Not quite ready to move on from Homecoming! A whole week later and I'm still riding the high of the Homecoming Bonfire: Trap Trail Ride at Payne Field. Three cameras on deck — photo, time-lapse, and drone — catching what I could, and there was a lot to see. The fire lit up the sky, food trucks served up the eats, and students partied for sure. Huge shoutout to our amazing Campus Activities Board for the invite and for putting on a well run show, and thanks for letting me hang out and soak up the vibes! #SSU #SavannahState #TigerPride #Homecoming2026 #Bonfire #CAB #PayneField #TheSHOW #CMAC

It was great to join President Dr. Jermaine Whirl and the Savannah State University team at the Georgia Ports Authority's 2026 State of the Port luncheon at the Savannah Convention Center, where roughly 1,700 business, civic, and port leaders gathered to celebrate a year of record growth for the Port of Savannah. The message in the room was clear: the port is growing faster than ever, creating more jobs and opportunity across Georgia, and investing billions in new facilities to keep that momentum going for decades to come. And the best part of the day was the people - making connections in that room with leaders who can help us connect our SSU students to mentoring, internships, jobs, and partnerships. #SavannahStateUniversity #SSU #GeorgiaPorts #StateOfThePort #PortOfSavannah #SavannahGA #HBCU #WorkforceDevelopment #Internships #Partnerships #EconomicDevelopment #Tigers #CMAC

The last one of these photos. Since I landed in Savannah in 2022, this exact shot has been a ritual: me and Griff Lynch at the Georgia Ports Authority's State of the Port address. This year's is the final edition of the series. Griff retires in August 2027 after 16 years with Georgia Ports — and he is going out on an absolute high. Last week at the Savannah Convention Center, GPA announced a record 5.7 million TEUs for FY2026, a record September north of 500,000 TEUs in a single month, and approval to build the $2.3 billion Savannah Container Terminal — 3.5 million TEUs of new capacity that will take the port to 12 million.--Growth that apparently isn't happening anywhere else in the country. And that growth is not abstract for us. Some of our SSU students are building real connections with the ports — relationships and opportunities that are helping them launch their careers right here in Savannah. When the port expands, our students expand with it. But here's what I'll actually remember. If you've ever sat through one of Griff's annual presentations, the numbers aren't even the real show. It's the storytelling, the multimedia, the pacing things that get us in CMAC excited— 1,700 people leaning in like it's a keynote, not a port authority report. I have quietly "lifted" more than a few pages from his presentation playbook and sharing with my students over the years, and I'm not done lifting. Congratulations and godspeed on the next chapter, Griff and thanks for helping to provide instructional gold for our CMAC classrooms. Proud to have been in the room with the #SSU crew for this last hurrah. #GeorgiaPorts #PortOfSavannah #StateOfThePort #SSU #Savannah #multimedia #presentations #storytelling #CMAC #SSU

The cavalry has arrived! Super excited for my FYE class: Keira Harris is joining us as our Embedded Peer Academic Coach. Keira is #CMAC #JMC, and she's also my students' direct line to everything The Learning Commons support center can do for them. Here's my favorite part. Last fall, Keira sat in the second row, left side, end seat —in this exact room for my Fall 2025 FYE class. I remember it like yesterday. Twelve months later she's an academic super star, campus leader and a working journalist, now coming back to coach the freshmen sitting exactly where she sat. Which, honestly, I'm thinking is the whole case for peer coaching in one sentence. Every bit of research tells us is what keeps a freshman here isn't a program or a poster in the hallway — it's a person who learns their name and still remembers what week four felt like. Coached students come back at higher rates, and first-years' with a peer mentor are far less likely to seriously think about leaving. Keira is that person for my 45. She'll be with us every week in class from now through December, working on the stuff nobody teaches you in high school. How to study. How to run a week. How to ask for help before it's an emergency. How to take a bad exam and come back the next week anyway. And every single one of those 45 will get a one-on-one with her in office hours. All of them-- and the last week's class, they already made their appointments. Not just the ones who are already struggling and brave enough to raise a hand. Word on the street is a few of those chats will be about how to escape a FYE professor who assigns way too much work. 🤣 I've heard the rumors. I deny everything. 🤣 Keira — welcome. The second row is yours again. 💯 #FYE #StudentSuccess #LearningCommons #PeerCoaching #HigherEd #CMAC #CMACwins! #teachingandlearning

