 21-27.

A delicious irony: Why Trump prefers Mexican Coca-Cola

July 31, 2025 | Boston Globe

Border walls and tariffs must be high against Mexico, but the Cokes it exports to the United States get a pass. A product beloved by immigrants and cool kids alike, it is known for its real cane sugar and retro glass bottle. And it’s a product that, in its very sweetness, shows that taste is political—that what we consume is shaped by trade policies, subsidies, and the strength of our regulatory institutions.

Amanda Ciafone, Associate Professor of Media and Cinema Studies

Amanda Ciafone, associate professor of media and cinema studies, discusses the strange contradictions in American health policy in a Boston Globe op-ed piece titled “A delicious irony: Why Trump prefers Mexican Coca-Cola.”

“When President Trump recently professed his preference for ‘REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States,’ he may have been remembering the Cokes of his youth. More likely he was thinking of the taste of a ‘Mexican Coke,’ the only version of Coca-Cola sweetened with real sugar, rather than high-fructose corn syrup, that is commercially available in the United States—and it’s imported from Mexico,” Ciafone writes. “It was hard not to marvel at the irony.”

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Gregory Hall lower-level renovation photos

Gregory Hall Room 1 architect rendering overview

July 31, 2025

Thanks to a $2.5M gift from Richard and Leslie Frank in 2024—who endowed the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media in 2020 and enabled the renovation of Richmond Studio—exciting upgrades in the lower level of Gregory Hall began in Spring 2025.

This will result in the creation of a new hybrid/flexible, state-of-the-art classroom (see architectural rendering above), which will open in Spring 2026, and a renovated main corridor, plus updated flooring throughout, including in faculty offices.

See photos depicting the original spaces, the renovation process, and the architectural renderings.

Gregory Hall Lower-Level Corridor

Before Renovations

Substantial work in the lower level of Gregory Hall has not occurred since the 1990s. See photos of the original corridor and a faculty office.

Gregory Hall lower level corridor before renovations
Gregory Hall lower level corridor before renovations
Gregory Hall lower level faculty office before renovations

Renovation Progress

Renovations included painted walls throughout the entire hallway, including the east and west wings, new lighting, and new flooring, including in faculty offices.

Painting primer in the hallways
Painting in the hallways
Lights installed and floor removed
Floor removal process
Floor mitigated, walls painted, lights in, and portals built
Crown molding detail
New floor installed in hallway
New carpet installed in faculty office
Ceiling tiles installed
First day of Fall 2025 classes

Architectural Rendering

The corridor renovations will be complete by the start of Fall 2025. By Spring 2026, new digital signage will be installed in place of bulletin boards that previously lined the walls.

Gregory Hall Room 1

Before Renovations

Rooms 1, 2, and 3 on the east wing were two smaller classrooms and a faculty office.

Gregory Hall Rooms 1, 2, and 3 before renovation
Gregory Hall Room 1 before renovation
Gregory Hall Room 2 faculty office moving out before renovation
Gregory Hall Room 3 before renovation

Renovation Progress

Renovations included knocking down walls to combine Rooms 1, 2, and 3 into a new hybrid/flexible, state-of-the-art classroom.

Gregory Hall Room 1 after demo
Gregory Hall Room 2 after demo
Gregory Hall Room 3 after demo
Gregory Hall Rooms 1, 2, 3 after demo, from hallway
Gregory Hall Rooms 1, 2, 3 after demo
Gregory Hall Rooms 1, 2, 3 after demo, from northwest corner
Gregory Hall Rooms 1, 2, 3, looking south, with the last wall knocked down

Architectural Renderings

By Spring 2026, Room 1 will offer classes by all three departments in the College of Media, supporting activities such as advertising brand consultations, journalism press conferences, and media and cinema studies production, and will enable hybrid teaching and conferencing.

Architectural rendering of the entrance to Gregory Hall Room 1

Architectural rendering of Gregory Hall Room 1

—Photos by Meghan Burnett and Holly Rushakoff. Architectural renderings by Reifsteck Wakefield Fanning.

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Students in Media Entrepreneurship course win ‘Graphic Design USA’ magazine’s 2025 American Digital Design Award

July 23, 2025

Four students in the Spring 2025 ADV 409: Media Entrepreneurship course won 2025 American Digital Design Awards presented by Graphic Design USA magazine.

Alessandra Lopez, Macy Miller, Ben Riseman, and Emmanuel Tinajero, all 2025 graduates in advertising, were seniors at the time of the class.

The students created a comprehensive pitch deck for a new mobile app they conceptualized called Bad St!tch, which lets users share the ways they upcycle their clothes. If another user likes an upcycling idea but doesn’t want to or is unable to do it, they can hire the person who published the idea to do it for them, giving designers a way to showcase their work and potentially acquire customers.

Terry Kasdan, adjunct lecturer in advertising who teaches ADV 409, said the team won the award in the student work category for Bad St!tch’s brand identity and user interface, which they developed in class.

“As much as I still love my ‘day job’ as a digital marketer and agency owner, I have to admit, the hours I spend in class with the amazing students I’m so privileged to teach in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising and Technology Entrepreneur Center are truly my favorite parts of the week. Nothing beats seeing them transform ideas into real ventures and gain recognition for their creativity and hard work,” said Kasdan.

Their work was published in GDUSA’s 25th annual Digital Design Awards Showcase, alongside entries by Bank of America, Dell, and Marriott International, Inc. Kasdan said more than 13,000 entries across all categories were submitted this year and just 100 winners were chosen.    

See the winning student work.

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‘En Vivo Contigo’ wins first place for 2025 Ñ Award from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists

July 17, 2025

En Vivo Contigo, the first all-Spanish news broadcast on the student-run UI7 Newsroom, won first place for the Ñ Award from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in the category of Student Broadcast Journalism.

The award-winning segment featured an interview conducted by Emilio Reyes (BS ’25, journalism) with Salvatore Callesano, assistant professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and highlights the importance and impact of linguistics in Spanish-speaking families.

Reyes also co-produced the piece with Jackie Barba (BS ’25, journalism.) Both Reyes and Barba were seniors at the time of production.

The Ñ Awards honor excellence in categories ranging from investigative journalism and television and video to education reporting and student journalism.

Watch the winning video:

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‘Hot Ones’ host, journalism alum Sean Evans featured in TIME magazine’s list of Most Influential Creators of 2025

July 16, 2025

Sean Evans (BS ’08, journalism) was featured in the inaugural TIME100 Creators list: The Most Influential Digital Voices of 2025.

Evans is the host of the Emmy Award-nominated Hot Ones, the YouTube series launched in 2015 in which celebrities are interviewed while eating progressively spicy chicken wings.

The show, which is most known for Evans’s deep research on his guests and thought-provoking questions, has run for 27 seasons so far and includes interviews with a slew of famous celebrities such as Gordon Ramsay, Billie Eilish, Sydney Sweeney, and Key & Peele.

The 2025 TIME100 Creators recognizes those individuals who are shaping the future and changing the way people inform themselves.