UT MARTIN MASS MEDIA, STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION AWARDS ANNOUNCED
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication held its annual Showcase and Awards Ceremony on April 9 in the Duncan Ballroom of the Boling University Center.
The ceremony opened with two MMSC alumni receiving their own awards. Scott Hinshelwood, who graduated in 1997, received the MMSC Distinguished Alumni Award, and Trey Warren, who graduated in 2017, received the MMSC Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
Hinshelwood is the director of partner support of ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. ALSAC – American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities – is the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude.
“I moved to Memphis when I was 12, and when I was 15 years old, I was a high school basketball player (at Germantown High School),” he told the audience. “I was going to be in the NBA, but my jump shot wasn’t great, and I also had a sore ankle.
“In May of 1990, I went to the doctor, and they found a tumor in my left ankle, and I became a patient in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I did a year of chemo (therapy) there, and I lost my left leg below the knee. Lucky for me, it didn’t spread, and I got the best care at the best place.”
Hinshelwood said when it came time to look at colleges soon after that, he wanted to leave Memphis and fell in love with UT Martin. He added that he came to UT Martin to become a physical therapist.
“It turns out that science and I were not made for each other,” he said. “I think the communications department had an open house, and I thought about (public relations) at this point. … I made the decision then that my major was going to be PR with an emphasis on communication.”
After the ceremony, Hinshelwood spoke about how his own life experience drove him to work for St. Jude.
“Being a former patient led me to go back and work for the place that saved me,” he said. “I get to raise money for the place that affects kids – covers treatment, travel, housing and food – and I’m just glad to be a part of that.
“When I got to college, I learned more about PR from Dr. (Jerald) Ogg (current professor of mass media and strategic communication), and it was really more people-oriented. I started looking at how companies used PR – both good and bad – and it allowed me to get the job with St. Jude. I love being able to tell the story. From the St. Jude perspective, we get to talk about the premier pediatric cancer hospital in the world. What I learned from (UT Martin) was that it taught me how to listen to other people and how to make sure that what we put out was exactly what we needed to put out.”
Warren, a native of Marietta, Georgia, is the senior client executive for Microsoft in Atlanta. He came to UT Martin as a football player from Marietta High School, playing linebacker for the Skyhawks.
“Atlanta and Martin are, clearly, two different worlds,” he told the audience. “Football is what brought me here, but really, the family that I got here made me stay. I had no plans on staying in Martin. I was playing for one year, and I was out – that’s it – back to Atlanta. When I got here, what I was welcomed with was a lot of people who were invested in me, cared about me and willing to give me a shot.
“Starting here in the communications department, every time I asked a question, I got an answer. I did ask a lot of questions, but I never felt that they were annoyed with me. It became a little family for me, and I really enjoyed my time, and I am eternally grateful.”
Warren remembered that the UT Martin faculty were a major reason that he studied public relations.
“At the time, I had a lot of people who were invested in me,” he said following the awards ceremony. “The public relations department took me in and showed me a different side of media outside of being in front of the camera, so I really gravitated toward that. I found it as a way to tell the story.
“When you’re in public relations, it’s all about controlled chaos, being able to be calm in all situations, and that translates into the business world. When I meet with CEOs (chief executive officers) and CIOs (chief information officers) and have to introduce new concepts – I’m with Microsoft, so AI (artificial intelligence) is new and scary for everybody – I use a lot of skills I knew from PR to control the chaos and tell the story that everybody can be involved and it’s not scary.”
Dr. Robert Nanney, professor of mass media and strategic communication, was presented with a plaque of appreciation for his 25-year service as chair of that department. It was presented by Dr. Stephanie Kolitsch, associate provost and director of Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation, and Dr. Tracy Rutledge, the current chair of the Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication.
Nanney, who came to UT Martin in 1992, continues as a professor in the department.
Those receiving awards and scholarships in the 2026 MMSC Awards Ceremony were:
Broadcasting
- Stewart Byars Excellence in Radio Production Award: Izzy Burdette, sophomore MMSC major (broadcast and multimedia concentration) from Union City.
- Duke Drumm WCMT Scholarship: Maddy Kennedy, junior MMSC major (strategic communication and public relations concentration) from Seymour.
- Terry and Mitzi Hailey Award: Riley Rushing, senior interdisciplinary studies major (College of Education, Health, and Behavioral Sciences) from Snowmass Village, Colorado.
- Dr. Gary Steinke WUTM Broadcasting Excellence Award: Maddy Kennedy, junior MMSC major (strategic communication and public relations concentration) from Seymour.