So, in the morning, he's taking notes in a Whiting Hall classroom. That same night: he's on commercial TV, covering a big local game from the sideline. 🔥 We see you, Joshua Ryans, a hard-working and driven mass communications major at #SSU's CMAC! Josh made his on-air debut on WSAV-TV's Friday Night Blitz Game of the Week — South Effingham at Brunswick — as a sideline reporter. Still earning his degree, but already cutting his teeth in professional TV. That's what talent plus drive looks like. Keep going and keep rising, Josh! 👏 Added #CMAC bonus: take a look at the posting and you'll see the name Kyla Chandler producing on the digital desk. She just graduated in May with her Mass Comm degree and has already been picked up by the WSAV news team. We're so proud of them both — and super grateful to WSAV-TV for opening the doors to our students through internships and creating employment pathways after they graduate. (And yes, Josh — you still have to come to class… even though at this point you could literally teach the sports journalism class. But I'm in agreement your debut absolutely counts for some extra credit! 😄) 📽️ Additional footage from William Martin #SSU #CMAC #JMC #SavannahState #MassComm #SportsJournalism #FridayNightBlitz #GameOfTheWeek #WSAV #TigerPride #HBCU #HBCUPride #StudentSuccess #FutureJournalist #CoastalEmpire #industryembeddedlearning #proud #CMACWINS!

This week we had the pleasure of welcoming CATE educators from Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham counties to Whiting Hall for an open house hosted by CMAC and our partners at Amitrace who designed and installed our new learning spaces. Our guests toured the recently upgraded TV studio and podcast rooms — a $1.2 million Title III investment that's already changing what our students can do at #SSU. But honestly, the best part of the day was the conversation. We swapped ideas on preparing students for college, how our programs line up with CATE pathways, and where we might team up on projects down the road. And it wasn't just faculty and staff at the table — our own students joined the discussion, sharing their perspectives on what helped them make the jump from high school to college, and what high schools could do to set more students up for that same success. Who better to speak to that transition than the people who just lived it? Behind all of it is a shared goal: strengthening Georgia's economy by preparing young people to step into media-related careers — ready on day one. Georgia's storytelling, journalism, and production industries are growing, and the best thing we can do is make sure the talent pipeline starts right here at home, in our own classrooms and studios. Days like this are a great reminder of how much talent is growing right in our own backyards. We're super excited to keep the conversation going and see what we can build together. Thanks to everyone who came out, and huge thanks to Amitrace for making it happen. #SSU #CMAC #CATE #Amitrace #GeorgiaWorkforce #K-12 #CMACwins #partnerships Tom White Faraz Ahmed Alfred McGuire, Ed.D. #stephaniewhiten #giannaperavi #andrewpowell Juliana Maria Trammel, Ph.D. William Martin Jeffery Glover Kareem McMichael Daton Vaughn Grace Thomas Joshua Ryans

Imagine sitting feet away from the judge who presided over one of the most consequential trials in modern American history. Our students didn't have to imagine it. They lived it. Retired Judge Timothy R. Walmsley — the Chatham County Superior Court judge who presided over the 2021 trial of the three men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery — pulled up to Whiting Hall at #SSU this week and the room was packed. He didn't just talk at students — he talked with them about: media's power to shape trials; the courts' role in democracy; public perception vs. the truth. Our journalism and mass media students came with questions, and he came with real and candid answers. Also Judge Walmsley laid eyes — for the very first time — on our own photography exhibition documenting the Arbery trial itself: 32 powerful images captured outside the Glynn County Courthouse during the 100 Pastors' Rally for the Arbery family on November 18, 2021. These weren't stock photos. They were shot by award-winning photographer and former SSU instructor Jason Miccolo Johnson — and by our own students on his African Americans in the Media class field trip. Our students didn't just cover history. They captured it. And now the judge at the center of that history has seen their work. #SavannahStateUniversity #SSU #SSTigers #CollegeOfMediaArtsAndCommunication #JournalismMatters #BlackJournalists #HBCUPride #HBCUExcellence #JudgeTimothyWalmsley #AhmaudArbery #HistoryInTheMaking #Photojournalism #FutureJournalists #MediaAndJustice #JournalismEducation #BlackPress #CMAC #CMACWINS!

