The Kitt-West Scholarship is awarded to juniors or seniors majoring or minoring in Public Relations, Advertising or News Media with at least a 3.0 GPA. The recipients will be awarded a scholarship for enhancing the of the College of Communication and Information Sciences' student population. In addition to the scholarship funds, Jennifer Kitt-West, donor and Oakley member, will serve as a mentor to the scholarship recipients as part of the Oakley Society. For any questions, please email Event & Scholarship Coordinator, Genesis Drake at gadrake@ua.edu.

The Jim Oakley Family Endowed Scholarship will be awarded to a full-time undergraduate student within the College of Communication and Information Sciences, rising sophomores to rising seniors. A qualifying student is someone who demonstrates financial need and is participating in a Summer 2026 internship. The selected recipient will be awarded for the 2026-2027 academic year. For any questions, please email Event & Scholarship Coordinator, Genesis Drake at gadrake@ua.edu.

C&IS invites you to nominate a colleague for one of the Knox Hagood Award categories: Faculty, Staff, and/or Doctoral Student. All full-time faculty are eligible for consideration for the faculty award, all professional, technical, clerical, and administrative staff are eligible for consideration for the staff award, and all full-time doctoral students who have been enrolled in the college at least one year are eligible for consideration for the doctoral award. Those activities and professional responsibilities that relate to the College of Communication & Information Sciences within the past year will be emphasized. The award carries a stipend of $1,000, and the 2025 recipients were Anna Embree, Joi Mahand, and Jessica Payne.

While individuals are welcomed and encouraged to coordinate with multiple colleagues to each nominate the same individual, each person should submit their own nomination form. Formal letters of support are not required, and one person should not aggregate letters of support from multiple individuals into a single submission. Individuals are encouraged to submit multiple nominations for different individuals.

The Faculty/Staff Awards Committee will review all nominees, focusing on a holistic evaluation of the number and quality of nominations along with supporting documentation, and select the recipients who will be honored in early May. In general, strong nominations will provide specific examples and evidence of how the nominee has contributed to the C&IS mission of driving positive change through groundbreaking scholarship, life-changing education, and/or transformative partnerships. 

About Knox Hagood On April 10, 1993, C&IS lost a much respected and loved colleague. In 36 years of service to the University, 20 of them as chair of the Department of Telecommunication and Film, Professor W. Knox Hagood touched the lives of countless students and colleagues with his grace, his humor, and his deep insight into the practice and the promise of broadcasting. In 1986, Professor Hagood endowed the Hagood Awards to promote the quality of our faculty, staff, and graduate students through tangible recognition of the sustained outstanding performances of individual members. We view the recognition so generously established by Knox as a celebration of his friendship, his love for his alma mater, and his life in the service of higher education.  Professor Hagood intended the awards as a means of encouraging and recognizing outstanding individual effort each year, rather than a career award. It was Professor Hagood’s wish that the Committee not be compelled to give an award in each category during each year or that a person be denied the award on the basis that he or she may have previously received the award.

The C&IS Board of Visitors invites nominations for this award on the basis of your extraordinary contributions to the College’s teaching mission at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels. The award honors a faculty or staff member who teaches within the College and whose teaching exemplifies innovation, adaptability, and deep commitment to student learning and success. The award recognizes teaching leadership that contributes to C&IS’s role as a national leader in distinctive, responsive, and student-centered communication and information education. Teaching contributions considered for this award should reflect excellence and impact within the past two years. 

This annual award carries a stipend of $1,500. All C&IS full-time employees who did not receive this award last year are eligible to nominate themselves and receive the award. The 2025 award winner was Heather Hayes.

Each nomination requires a narrative presenting a clear and compelling account of the nominee’s teaching philosophy, practices, and impact. Rather than focusing on course counts or metrics, strong nominations may include examples and evidence of how the nominee:

• Designs and delivers distinctive educational experiences that define the value and identity of a C&IS education.
• Demonstrates excellence in teaching effectiveness, establishment of rigor, and overall student learning.
• Adapts teaching approaches to emerging disciplinary, technological, workforce, or societal needs.
• Engages and supports students holistically, fostering learning environments that promote belonging, well-being, and academic success.
• Extends learning beyond the classroom through mentorship, experiential learning, interdisciplinary opportunities, or community-connected projects.
• Expands access to communication and information education for students from a wide range of backgrounds and academic pathways.

Supporting documentation is welcomed that includes, but is not limited to, teaching evaluations, statements of student support, evidence of student learning, etc. Each nominator is asked to aggregate their supporting materials into a single PDF.

The Faculty/Staff Awards Committee will evaluate applications and select the recipient who will be honored in early May.

The C&IS Board of Visitors invites C&IS full-time faculty to self-nominate your research program for this award, designed to recognize a faculty member whose recent scholarly or creative work reflects an ambitious, innovative, and impactful research agenda. The award emphasizes the significance, influence, reach, and impact of the nominee’s research or creative work over the most recent two calendar years (January 1, 2024-December 31, 2025), with attention to how the work advances C&IS’s strategic priorities. 

The award carries a stipend of $1,500 and the 2025 recipient was Laura Lemon.

Each nomination requires a narrative that describes the quality, coherence, and impact of the nominee’s research work, not simply numerical counts, providing examples and evidence of how the nominee:

• Advances original and influential scholarship that contributes to the discipline and/or addresses pressing societal challenges.
• Extends the reach of scholarship beyond academic audiences, making insights accessible and relevant to industry, community, or policy contexts.
• Builds high-impact partnerships, including interdisciplinary collaborations and external alliances that strengthen the research enterprise.
• Secures and leverages resources in ways that support students, enhance research capacity, and advance long-term scholarly goals.
• Engages students in meaningful research and creative scholarship experiences that lead to tangible accomplishments and professional development.
• Contributes to a dynamic and collaborative scholarly community within C&IS and beyond.

Supporting documentation is welcomed, but each nominator is asked to aggregate their supporting materials into a single PDF.

The Faculty/Staff Awards Committee will select the recipient who will be honored in early May.

The C&IS Dean's Office invites nominations for C&IS Staff Excellence award, annually recognizing two staff members who embody the mission, vision, and principles of the College of Communication & Information Sciences. This award honors individuals whose exemplary performance and influential presence significantly contributes to the college’s ability to drive positive change in our disciplines and professions, the lives of our students, and in the communities we serve. 

This annual award carries a stipend of $1,500. All C&IS full-time staff members who did not receive this award last year are eligible to nominate themselves and receive the award.

Each nomination requires a narrative presenting a clear and compelling account of the nominee’s impact on their work team/unit and overall College success. This includes, but is not limited to, examples and evidence of:

• Initiative and effort that advances the C&IS mission by making innovative programs, projects, or partnerships that drive positive change possible.
• Expertise applied strategically to advance C&IS priorities such as innovative education, student success, and interdisciplinary collaboration. 
• Exceptional contributions with broad impact across C&IS, the University of Alabama, and external stakeholder communities. 
• Exemplary collegiality and positive presence that models respectful collaboration and helps build a vibrant, inclusive C&IS community. 
• Effective problem solving and organizational skill that apply professional knowledge to achieve measurable, mission aligned outcomes.

Supporting documentation is welcomed but each nominator is asked to aggregate their supporting materials into a single PDF.

The Faculty/Staff Awards Committee will evaluate applications and select the recipients who will be honored in early May.