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The School of Communication has launched multiple AI‑focused courses to teach students how to use emerging tools ethically, effectively, and creatively across media disciplines. The faculty are emphasizing hands‑on experience and critical evaluation, arguing that avoiding AI leads to ignorance, while direct engagement builds discernment, ethical awareness, and professional readiness.

The new courses include COM 4430-Global Communication in the Age of AI; MMC 3342-Content Creation and AI; MMC 4011-Advanced AI Literacy; MMC 4262-AI and Media Ethics; and RTV 4612-AI Video Effects. The new classes explore AI’s global, ethical, and societal impacts, preparing students to understand how AI shapes power structures, media literacy, labor, privacy, and the future of communication.

Frank Goodin, an associate instructor in the B.S. in Digital Video Production, has students in AI Video Effects working with generative AI tools for video and audio production. They are learning where those tools succeed, where they fail, and what they cost.

Goodin feels strongly that exposure to DVP and AI tools simultaneously is the only way to ensure students understand their capabilities. “Familiarity is what makes discernment possible,” he said. “A student who has actually used these tools can tell you when they’re appropriate and when they aren’t. A student who has only heard about them can’t.”

Goodin argues that avoiding AI “produces ignorance about a technology that will shape our students’ work whether or not we engage with it,” he said. “Our field has navigated transitions like this before, from film to digital, from optical effects to compositing. The people who understood the new tools were the ones who got to shape how they were used.”

To deal with contentious issues related to AI, Dr. Berrin Beasley, a professor who has long taught courses focused on media ethics, will now teach AI and Media Ethics. The course will help students examine how AI technologies are reshaping media production, distribution, and consumption, and the broader societal implications of these changes. Beasley plans to introduce theoretical frameworks and practical applications to understand the ethical, legal, cultural, and economic dimensions of AI in the media. The course will focus on “ethical issues involving privacy, intellectual property, and transparency,” she said.

In Dr. Siho Nam’s Global Communication in the Age of AI, students “adopt the perspectives of different nations to analyze how global media technologies intersect with both continuing and newly emerging global challenges,” he said. The class studies global outsourcing of AI labor, AI’s environmental footprint, and widening global divides in data and computation power. Nam said he believes AI needs to be part of the curriculum “to unpack its deep entanglement with existing structures of power.”

Nam added: “Communication courses are uniquely positioned to help students map the place of AI within this complex web of power relations,” he said. “By doing so, we enable students to critique how AI might exacerbate existing inequalities while thoughtfully envisioning ways to harness its transformative possibilities.”

By Tricia Booker
Instructor, Multimedia Journalism

• James Cannon, a 2010 ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ journalism graduate and former Spinnaker editor‑in‑chief, now leads the Jacksonville Business Journal, where he covers public companies, banking, and real estate.
• His career shifted from economics and banking to journalism after the Great Recession, taking him from ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ to reporting roles in Texas before returning to Jacksonville in 2015.
• Cannon argues that business journalism remains essential because it depends on in‑person reporting, relationships, and contextual insight – elements he says AI cannot replicate.

When James Cannon graduated 16 years ago, students were protesting cuts in funding, the university was preparing for a new president, and the student body was expressing skepticism about the newest flu vaccines.

No wonder today’s news sounds so familiar.

But Cannon’s life is pretty different. As the current editor-in-chief of the Jacksonville Business Journal, his job is to take the city’s most salient financial stories and help readers understand their implications. It’s a critically important role, and one he enjoys. “Public company reporting, specifically, has always been a favorite beat of mine – same with residential and commercial real estate,” he said. He has a banking background, he added, and had studied macroeconomics, so his position at JBJ has been a natural fit.

Cannon began his post-secondary education at the University of Central Florida, where he studied economics and then entered the banking world. The Great Recession, he said, ended that career. Since he had always enjoyed writing, he returned to school, and at ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ, began studying journalism. He soon connected with Marilyn Young, then the managing editor at the Florida Times-Union. “She gave me a chance on the business desk,” he said.

At the same time, he began working for the Spinnaker, and he was the paper’s editor-in-chief from 2009-2010. The most memorable issue, he said, was after a student athlete and Greek-led political coalition canceled student elections. The Spinnaker ran a provocative political cartoon with a banner reading “United Soviet States of Osprey Nation,” and Cannon and managing editor Josh Fredrickson wrote a facetious opinion piece endorsing the party's decision to remove the illusion of choice from the masses. “Greetings, comrades,” they wrote.  “Today is a magnificent day to recommit our collective energies to swelling the ranks of the Red Party and paying proper approbation to our benevolent leaders in Student Government.”

After ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ, Cannon moved to Texas, where he worked first at the Midland Reporter-Telegram and then at the San Antonio Express-News. He returned to Jacksonville in 2015 and has worked at the JBJ since then. He’s currently in his third year as editor-in-chief.

He shares some of the general cynicism about the state of the news media, but he feels more optimistic about business journalism. “Business reporting is inherently local, relationship-driven and rooted in being physically present,” he said. “Regardless of what an AI salesperson might tell you, no large language model can walk into a Chamber event, an industry panel or a City Council meeting and pick up on the quiet conversations before and after, the body language, the shifting dynamics in a room or the subtle signals that often become tomorrow's biggest stories. Those moments still require a reporter who is there. … As long as business leaders need reliable intelligence to make decisions, identify opportunities and make money, there will be a need for business journalists who can build sources, earn trust and provide context that goes beyond what a search engine or AI can summarize.”

The nation’s shortage of healthcare professionals has been a concern for years, and since 2021, ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ’s MedNexus has helped combat this problem by creating connections between higher education and industry professionals working in the healthcare space in Northeast Florida. 

Starting this year, the School of Communication will play a role in helping bridge that gap. Dr. Rachel Riggs Achorn, a public relations professor and researcher, has joined the MedNexus faculty executive board. The board is comprised of uniquely qualified experts from a variety of academic disciplines, student services, and administrative branches.

Achorn’s experience aligns with the organization’s lofty goals. Her extensive research has focused on health communication, interpersonal communication, and media effects research. She has a particular interest in understanding how the media can influence disclosure of sexual assault and mental health problems among adolescents and young adults.

While all aspects of the health care industry are facing employee shortages, Achorn said, there is a particular need for trained healthcare professionals who understand mental health needs to promote wholistic wellbeing. One of the obstacles has been connecting students with jobs. At a time when research shows new college graduates are struggling to find work and worried about their futures, MedNexus begins engaging with students while they’re still in school – and maintains that connection post-graduation. It’s a valuable way to help both students and the community. 

“MedNexus is creating pathways for talented students to matriculate seamlessly into a world that desperately needs them,” she said. “They’re gaining valuable real-life experience while still in school, then graduating with everything they need to begin work right away.”

MedNexus has formed partnerships with such industry leaders as Mayo Clinic, Brooks Rehabilitation, UF Health, and the CSI Companies. Collaborative projects have included creating 3D anatomical printing, studying social media addiction and opioid misuse, and providing healthcare education for students in the city of Palm Coast. 

Ultimately, Achorn said she wants to help health care advocates create more effective strategies for encouraging young people to seek assistance when coping with sexual assault or mental health issues.

“I’m impressed with what MedNexus has been able to do in just a few short years,” Achorn said. “I’m excited to join that effort.”

Winners include our 2025-26 outstanding student awardees and graduates with the highest GPA in their major.

The School of Communication’s May 1 graduation reception filled the Student Union Ballroom with soon-to-be graduates and their family. The faculty-selected winners from our majors were recognized, and each will also have their name placed on a plaque in the School’s lobby. Below are what the Outstanding Student Award winners’ say they value the most about their time in the School of Communication.

Kennedy Jarrard, Outstanding Graduate Student in Communication Management: “I am extremely grateful for my time in the School of Communication and the opportunities it has granted me. During my time in the program, I have learned from and been challenged by my amazing professors and mentors. I am especially proud of my time interning with the athletic department at ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ and applying the concepts I have learned inside the classroom to my professional life. Thank you to ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ for helping me grow and push myself to new limits.”

Ceder Crawford, Outstanding Student in Communication Studies: “I will always remember being invited by Professor Mathies and Dr. Julie Merten to help launch the Social Innovation Think Tank and the transformative impact this course will continue to have on the healthcare ecosystem. It was a true honor to be among the first to serve this community in such a student-focused forum. I’m inspired by the vision behind this initiative and am excited to see how it will continue to grow while reshaping the future of meaningful care in our society.” 

Grace Halasz, Outstanding Student in Advertising: “When looking back on my time at the School of Communication, I am most proud of the growth I’ve experienced in my creativity and strategic thinking. My coursework and the support of my professors have provided the opportunity to gain meaningful, real-world experience that has prepared me for the next steps in my career.”

