COMM Professors Korzenny and Houck recognized as 2013 University Newsmakers

Posted by Christopher Swendsen on

Newsmakers of Year photoFSU University Communications and the Office of the Provost hosted the second annual “Newsmakers of the Year” event on Jan. 28 at the Turnbull Conference Center.

According to the Associate Vice President of Integrated Marketing & Communications, Dr. Jeanette De Diemar, “the Newsmakers of the Year event was an opportunity to recognize the collaborative efforts between Florida State colleges, faculty and a strategic integrated marketing and communications initiative.”  The evening’s reception served as a celebration of faculty members whose expertise and research raised the University’s profile in 2013.  Professors from several colleges were applauded for making state, national and international news for their research, publications, expertise and other excellent achievements.

About a hundred attendees gathered to hear Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Garnett Stokes, discuss highlights from some of this year’s newsmakers.  She listed some notable findings from top research initiatives and how FSU faculty member efforts were positively featured in popular national media outlets such as the Washington Post, Time Magazine and syndicated news broadcasts.  “Without a doubt each interview elevated the academic profile of the institution,” she noted.  Stokes then cued a video to play which went over some of the accomplishments of the 2013 newsmakers, going over the high points of pre-recorded interviews with over 20 FSU faculty members.  It featured a montage of video clips and quotes about some of their headline-making research.

Following the video, President Eric Barron spoke and addressed the joy and excitement it brought him to see these mentions of FSU faculty in the news.  He also stressed the importance of media picking up on the outstanding prestige through their efforts.  Barron remarked, “With every honorable mention of our hard work and determination, the reputation of the University, its faculty, its current students and everyone who had ever attended Florida State is bolstered.”

Barron thanked the faculty for taking time to work with University Communications.  “It is important to call attention to the good news coming out of Florida State,” he said.  “Positive stories that attract wide exposure for our excellent programs and faculty, staff and students play a critical role by making sure people understand what a high-quality education we provide.”  Finishing on a high note, Barron raised a glass in salutation to those who made a great school even better.

Attending this event representing the College of Communication & Information were Dr. Felipe Korzenny and Dr. Stephen McDowell, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Student & Faculty Development and John H. Phipps Professor of Communication.  University Communications staff acknowledged two School of Communication professors as 2013 newsmakers, Korzenny and Dr. Davis W. Houck.

Dr. Davis Houck
Dr. Davis Houck

Houck is the author and editor of 10 books including volumes 1 and 2 of Rhetoric, Religion, and the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965, Emmett Till and the Mississippi Press (with Matthew A. Grindy), Rhetoric as Currency: Hoover, Roosevelt and the Great Depression (winner of the Marie Hochmuth Nichols award) and a Pulitzer submitted monograph, FDR and Fear Itself: The First Inaugural Address.

A nationally recognized expert on the American civil rights movement, Houck has also been honored for his work with Leon County’s Boys and Girls Clubs with FSU’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award and the Florida Education Association’s Human Rights Award.  His most recent project is a multi-user public speaking textbook with FlipLearning, which has been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Kauffman Foundation.

Since 2013, Houck was featured in the following news:

In 2003, Korzenny became Professor of Advertising and Integrated Marketing and Management Communication at FSU, where he teaches, consults, conducts research, and performs public speaking on Hispanic marketing for organizations and companies.  He is also the co-founder and Director of the FSU Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication, which is the first center of its kind in the U.S.  Korzenny is the co-author of two books written with his wife, Dr. Betty Ann Korzenny– Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective, published in 2005, and Hispanic Marketing, 2nd Edition: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer (2011).

Prior to joining Florida State, the Korzennys started Hispanic & Asian Marketing Communication Research (H&AMCR) to help Fortune 1000 companies open doors to culturally diverse markets.  H&AMCR was one of the first businesses in the U.S. to explore multicultural market research.  In 1999 H&AMCR merged with Cheskin to serve clients with integrated research and consulting services.

Articles where Korzenny was quoted in 2013 are available at:

Drs. Stephen McDowell, Felipe Korzenny and Jeanette De Diemar
Drs. Stephen McDowell, Felipe Korzenny and Jeanette De Diemar
Drs. Stephen McDowell and Felipe Korzenny
Drs. Stephen McDowell and Felipe Korzenny
FSU Newsmakers of the Year Event
Group event photo with 2013 FSU Newsmakers, President Barron and Provost Stokes