News & Updates

Mark Paz II honored as Regent’s Teacher

Mark Paz II, Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Communication Studies, received the prestigious Regent’s Teacher Award. The Texas State University System’s highest faculty honor, the Regents’ Award, is conferred upon professors who demonstrate excellence and exemplary achievement in the areas of teaching, research and publication, and service. This award recognizes Mark as an exceptional teacher based on his outstanding performance as an educator, contributions to the development of courses, and use of innovative teaching methods, among other criteria. Winners maintain the title of “Regents’ Teacher” for the duration of their service within TSUS. Mark is the 16th recipient from Texas State.

Mark currently serves as Basic Course Director for the national award-winning Communication 1310 - Fundamentals of Human Communication course, teaching classes as well as mentoring and managing the graduate teaching staff. He also teaches courses in Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, and the “Talking Like Ted” Public Speaking course offered through the Honors College. He recently finished his duty as the Faculty Advisor for Lambda Pi Eta, the National Honor Society for Communication Studies and is currently the creative director for TEDx Texas State University.

As one colleague noted:

“He is a true teacher/mentor/coach who guides students, at every turn, to discover their love for learning and the “gifts” they have to share with those around them. His innovative teaching methods and established mentoring relationships help our students, faculty, and community members, alike, recognize the importance and value of his brand of teaching. Texas State University has always taken pride in its emphasis on teaching excellence. Mark is the epitome of a great teacher. His commitment, internal and external recognition, and impact are rare qualities for one person to embody. He has them all.” 

The Department of Communication Studies has the honor of claiming two additional Regents Professors, Dr. Ann Burnette and Dr. Elizabeth Eger.

Faculty Accolades

Tricia Burke, Stephanie Dailey, and Kristen Farris’ publication “'It's a roller coaster of emotions!': Investigating the paradoxes of childcare app use and work engagement” was featured in the NCA publication Communication Currents, which explains scholarly information in straightforward language geared for broad audiences, including communication experts working with laypeople, instructors and students, the press, and other interested members of the public. The Communication Currents feature can be found here.

Ann Burnette published a book chapter with Texas State University M.A. alumnus Dr. Christopher Wernecke: "'That was the first time in history that anyone bothered to write that down': Mythologizing the Declaration of Independence in The West Wing.” The chapter appears in the book Used, abused, and sidelined: Debating the Declaration.

Casey Chilton provided presentation coaching to the Texas Youth Preparedness Council as they prepared to give presentations on their projects to the Texas Emergency Management state conference in San Antonio.

Stephanie Dailey led 28 Texas State undergraduates on a three-week study abroad program this summer in Europe. They visited the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, where students met with global companies such as IKEA, Heineken, BMW, PwC, IWC, Lavazza, and Martini Rossi. Students returned with stronger cross-cultural communication skills and a deeper understanding of how businesses operate on a global stage. The trip was co-sponsored with M.A. alum Seth Frei (Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of Instruction - McCoy College of Business). Stephanie published “Got creatives?: The role of identity and workplace environment in retaining creative professionals” in the International Journal of Business Communication.

Elizabeth K. Eger was named a Platinum Volunteer by Austin Pets Alive!, which requires 100-239 annual consecutive volunteer hours for two or more years. Elizabeth volunteers weekly for the Adoptline team helping to place rescue dogs and cats in their “furever” homes. As a Faculty Fellow with the TXST Translational Health Research Center, Elizabeth and her TXST student alumni team Allister McNally, Rex Long, Johnny Vasallo, Anca Tonciu, and Rowan Lampert published "Texas Librarians Communicate Their TSLAC Experiences and Future Needs and Dreams for Texas Libraries and Communities" in July. This applied communication research report examines librarians’ communication about the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s (TSLAC) programs and addresses statewide community needs.

Rebekah Fox and Ann Burnette published a book chapter, "Wrangling the ructions: An examination of Major Ian Fishback's whistleblowing campaign," in the book, From a Whisper to a Movement: Investigating the Shared Rhetorical Spaces of Whistleblowing and Social Protest, edited by Joshua Guitar and Alan Chu.

Wallace Golding published "'A monument of disenfranchisement': Inventing Black commemorative authority in the Mammy Monument controversy," as the lead article in Rhetoric & Public Affairs, a prestigious national journal in rhetorical studies.

Maureen Keeley published "The good goodbye: The transformative power of conversation at the end of life", continuing her research focused on “final conversations”. The book is meant to help those who must say goodbye to a loved one who is dying. In it, readers will discover how culture affects final conversations, and that often the last interactions may not consist of words but gestures and expressions. Readers will learn about the positive outcomes of final conversations, both from the advice of children and the detailed stories of adults who were changed profoundly in their attitudes and life paths.

Kellie Marin received the Surveillance Studies Network's 2024 "Early Career Research Award" for the article "Failure to enroll: The blurring rhetorical power of anonymizing tools and photographs in making In/Visible Black Lives", published in Surveillance & Society. Kellie published a book chapter, "See someone, say someone: Doxing vision as usurping the rhetoric of whistleblowing” in From a Whisper to a Movement: Investigating the Shared Rhetorical Spaces of Whistleblowing and Social Protest, edited by Joshua Guitar and Alan Chu.