What a joyful time in the Kennedy Fine Arts Building! This week, we had the absolute delight of welcoming 36 talented young voices from Heard Elementary to our campus! Our #SSU Concert Choir hosted an inspiring choral workshop where our students worked side by side with the kids on vocal techniques, music rehearsal, and high-energy vocal warm-ups. A huge thank-you to Heard Elementary Choir Director Rebecca Davis for the opportunity to make music and memories together — collaborations like this are what community is all about! And this is just the beginning: it's one of two performance workshops the choir is hosting with elementary and middle schools this semester. We are so grateful for our enthusiastic #SSU choir students and our wonderfully dedicated Concert Choir Director, Professor Lawanda Allen-Sanders, for the work they're doing on campus and off — being awesome brand ambassadors in the community and spreading vocal cheer everywhere they go. We love this choir and its great collaborative spirit — for sure! 💯 #SSU #SavannahState #TigerPride #SSUConcertChoir #HeardElementary #MusicEducation #ChoralMusic #CommunityEngagement #HBCUPride #MusicMatters #SavannahGA #SpreadingVocalCheer #CMAC #CMACwins! #artsandcreativeleadership 📽️ credit Ashlynn Savage-Orr

Great to be in the room for Coronation of Tivon Adams the 11th Mister Savannah State University, and MaCayla Moody the 89th Miss Savannah State University — 2026. Tivon is CMAC through and through — a Mass Communications major. MaCayla is a Forensic Science major, but she'll always be an honorary CMAC major in our eyes. Congrats, Tivon and MaCayla — best wishes for a reign that we ALREADY know will be incredible! #SSU #SSUHomecoming #MisterSSU #MissSSU #HBCU #CMAC #CMACWINS #SSU

Some big moments from the Coronation of Tivon Adams the 11th Mister Savannah State University, and MaCayla Moody the 89th Miss Savannah State University — 2026. Tivon is CMAC through and through — a Mass Communications major. MaCayla is a Forensic Science major, but she'll always be an honorary CMAC major in our eyes. Seeing these two legendary campus leaders roll into Tiger Arena by car and take their places on the throne? THAT is a moment. And in true #SSU tradition — homecoming does not officially begin until our newly crowned King and Queen declare it so. Huge gratitude to the #SSU Homecoming Committee for granting media passes to the Mass Communication Student Association to stage red carpet arrival interviews of SSU's top royalty on their big night. Watching our CMAC students run that red carpet — cameras up, questions ready, capturing the moment in real time — that was a big highlight of the night. That's not a classroom exercise. Thats the real thing, and they executed. Congrats, Tivon and MaCayla — best wishes for a reign that we ALREADY know will be incredible! We love THIS KING AND QUEEN. 💯 #SSU #SSUHomecoming #MisterSSU #MissSSU #HBCU #CMAC #CMACWINS #SSU

Before the on-campus homecoming parade, before the Grand Homecoming Parade along MLK, and before the halftime show — The Powerhouse of the South was putting in the work. Leaving campus around 9:30 Thursday night, the music pulled me into the stadium where the band was practicing. But it was the huddle after practice that moved me. They are dedicated. They are determined. And their enthusiasm and Tiger Pride are contagious. That huddle — the chant and the closing prayer — is what's in this video. Watch to the end. Congrats on a great homecoming, band. We love the band. We love THIS band. #PowerhouseOfTheSouth #SSUBand #TigerPride #SSUHomecoming #TigerNation #HBCU #MarchingBand #TheWorkBehindTheShow

Just this week in my class we were discussing the connections between media, democracy, society, and the First Amendment. So it seemed fitting that I would go out and cast my vote today — during early voting. #YourVoteYourChoice #EarlyVoting #CivicEngagement #GoVote #mediaanddemocracy

On Sunday, the Savannah State University Concert Choir helped lead worship at Butler Memorial Presbyterian Church for the #SSU Day celebration. #SSU President Dr. Jermaine Whirl brought a message, and the choir — under the direction of Professor Lawanda Allen-Sanders — shared a program of spirituals rooted in the university's tradition. The service also marked the start of the choir's fall season, which includes a series of community engagements across Savannah in the weeks ahead. Very grateful to Butler Memorial for the warm welcome, and thanks students for spreading joyful cheer. #SSU #SavannahStateUniversity #HBCU #CollegeOfMediaArtsAndCommunication #Savannah #CMAC #CMACwins #talentmeetspurpose