David Green, Outstanding Student in Digital Video Production: “The most important part of my time here at ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ and what I’ll remember the most is my growth at Spinnaker media. I was able to grow from a content producer in TV to the TV general manager in just a few short years. There, I learned team coordination, leadership, and how to work under pressure when a deadline approached. Not only that, but the School of Communication and the skills I was taught helped me earn an internship in Savannah, Georgia, at a local news station. The school has opened many doors for me, and I’m proud of how I was able to attend a study abroad because of it. Thank you to all the members of the School of Communications, students and professors, and I cannot wait to see where the next scene in my life takes place.”

Jessica Lee, Outstanding Student in Multimedia Journalism: “I’m most proud of the confidence I’ve built by treating my time in school as an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and grow my network. Much of my experience has been in front of the camera as a volunteer reporter with Inside Swoop, but I’ve also contributed behind the scenes by creating reels for COAS and directing a short film as president of the Multimedia Club. Directing this film ultimately earned me an Emmy Award, an achievement that reflects both my passion for storytelling and the power of stepping outside my comfort zone. I am deeply grateful to all my professors for getting me to where I am today.”

Rachel Sheilley, Outstanding Student in Public Relations: "I am so grateful for my time as a public pelations student in the ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ School of Communication. Over my four years, I developed a stronger passion for PR and stronger skills to apply in the field. Alongside the tremendous support of my professors and peers, I helped lead the creation of multiple nonprofit campaigns. These hands-on experiences shaped who I am as a leader and my future as a PR professional. I can't imagine experiencing such growth without so many opportunities from the School of Communication."

Dear Communication Osprey Alumni, 

I am SWOOP-ing in to extend a warm welcome as the new Director of the School of Communication, beginning on August 3, 2026. Prior to transitioning to leadership, I taught Communication Studies and Social Media courses in the School of Communication as an Associate (now Full) Professor. My research explores the consequences, strategies, and impacts of emerging & social media in our lives - within personal relationships, brand-consumer interactions, and our social norms. I have almost 20 years of experience teaching Communication at the college-level.

I grew up in New Jersey and attended school & taught in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia - Go Birds!) before flying south in 2015 to land in the Osprey Nest at ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ. I am humbled and honored to serve our students, faculty & staff, ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ campus and greater Jacksonville/Northeast Florida communities, including you as proud Alumni, in my new role as Director. I invite you to remain connected with us through our social media channels and encourage your involvement in various programming efforts. These include joining our Professional Advisory Board, participating in Media Week events, visiting our classes for a guest presentation, attending, sponsoring, or promoting Social Media Expo JAX, making a contribution or gift to the School of Communication, and more. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out, connect, collaborate, or simply say hello. I look forward to networking with you all and building valuable relationships with former students in my new capacity. Once an Osprey, Always an Osprey – SWOOP!

All the best, Dr. Stewart

By Dr. John Parmelee
Professor, Mass Communication

Dr. John Parmelee (center) and the faculty mark the end of the school year at the spring graduation reception.

As I end my third and final term as Director of the School of Communication, I want to discuss the state of our communication program and how far we have come during the past 12 years. Our program has a lot of moving parts – 700 majors, 23 full-time faculty members, a dozen or so adjuncts, a graduate program, five undergraduate degrees, and four minors – and it has been a privilege to be a part of building up the program. The faculty and I worked hard to accomplish the following:

• Successfully went through initial accreditation – and then reaccreditation seven years later – of the B.S. in Communication by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC), making us only one of five accredited communication programs in Florida.
• Created the M.S. in Communication Management, a 36-credit professional degree that is an innovative collaboration with several ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ colleges.
• Created the B.A. in Communication Studies, which includes courses in mediated, interpersonal, and organizational communication.
• Created a social media minor, which focuses on practical and theoretical aspects, and a minor in political campaigns, which is a collaboration with the political science department.
• Created the Digital Video Production major to give students hands-on skills to make documentaries, films, and other types of production.
• Created Media Week, which connects media professionals with students during specialized Q-and-A sessions, and Social Media Expo JAX, which connects the Jacksonville community with strategy, skills, and best practices from social media experts.
• Expanded alumni outreach efforts by creating an alumni newsletter, including alumni events in Media Week, and launching alumni social media accounts.
• Created the School of Communication Student Ambassadors to assist with recruitment and retention efforts.
• Created the Digital Media + AI Innovation Lab, a hub for dynamic research investigating phenomena related to digital media, new and emerging media, and artificial intelligence. 
• Expanded the number of school-based student scholarships.
• Created a mentorship program for undergraduate and graduate students to interact with professionals in advertising, public relations, journalism, production, communication studies, and communication management.
• Finally, the ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ Board of Trustees changed the name of the Department of Communication to the School of Communication in 2019 to reflect the many additions to the communication program and its growing importance.

