The University of Montevallo’s Communication Studies Program has been chosen to receive the 2024 Rex Mix Program of Excellence Award. This prestigious accolade, presented annually by the National Communication Association (NCA), recognizes the top undergraduate communication programs across the nation.
This is the second time that Montevallo has earned the award, the first time being in 2017. UM is the only school in Alabama to ever receive the award and is one of only two universities nationwide to receive the award twice.
“UM is very fortunate to have such outstanding communication faculty who are dedicated to continuous improvement of their program and ongoing efforts to ensure student success,” said Dr. Ray Ozley, chair of the Department of Communication. “We are also fortunate to have relationships with community partners like the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, who help us provide meaningful experiential learning opportunities for our students.”
Each year, the NCA evaluates nominated programs based on four criteria: curriculum, program quality, course design and special programs. The award aims to highlight programs that not only excel academically but also foster a supportive and dynamic learning environment for students.
A primary feature of UM’s submission for the award this year is the communication studies program’s deliberative communication initiative, led by Dr. Sally Hardig and Dr. Sherry Ford. The two were recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship Program to help fund Falcon Facilitators, a public deliberation and civic engagement program that allows UM students to engage each other, local students and community members in public forums that focus on a variety of issues of shared concern.
The award is named in memory of Dr. C. Rex Mix, a revered professor of speech communication at the University of Lynchburg (formerly Lynchburg College) in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was known for his dedication to curricular innovation and pedagogical invention, particularly within small communication programs at undergraduate institutions.
Representatives from UM’s Communication Studies Program will formally receive the Rex Mix Program of Excellence Award at the NCA Conference in New Orleans this November. For more information about Montevallo’s Communication Studies Program, visit artellibusters.com/communication-studies.