- Tennessee Association of Broadcasters Award: Jacob Sullivan, senior MMSC major (broadcast and multimedia concentration) from Huntingdon.
- West Tennessee PBS Scholarship: Christian Bryson, junior geosciences major (meteorology concentration) from Jackson.
- Country Radio Broadcasters Scholarship: Daniel Mancusi, junior MMSC major (broadcast and multimedia concentration) from Martin.
Journalism
- Nanney News Writing Composition Award: Bethany Collins (news/features), senior MMSC major (broadcast and multimedia concentration) from Dresden; Nate Szarzynski (sports), senior MMSC major (journalism and digital communication concentration) from New Lenox, Illinois.
- Wayne Tansil Scholarship: Ethan Tanner, junior MMSC major (journalism and digital communication concentration) from Dover.
- Gail McCutchen Smith Editing Award: Ryleigh Ulen, junior MMSC major (strategic communication and public relations concentration) from Union City.
- Newsroom Designated Hitter Award: Chloe Kent, senior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Lewisburg.
Media Design
- Media Design Award: Sophia Phillips, sophomore MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Jackson.
- Information Design Excellence Award: Aubrey Abbott, junior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Huntingdon.
- Outstanding Designer Award: Carson Alexander, unconditional graduate, teaching and educational studies major from Martin; Darby Self, junior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Oakland.
- Design Scholar Award: Dylan Sulcer, senior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Brentwood.
- Narrative Horizons Award: Riley Thompson, junior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Dyersburg.
Public Relations
- Swafford Public Relations Scholarships: Bella Bone, senior MMSC major (strategic communication and public relations concentration) from Dresden; Ryleigh Ulen, junior MMSC major (strategic communication and public relations concentration) from Union City.
- Charles Baird Non-Profit PR Scholarship: Lacie Coleman, junior MMSC major (journalism and digital communication concentration) from Dyersburg.
- Dr. Jerald Ogg Scholarship: James Crowell, senior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Union City.
- Kent Landers Public Relations Scholarship: Dylan Sulcer, senior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Brentwood.
- University Relations Scholarship: Maddy Kennedy, junior MMSC major (strategic communication and public relations concentration) from Seymour.
Departmental Awards
- Dorotha Norton Scholarship: Ariel Leon, first-year MMSC major (journalism and digital communication concentration) from Dyersburg.
- Dorotha and Robert Norton Scholarship: Lillian Otto, senior MMSC major (strategic communication and public relations concentration) from Arrington.
- Nanney-Segebarth Scholarship: James Crowell, senior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Union City.
- Dr. Gary Steinze Scholarship: Ty Bartlett, first-year MMSC major (broadcast and multimedia concentration) from Cookeville.
- MMSC Department Scholarships: first-year scholarships: Caleb Buchanan, senior at Enlightium Academy from McKenzie; Case Gatlin, senior at Dyer County High School from Newburn; Owen Kreuziger, senior at Huntingdon High School from Huntingdon; sophomore scholarship: Ty Bartlett, first-year MMSC major (broadcast and multimedia concentration) from Cookeville.; junior scholarship: Daniel Mancusi, junior MMSC major (broadcast and multimedia concentration) from Martin; senior scholarship: Maddy Kennedy, junior MMSC major (strategic communication and public relations concentration) from Seymour.
- Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Award: Chloe Kent, senior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Lewisburg.
- MMSC Ambassador Awards: James Crowell, senior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Union City; Jayda Disney, conditional graduate, strategic communication major from Troy; Michaela Gallian, conditional graduate, strategic communication major from Waynesboro.
- Outstanding Senior Awards: Katelyn Cohee (broadcasting), senior MMSC major (broadcast and multimedia concentration) from Thompson’s Station; Michaela Gallian (public relations), conditional graduate, strategic communication major from Waynesboro; Chloe Kent (media design), senior MMSC major (media design and digital content concentration) from Lewisburg; Chyler Lee (journalism), senior MMSC major (journalism and digital communications concentration) from Jackson.
For more information about the UT Martin Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication, visit www.utm.edu/mmsc.
For more information about UT Martin, visit www.utm.edu or call 1-800-829-UTM1 (-8861).
Photo – Dr. Robert Nanney (center), former chair of the Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication, is shown with a plaque presented to him at the 2026 MMSC Awards ceremony April 9. The plaque demonstrates appreciation for his 25 years of service as the chair of the department. He is shown with Dr. Stephanie Kolitsch (left), associate provost and director of Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accreditation, and Dr. Tracy Rutledge, current chair of the Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication.