Donald Munro, lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism, received the “best writing, larger papers” in the 2025 George F. Gruner Awards for his use of humor in his review of the Selma Arts Center production “Evil Dead” on his website, The Munro Review. One judge described the article as, ”an over-the-top, fun-to-read piece that took the traditional arts review to a new dimension.”

Established by the McClatchy Company and administered by the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism and co-hosted with the Fresno Bee, the George F. Gruner Awards is an annual awards banquet that recognizes outstanding community service in newspaper journalism in the San Joaquin Valley.

Dr. Veena Howard, professor, Department of Philosophy, was featured in Bengaluru news on April 22 for her lecture titled “Gandhi’s Global Impact and Rethinking the Application of Nonviolence in a Violent World.” She delivered the inaugural lecture in a series hosted by the Mahatma Gandhi Study Center at Bangalore City University. Howard, a recipient of the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award, is concluding her Fulbright research and speaking engagements in India.

Hanayo Oya, assistant professor in the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism, served as a co-producer on the Netflix series “Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War,” which has been nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Historical Documentary category. The series also featured Dr. Lori Clune, professor in the College of Social Sciences. The Emmy Awards for documentaries will take place on June 26 in New York City.