Myiah Hutchens, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Public Relations Associate Professor, has been named chair of the Public Relations Department, after serving as interim chair since May 2022.

During her tenure as interim chair, the department proposed two additional tracks: Public Interest Communications and Corporate Communication. They also hired two new assistant professors, Rebecca Frazer and Christen Buckley. Hutchens shepherded two successful award applications, including Natalie Asorey as PRNEWS PR Trainer/Educator of the Year and student Nicolas Suriel as PRNEWS PR Student of the Year, and the entry for the PR Week Outstanding Education Program. The PR Department is one of the top five finalists and the winner will be announced on March 16.

She also successfully navigated the Public Relations Society of America’s recertification of the UFCJC in-residence undergraduate program, while shepherding our online undergraduate and graduate, and Research and Theory Master’s program through their initial certification.

Hutchens joined the College in 2018 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor and associate chair in 2021. She also served as program coordinator for the Graduate Program Public Relations thesis track for the 2021-22 academic year.

Since 2018, she has authored or co-authored 17 journal publications, presented 22 papers, co-authored the book “Public Engagement with Science: An Empirical Investigation,” and wrote a book chapter in “Reflections on Interpersonal Communication Research.” She was named an inaugural Trust Scholar for the Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology in 2020, and in 2021 was a co-investigator on a National Millennial/GenZ Community grant to examine the role of AI in PR.

Hutchens served as the head of the College’s Strategic Planning Task Force in fall 2021 and spring 2022, while also serving on two search committees and serving on the Tenure and Promotion, Graduate, and Salary Equity committees. In 2020, she was part of a team that helped shape UF’s value statements.

Posted: February 8, 2023
Category: College News
Tagged as: Myiah Hutchens, Public Relations