Dr. Stacks receiving award. Photo Courtesy: PRO PR conference
Dr. Don Stacks, Professor of Public Relations and award-winning author, was awarded the PR.PRO Excellence Award for enhancing the education and practice of Public Relations in the Balkans. Stacks also was recently inducted into the PR News Measurement Hall of Fame. You can follow him on Twitter here, and read more about him here.
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Jim “Coach L” Larranaga is the head coach of the men’s basketball team. He sat down with us for an interview, discussing Aristotle, Miami, and a little basketball. You can follow him on Twitter here.
What role does effective communication have in being a great sports coach?
Communication is one of the building blocks for success. In anything you pursue. Your ability to communicate your thoughts, your plans, your vision, allows you and others to join you on the journey to be successful. A great communicator is often a great leader. Great leaders draw great followers, and success then follows.
What is your favorite thing about living in Miami?
There are so many things. First of all, to be associated with such a great university, a university that’s so well-respected academically around the country, which is a major selling point for us in the recruiting process. Secondly, to be a part of the ACC, which we believe is the best basketball conference in the country. Third, to be around such great people. And last but not least, is having a chance to live in this environment, where the weather is fantastic, the town and community are great, we’ve got a great group of players to work with. So there are a lot of positive things about being here.
What advice do you have for prospective students considering the University of Miami?
The University of Miami offers you the opportunity to get a fantastic education in a very healthy and safe environment. And it’s an exciting community. If you’re a sports fan, there’s great football, basketball, baseball. There are a lot of opportunities outside of campus, with the City of Miami at our fingertips — the beach and the weather. This is a wonderful place to live.
What is your favorite quotation or sports metaphor about life?
“We are what we repeat. Therefore excellence is not an act but a habit.” It’s by Aristotle.
Aristotle, one of the founders of communication studies.
I’m a big Aristotle fan. Aristotle and Socrates. I’ve found them to be very educational, and very helpful in my own profession. Each day when we start practice, we have a thought of the day. And it’s often a quote, like Aristotle, Socrates, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln.
How do you see the Heat championship, the Ray Allen trade, the Dream Team 2012 hype, all helping draw more students to the university?
The Miami Heat winning the world championship brought an awful lot of media attention to the City of Miami. That creates a buzz around the country where people are hitting on Web sites and reading about Miami. And the more you read about this area, the more excited you get about the possibility of wanting to live there and go to school there. I remember when our George Mason team made the Final Four. The number of hits on our Web site increased by 800 percent. When you get that kind of attention, it creates more interest in what you have to offer. One of the things we tell prospective student athletes is that people who live here refer to Miami as paradise. Because once you live here, you never want to leave.
What can fans look forward to in the next season?
If we’re able to stay healthy, and have a full complement of players for the entire season, we should be a very competitive team at the national level. We should be able to compete with the best teams in the ACC and the country.
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Our professors and students will be presenting research papers at the National Communication Association convention.
This year’s 98th annual convention will be held November 15-18 at Walt Disney World resorts. NCA touts the biggest membership of scholars in the communication discipline.
The itinerary schedule was just released. Courtesy of the NCA convention program, here are descriptions of some of the papers that will be presented, along with the dates, times and locations:
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Effect of Presidential Candidates’ Language Intensity and Experience on Source Credibility
David Clementson, University of Miami
Co-Author(s):
Paola Pascual-Ferra, University of Miami
Michael J. Beatty, University of Miami
Presented During: Implications of Mediated Political Communication
Sponsor: Political Communication Division
Sun, 11/18: 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Dolphin resort
Room: Europe11 – Third/Lobby Level
This study applied the rules of Language Expectancy Theory and language intensity (Averbeck, 2011; Burgoon, Denning & Roberts, 2002) to perceptions of credibility for hypothetical candidates for President of the United States. Credibility scales (McCroskey, 1966) measuring two dimensions, authoritativeness and character, were submitted to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results of the CFA validated the two-factor solution. Moreover, the credibility factors correlated significantly with perceptions of candidates’ electability and image as “presidential.” Intensity levels (high-intensity and low-intensity) and candidate experience levels (experienced, inexperienced, and control) were manipulated using hypothetical scenarios. Manipulation checks confirmed the effectiveness of the experimental conditions. Results of analysis of variance indicated that experience increased authoritativeness ratings, but high-intensity language reduced candidates’ character ratings. Implications for theory and research are discussed.
