Professor Roberta Kosberg was invited to be a judge at the Leonard Persuasive Speaking Contest, sponsored by the Department of Communication at Boston College in April 2010.   She also presented a paper entitled  "New Technologies and the Curriculum of the Fundamentals Course" at the annual meeting of the Eastern Communication Association.

Professor Kosberg has also accepted an invitation to become a member of the Editorial Board of Communication Research Reports, beginning in 2010.

Professor Rob MacDougall has continued his research in Media Ecology where he serves as a national expert.  His paper, "McLuhan's Understanding of the Brain-Body, and Beyond," was presented to the National Communication Association at the National Convention in November 2009 in Chicago. 

Another paper, "McLuhan's Extensions and 'Extended Cognition': an inquiry into some of the neurological, mnemonic and phenomenological functions of media use," was presented to the Media Ecology Association at the NCA Convention. 

Other papers were presented at the Media Ecology Association annual convention in St. Louis. 

His book, "Cultural Technics: Making Meaning at the Interfaces of Oral and Electronic Culture," was published in May, 2009.

Professors Dorria DiManno and Jerry Gibbs were participants in a film that won the “Best Use of Character” award in the Providence 48-hour Film Project.  Professor DiManno worked as a script developer, and Professor Gibbs was a co-script writer and served as a script consultant and production assistant.  Professor DiManno’s daughter and son-in-law, Dorria Marsh and Chris Simmons, served as the leaders of the team.

The film, a dark comedy titled “The Lure of Death,” is about two buddies who steal a fishing lure from a dead guy waiting to be made up for a funeral. All films in the contest had to use a character named Monica or Monte Cheney who had to be a hairdresser. They made their Monica a “Hairdresser for the Hereafter” or “Stylist to the Stiffs” and the judges felt that treatment was the most unique use of this mandate. Other mandates included using a pear somewhere in the film and using the line, “If you see him again, tell me.”

Professor Gibbs was also elected to the Board of Governors for the Boston/New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, better known for the Emmy awards.

The Board of Governors is the parliamentary governing body which oversees the function of each of the nineteen local chapters, which together make up The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.  The Governors are entrusted with administering the local chapter’s charter and for the safeguarding the integrity of the Emmy® and the Emmy® Awards process.

Professor Kirk Hazlett, APR, Fellow PRSA, recently served as moderator for the Publicity Club of New England's "Careers" program. Nearly 50 public relations professionals ranging from entry-level to senior practitioner as well as public relations students attended the two-hour panel discussion, listening and learning from Boston-area executive recruiters, career coaches, and in-house human resources executives.

Hazlett recently received the Publicity Club of New England’s “John J. Molloy Crystal Bell for Lifetime Achievement.” He was presented this prestigious award, which has been recognizing New England communications veterans for more than 25 years, at the Publicity Club’s 40th Annual Bell Ringer Awards Ceremony in 2009.

Professor Hazlett was also accepted into the Public Relations Society of America's College of Fellows.  The College of Fellows honors seasoned practitioners and educators who have made significant contributions to the public relations profession.

The College of Fellows Mentoring Program plays a significant role online and in person, helping and counseling public relations professionals in all facets of public relations practice.

Professor Jim Matte helped copy-edit the work of Mark Feeney, an arts writer for The Boston Globe who won a Pulitzer Prize in the category of criticism.  In Mr. Feeney’s remarks, he said that Matte had saved him many times catching writing or grammar errors and did it “with such graciousness.”