From leading The Daily Gamecock as a student journalist to covering billion-dollar supply chain deals for Axios, Colin Campbell has built a career on curiosity, consistency and a willingness to embrace unexpected opportunities.
Shayla Rae Merritt is making an impact in Columbia. The USC alumna and Cyberwoven marketing director is helping organizations tell their stories while strengthening her community.
Bold colors. Bright ideas. Big dreams. Interior designer Amber Guyton turns ordinary houses into joyful homes.
McKenzie Lemhouse never expected to find her future in library science. Now a librarian at USC Lancaster, she combines research support, student engagement and advocacy to create a welcoming space where students feel seen, supported and connected.
When Hurricane Helene swept through the Southeast in 2024, Mary Ramsey reported from Asheville as the storm unfolded. Months later, her coverage of Helene's effect on 2024 presidential election turnout helped earn The Charlotte Observer recognition as a 2025 Pulitzer finalist for breaking news.
For Amanda Myers, libraries are about more than books — they are spaces for connection and community. Now director of events and experience at Richland Library, Myers began her career shelving books in 2007 and has spent years helping shape meaningful experiences for library visitors.
SJMC alumnus and former USC mascot Cocky brings kids and families comfort through mascot career.
Hilary Fussell Sisco has received the 2025 Public Relations Society of America Outstanding Educator Award.
King, who holds degrees from both the School of Information Science and the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, will become the first African American to lead the nationally recognized library system.
A USC graduate has returned to campus, but this time she's on the other side of the classroom. Kelly Grieshaber returned as an instructor this fall, and she is pioneering new programs and classes intended to enhance the rapidly growing sports media sequence.
When Megan Evans graduated from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications in 2018 she set out to be a voice for the voiceless, but her storytelling talents soon led her down a different path.
Vera, who earned her Ph.D. in 2025 from the School of Information Science, will partner with USC’s researchers to help showcase their work, be more competitive on grant applications and demonstrate the value of their work both within academia and beyond.
We have two main alumni publications: InterCom and Alumni Connections.
InterCom is our alumni magazine which is printed twice annually and is written by students in the Publication Writing and Design class.
Alumni Connections is our digital newsletter, emailed every six weeks to alumni and friends of the college. Alumni can update contact information to receive the latest updates.
2026
2025
2024
This issue of InterCom features updates on new technology, new programs, new leadership and most importantly, news of our alumni making news all around the globe.
This two-semester issue tells the story of the college's red letter days, of alumni and students doing remarkable things on campus, in careers and in companionship.
From research rabbit holes to super bowl to retirements, this second pandemic issue of InterCom takes you outside to the city that never sleeps, to the classroom and to the information highway.
Like our classes, InterCom has gone almost entirely online during the COVID-19 era. But the challenges presented by a global pandemic haven’t diminished the quality of our student work. Our staff worked tirelessly to bring readers compelling stories about the college and its people.
Stories in our spring/summer 2020 issue include a recap of our faculty trip to Silicon Valley, a look inside our new Biometrics and User Experience Lab and profiles of alumni who are making a difference in their communities.
Recent SJMC alumna Bobbie Brinkley is making it in Manhattan at Simon & Schuster, and SLIS assistant professor Amir Karami is exploring what social media can reveal about human behavior. Read the fall 2019 issue to see what else is happening at the CIC.
Meet our alumnus who is Charleston's first poet laureate and tasked with helping the healing process after the massacre at Mother Emmanuel church. Also in this issue, read about our new diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Change is on the horizon at the College of Information and Communications. Read about our new faculty, cutting-edge technology and transformative study abroad opportunities.
Much like the information and communications landscapes, the college is evolving at lightning speed. See what’s new — from our initiative to support literacy through the Library Scholar program to our growing emphasis on emerging technologies — and find out what’s just around the corner.
From the new dean to the new Cocky statue outside Davis College, the College of Information and Communications continues to forge ahead. This issue dives into what’s new — and what’s on the horizon — at the CIC.
Adapting to meet the needs of an ever-evolving industry is something at which the college’s two schools excel. This issue explores change – from our dean, to our facilities, to the skills we teach to students entering the workforce – and how that change fosters growth.
From innovative art in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications to a bold new vision for the School of Information Science, this issue explores how the past is shaping the College of Information and Communications’ future.
Spring is a season for new beginnings, and the College of Information and Communications is no exception. Learn more about our two new school directors, Dr. David Lankes and Dr. Andrea Tanner. Plus, see what’s new from Young Palmetto Books for the young readers in your life, and find out how two retiring professors plan to turn over a new leaf.
From the front cover — a window on the new journalism school — to the back — twoguys, two guitars and a couple thousand friends at dedication — we hope you like the new view.
Moving. That's one of the themes of the this issue. Forward in technology. Up to the Horseshoe. Down a road less traveled. And we write of change. A new name. A new location. A new decade. This issue is full of success stories - those of our alumni, our faculty and our students. Check it out.
Read about the metamorphosis taking place in the building which will soon be the home of the journalism school, as well as the restoration work on Davis College for our library school. But there is a lot more in this issue than just articles on bricks and mortar. See for yourself.
Highlights of this issue include student and faculty outreach programs from South Carolina to Africa; success in the classroom and in the sand; alumni waging campaigns, having baby showers and eating a breakfast of champions; securing diversity, a road less traveled and international focus.
Harvesting a communications degree? Yes, Rose Robson is. And other feature stories — Dr. Pat Feehan, the bow tie wearing Jay Bender, and life as a student athlete — will really grab your attention. "Ties that Bind" explores several of our family "legacies," while Dick Kawooya explores intellectual property and its role on interactions and exchanges in Africa.
This issue answers a lot of important questions: What is inside the famous bird suit? Why is Erik Collins Unbuttoned? What graphic novel is getting a lot of attention? Where are they now? Who is the newest publisher to enter the fray?
We hope these headlines intrigue you: I.T. Heroes to the rescue. Man on Fire. The future of the past. Davis College cools down. SJMC + DNC = Success. And the award goes to. Finding fun under the gun. Newlan revs up resumes.
Highlights include the business journalism initiative, redefining libraries and invigorating brands. Also read about the Cocky's Reading Express bus, and meet the 2012 American Advertising Federation's most prominent minority student award winner.
Who's Dr. Michelle Martin? Learn more about this Augusta Baker Chair here. Other stories include I-Comm week, Info Camp and one alumna's trip around the world.
Meet the first graduates of the mass communications concentration, as well as the 2011 Magellan Scholars. Learn how information can build communities, and how public relations alumnus Brian Keeter is bringing freedom to formerly repressed countries.
Learn why Nicholas Meriwether is called King of the Deadheads. Other headlines include the Reading Rooster initiative, the life of Robert D. Raiford, Dean Bierbauer's trip to Europe and Mentor Match night.
Want to hear a secret? Rita Crosby knows a few. Also in this issue: Guybrarians, Fort Knox creator Paul Jon, alumni working in government, technolust and the Social Media Club.
See how the college celebrates scholarships. Here are some other interesting stories: Viscom professor covers the world; when journalism meets fitness; alumnus' reflections on trip to Africa.
Things get "cocky" as students premiere a video about their week-long Cocky's Readying Express tour. Other features in this issue: Health communication certificate program; Rick Kiernan gives valuable advice to students; Beta Phi Mu inductees; Taylor-Tomlin award.
We’d love to hear from you! If you have a story idea to share or would like more information about getting involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Margaret Vess
Alumni Relations Manager
Phone: 803-777-1199
Email: mvess@mailbox.sc.edu