Undersold or Overrated? Challenging the Import of Florida’s Role in National Politics
David Clementson, University of Miami
Presented During: National Politics on the Sunshine State Stage: Exploring Florida’s Role in Federal Elections
Sponsor: Communication and COMMunity in the Sunshine State
Sat, 11/17: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Dolphin resort
Room: Asia1 – Third/Lobby Level
There is disagreement regarding how critical Florida’s role in national elections. Although Florida is a key player in international trade and is taking the lead in challenging the Affordable Care Act of 2009, Florida’s 2012 GOP primary saw notably low turnout and term limits keep the state legislature inexperienced and relatively powerless. This paper explores these tensions to question just how influential Florida is for politics at the national level.
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A Meta-Analytic Comparison of the Effects of Text Messaging to Substance-Induced Impairment on Driving Performance
Paola Pascual-Ferra,University of Miami
Co-Author(s)
Yu Liu, University of Miami
Michael J. Beatty, University of Miami
Sponsor: Applied Communication Division
According to the National Safety Commission, 28 percent of auto accidents or 1.6 million accidents per year are attributable to cell phone use and texting while driving. In response to this problem, states and federal agencies, as well as coalitions of citizens such as Mothers Against Texting and Driving, are leading public campaigns to ban texting while driving. The evidence in support of such campaigns often compares texting while driving to other forms of impairment such as drunk driving, but the evidence is often anecdotal or is drawn selectively from single studies. Such appeals do little to overcome drivers’ overestimation of their ability to “multi-task” while driving. Based on the assumption that scientific evidence regarding the comparative effects of text messaging while driving to other forms of impairment is required to establish credibility of campaigns, we conducted a planned contrast meta-analysis of the research in three domains. Results indicated large and comparable effects on poor driving performance for texting (r = .572) and alcohol use (r = .539) and an effect for marihuana use (r = .27) that, while moderate, was significantly less than either texting or alcohol.
A Quantitative Analysis of Quantitative Studies Published in the Journal of Public Relations Research
Rita Linjuan Men, Univ of Miami
Co-Author
Michael J. Beatty, University of Miami
Presented During: Extending Theoretical Research in Public Relations
Sponsor: Public Relations Division
Sat, 11/17: 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
Dolphin resort
Room: Northern Hemisphere Salon E1 – Fifth Level
Although public relations scholars have conducted in-depth analyses into theory development, and many dimensions of the research enterprise, one area that has been productively summarized and reviewed in other communication fields, but not in public relations, is the data analytic techniques employed in quantitative public relations studies. A systematic and critical review of methodological practice, with special focus on quantitative analysis, would be highly informative not merely by providing a description of the current state of affairs but it can identify areas of progress over time, highlight emerging trends, and point to likely future practices. Accordingly, we content analyzed each of the 123 quantitative studies appearing in the Journal of Public Relations Research from 1992 through 2012. Results indicated substantial advancement in recent years, most notably, but not exclusively, in terms of sophistication of quantitative analysis.
Changes in COMMunity and Communication in Florida over the Past Century: The Interaction of Maturing Miami Media During a Century of Constant Demographic Change
Thomas Steinfatt, University of Miami
Presented During: National Politics on the Sunshine State Stage: Exploring Florida’s Role in Federal Elections
Sponsor: Communication and COMMunity in the Sunshine State
Sat, 11/17: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Dolphin resort
Room: Asia1 – Third/Lobby Level
From its sleepy start with no cities in 1900, Florida has become the fourth largest state, thanks in part to the development of its prominent media outlets. Florida’s political representation –due to its population size and composition – has made the state a media capital where its influence on national elections and international politics appear to be permanently established. This paper explores this influence and its implications beyond its many miles of sunny coastline.
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University of Miami, School of Communication, Graduate Studies 