As I return to regular faculty status, I know the School of Communication is in good hands with our new director, Dr. Margaret Stewart, a professor who has been here since 2015 and is a widely respected communication and social media scholar.

Dr. Christa Arnold, Dr. Margaret Stewart, and Dr. Berrin Beasley presented “Mediated statement analysis (MSA): Exploring human and machine learning digital deception detection” at the Florida Digital Humanities Conference.

Dr. Sydney Brammer published a book chapter, “Cultivation theory,” in Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication. Brammer also published in four academic journals: ‘“Having sex is not a comfortable conversation’: A report on the application of Sexual Scripts Theory to negative communication during sexual activity in young adults” in Journal of Health Communication; ‘“We need an American Girl doll who …’: Reimagining and memeifying American Girl(hood) and fem(me)ininity in digital spaces” in Journal of Femininities; ‘“Don’t scroll … we’re lifting you up in prayer’: #NunTok as a case study in the diffusion of TikTok as an innovation, imagined audience, and vehicle for a critical cultural shift” in Popular Communication; and “Rethinking the reach of the basic course: Diversity and interdisciplinarity as catalysts for reinvigorating the foundations of the discipline” in Journal of Communication Pedagogy. She also presented “Perceptions of humor as a strategy to communicate wildlife science issues online” at the National Communication Association.

Dr. Roy Christopher published a book chapter, “Translator’s introduction,” in Zoidoid. He also won the 2026 International Impact Book Award for The medium picture.

Dr. Berrin Beasley and Dr. Nataliya Roman published ‘“We’re all traumatized’: Journalists’ perceptions of how COVID-19 affected local American TV reporters’ presentation of news stories and their relationships with the public” in Atlantic Journal of Communication.

Dr. Chunsik Lee and Dr. Junga Kim published “Media cultivation of public outlooks on artificial general intelligence (AGI): Diverging cognitive and emotional pathways of news and entertainment media” in New Media & Society. They also published “Generative AI risks and resilience: How users adapt to hallucination and privacy challenges” in Telematics and Informatics Reports. They also presented “Building trust through corporate data responsibility: Stakeholder engagement’s role in public trust toward AI firms” at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Dr. Siho Nam presented “Selling the Korean Wave in the age of AI: A critical discourse analysis of the K-anything dispositive” at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Dr. Jae Park published “The power of online product reviews: Application of the third person effects between high and low involvement products” in Journal of Brand Strategy.

Dr. Stephynie Perkins and Dr. Christa Arnold presented “Echoes of 1968: Elevating the voices of African Americans in editorials, editorial cartoons, and letters to the editor - Relevance of editorial pages in black newspapers” at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Dr. Rachel Riggs published “Relation between U.S. parents’ grief and e snooping after adolescents’ mental health disorder diagnosis” in Journal of Child and Family Studies. She also published “Exploring predictors of parents’ negative emotional response to adolescents’ mental illness disclosure” in Journal of Child Health Care. Also, she and Kenneth Thomas and Frank Goodin won the ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ Webb Media Grant for “Bringing the saltmarsh home: Land- and sound-scape videos as digital encounters that promote mental health and nature appreciation.”

Dr. Nataliya Roman and Dr. John Parmelee published ‘“The architect of the invasion’ vs. ‘a symbol of resilience’: How AI chatbots frame Zelenskyy, Putin and the Russia-Ukraine war,” in Media, War & Conflict. They also published “Memory of the multitude and representation in AI-generated images of war” in Memory, Mind & Media.

Dr. Margaret Stewart and Dr. Christa Arnold published a book chapter, “Strategic social listening in organizations,” in The Routledge Handbook of Organizational Listening. They also presented “Previewing the positive & negative paradigm of digital deception using mediated statement analysis (MSA): Exploring pro- & anti-social trends in truthful & untruthful social media posts” at the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences.

If you want to get more involved, there are eight great ways to stay connected with the School of Communication, including participating in our annual Media Week event and Internship + Job Fair, and contributing an alumni profile. 

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, Margaret Stewart. 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 ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ communication 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 ³ÉÈËAVÊÓƵ communication 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 Margaret Stewart 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 Margaret Stewart 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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