Burke-Hawthorne Hall Renovations Making Progress

UL Lafayette alumnus speaks about diversity

UL Lafayette, Qatar University communication programs form academic partnership

Davie, Auter attend AUSACE Conference

PR sequence enrollment at all-time high

UL debate members place among top five speakers

Faculty News:

Davie appointed interim department head for communication

Buckman visits Guatemala

Maher teaches in Germany

Ferguson named Outstanding Faculty Member

Auter Attends AEJMC and Synergy Convention

New Faculty Profiles:

Dr. Dedria Givens-Carroll

Heidi Bordogna

Alumni Profiles:

Anthony Cangemillo

New Graduates

New faculty profile: Dr. Dedria Givens-Carroll

At first glance, Dr. Dedria Givens-Carroll’s résumé reads like that of an international public relations consultant, but a second look reveals that a deep passion for Louisiana’s unique way-of-life was a driving force in her professional career. Before joining the Department of Communication as an assistant professor, Givens-Carroll spent five years teaching writing, public relations and reporting courses – both at the graduate and undergraduate level – at Southern University in Baton Rouge. All the while, she cared for her two small children and commuted to earn a doctorate in public relations at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.

After working for more than 25 years as a PR professional around the world, Givens-Carroll said she decided to earn a doctorate in mass communication so she could “be respected in the classroom for my work experience, plus have the required academic credentials. Research is intriguing, but teaching is my passion. I finally felt like maybe I had enough real life stuff to bring some of that back to students in my beloved Louisiana.”

She worked as a PR practitioner for one of the most well-respected British-Arab firms based in the Middle East. While working and living in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, she represented world-renowned clients: General Motors, Airbus Industrie, the Dubai Commerce and Tourism Promotion Board, the Dubai Air Show, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Emirates General Petroleum Corporation, Dubai Duty Free, Emirates Airline and Cyprus Airways at venues in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Far East.

Back in Louisiana, Givens-Carroll earned a bachelor’s degree in news-editorial journalism, with a minor in political science; along with a master’s degree in journalism at LSU in Baton Rouge. She worked as a journalist for newspapers and a wire service, along with a PR career in government and politics – having served in a variety of positions from public information director at the State Library of Louisiana to press assistant for Louisiana’s governor and press secretary for a U.S. Senate candidate.

She is married to her childhood sweetheart, William Carroll – both originally of Franklinton, La. in rural Washington Parish – and they have two children: GraceAnn, 7, and Paul, 5.