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Dr. Kay L. Colley

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Kay Colley

Professor of Mass Communication
PUMC 243
817-531-6525
kcolley@txwes.edu
Website

Courses Taught

  • MCO 2318 Social Media
  • MCO 2345 Integrated Media Reporting
  • MCO 3316 Feature Writing and Production
  • MCO 3351 Survey of Public Relations
  • MCO 4300 Internship
  • MCO 4318 International and Intercultural Communication
  • MCO 4320 Sports Communication
  • MCO 4346 Public Relations Campaigns and Programs

Education

  • Ph.D. – Higher Education, University of North Texas
  • M.I.J. – International Journalism, Baylor University
  • B.A. – Journalism, Texas A&M University
  • A.A. – Journalism, Blinn College 

Personal Biography

In her free time, Dr. Colley enjoys photography, gardening and beach holidays no matter what the season. She believes in the importance of industry and academic connections and has served on the boards of the Fort Worth Society of Professional Journalists and the Greater Fort Worth Public Relations Society of America. She has also served as Head of the Small Programs Interest Group for AEJMC and president of the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication for two years. She was named the Earl Brown Distinguished Faculty Member at Texas Wesleyan in 2011 and the Small Programs Interest Group national Teacher of the Year in 2011. She has also been named an Engaging Educator at Texas Wesleyan twice.

Prior to joining Texas Wesleyan University in 2008, Colley taught at institutions throughout Texas and advised student media for more than 20 years. She also spent four years in public relations and five years in newspapers, winning national awards for her writing and public relations campaigns.

Research Interests

  • Social Media Training in Student and Professional Media
  • Image Restoration Practices in Public Relations
  • Mass Communication Assessment and Curricular Change
  • Esports Communication Practices
  • Gamification in Journalism and Mass Communication
Presentations
  • Colley, K., Hanson, R., Parry, P. & Stepaniuc, K. (2021, August). Promotions, Pandemic and Panic. Small Programs Interest Group Pre-Conference, Associationf or Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference, August 3-6, 2021.
  • Colley, K. (2021, July). The Basics of Social Media for Business. Accelerate DFW Foundation. Business Basics for Business Owners Series, Fort Worth, Texas.
  • Colley, K. (2019, March). Am I Boring You? Finding the Relevance in Your Stories. Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Convention, March 13-26, 2019, Corpus Christi, Texas.
  • Criswell, J. LaMonte, F., Warren, H. & Colley, K. (2018, October). Steering Around Opinion Piece Potholes. College Media Association Conference, October 25-28, 2018, Louisville, Kentucky.
  • Criswell, J., Colley, K., Krause, M. & LaMonte, F. (2017, October). Hitting the Wall: Student Media Access Issues at Private Universities. College Media Association Conference, October 25-29, 2017, Dallas, Texas.
  • Colley, K., Melton, S., Pelletier, M. & Miller, G. (2017, October). Let's Play Ball: Doing Promotions, Marketing & Public Relations in the Big Leagues. Associated College Press and College Media Association Conferences, October 25-29, 2017, Dallas, Texas.
  • diPalma, S. & Colley, K. (2017, April). Making America Great Again: White-lash and the Rejection of President Obama. Regional Graduate Liberal Studies Conference, April 8, 2017, Johnson City, Tennessee.
  • Colley, K. (2016, September). Journalism Teaching Panel: Crisis! Zombie Apocalypse Exercise for MCO Students. Excellence in Journalism Society of Professional Journalists Conference, September 18-20, 2016, New Orleans, Louisiana.
  • Colley, K. (2016, June). Crisis! Zombie Apocalypse Exercise for MCO Students. Teachapalooza VI. Poynter Institute. University of South Florida, June 10-12, 2016.
  • Colley, K. (2015, October). Spanish Language Media Today: Que Paso? Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers Conference. October 28-November 1, 2015, Austin, Texas.
  • Colley, K. (2015, June). Back to the Basics: Creating Weekly Reading and Writing Exercises with a Social Media Twist. Teachapalooza V. Poynter Institute. University of South Florida, June 12-14, 2015.
Publications
  • Colley, K. (2018, October). Crisis and You: How to Make Simulations Effective and Fun in 1000 Words or Less. PR Strategist.
  • Maben, S. and Colley, K. (2017, Spring)). #NotAllBaptismByFire: The State of Social Media Training at Student-run Communication Organizations. Southwestern Mass Communication Journal. Top 6 Paper Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication Symposium.
  • Colley, K. (2016, November). Newspapers Go Mobile: Social Media Usage Across English-Language and Spanish-Language Publications. Proceedings for the International Organization of Social Sciences and Behavioral Research. Summer 2016. August 3-5. 
  • Colley, K. (2015). “Snapchat is one of the best tools for new writers,” pp.170-172. In Seven Days to a      Byline by Michael Ray Smith. Published by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.
  • Colley, K. (2013, Fall). Best practices for community relations: Case study of the Hispanic Wellness Fair. Southwestern Mass Communication Journal. Vol. 29, No. 1. http://swmcjournal.com/fall-2013/.