The S.H.O.W. did not come to play this week! I had the best time, thanks to the Campus Activities Board and the Office of Student Life. They filled the last few days with activities that brought students, faculty, and staff together. All of them were great. But I think the car smash was my favorite. Students put on their protective gear, grabbed a sledgehammer, and went to work on a car. (Video coming.) 🤣 Students told me they've been holding things together through a stressful semester and tough midterms — so this was the perfect chance to let off some steam. From my point of view, they earned it. 💯 Most of the week I was out there with our CMAC students, doing video and photos — capturing the events. Working alongside them in the field was the best part of my week. Congrats to CAB on your great leadership this week, and thank you for letting the older folks hang out. 👏🏽 #TheSHOW #SSUHomecoming #SSU #SavannahState #CMAC #CampusActivitiesBoard #HBCU #TigerNation #CMAC

I went to the #SSU Homecoming Day Parade in #Savannah to take photos. That plan failed miserably. It's my fourth year at the university — and these stories never get old. I never got the shots I came for — because I couldn't stop talking to people. Roughly 30 conversations, back to back, with alumni who came home to the place that built them. Some were remembering their time there from the 1970s. And every last one of them told me the same thing in a different way: this university isn't a memory to them. It's a foundation. "It's my roots. I have a kindred spirit with the institution." "Nothing beats my Savannah State degree." No exaggeration — I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Listen to a few of them and hear why the university by the sea still holds their hearts. Deeply inspiring! #SSU #SavannahState #SavannahStateUniversity #TheUniversityByTheSea #SSUHomecoming #HBCU #HBCUHomecoming #HBCUAlumni #HBCUPride #TigerNation #SSUTigers #Savannah #SavannahGA #Homecoming #BlackExcellence #HBCULove #AlumniStory #CMAC #storytelling

Come see the #SSU tailgate from the sky. This is a different view of Saturday's festivities. As the game ended, the momentum built: Hundreds of people. Tents everywhere. RVs lined up. Grills going all day. People dancing. Orange and blue as far as you can see. If you were there, you already know the vibe. Reunions at every table, food passed hand to hand, somebody's auntie telling stories about this campus from 30 years ago while current students listen. Alumni who came home for the week standing next to freshmen who just got here. People who've been doing this for decades next to folks doing it for the first time. And if you're like me and didn't graduate from Savannah State — this is the moment you get it. You witness generations of alumni come back, families claiming the same spot they've claimed for years, everybody hugging like no time has passed. And you start to understand why people call this place home. Working here is one thing. Standing in that crowd on Homecoming Saturday is something else. That's when it stops being just a job and becomes something more — you realize you're contributing to legacy and tradition. Great day. Great crowd! #SSUHomecoming2026 #CMAC #TigerPride #TheSHOW #HBCU #Tailgate #DroneVideo #OrangeAndBlue #SavannahState #CMAC

Saturday night, the sky over campus lit up orange and blue — and CMAC students were there to get it. All week long, they've been out there capturing Homecoming: every event, every moment, every story. Cameras up, mics rolling, laptops glowing on the sideline from the first day to the last. They didnt just cover The S.H.O.W. — they documented it so it lives forever. And that access came from the amazing SSU Homecoming Committee, who put on a phenomenal show all week and trusted our students with media passes to tell it. Saturday night gave us one of my favorites. Take a look from the drone as fireworks exploded across the night, launching over campus near the baseball fields, lighting up the whole skyline and shining for miles around. Right next to me-- the crowd went wild. Phones up everywhere. Everybody looking up at the same orange and blue sky at the same moment. #SSU homecoming committee 👏🏽 #CMAC students telling the story 👏🏽 Bravo 💯 #SSUHomecoming2026 #CMAC #TigerPride #TheSHOW #HBCU #StudentStorytellers #OrangeAndBlue #CMACwins!

This week, five of our amazing #SSU students are headed to Grand Valley State University in Michigan to check out the campus — and we could not be prouder! Joining the exploratory trip to GVSU are three of our Mass Communications/CMAC standouts — Joshua Ryans, Daton Vaughn and Aja Dolson — who will be checking out the M.A. program in Communications. They'll be traveling alongside fellow Tigers interested in engineering, criminal justice, and public policy — all part of #SSUs game-changing partnership that opens the door to fast-track masters degrees, in-state tuition rates, and incredible scholarship opportunities for SSU grads. Since the partnership began in 2022, two JMC/CMAC/SSU grads have completed their master's degrees and gone on to amazing career opportunities! A huge thank-you to Dr. Marc M Collazo Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, who is leading this trip. Were so grateful for faculty who go the extra mile (literally — all the way to Michigan!) to help open doors for our students. Big shoutout to Grand Valley State University for keeping this pipeline vibrant. #grateful #SSU #SavannahState #TigerPride #GrandValleyState #HBCUPride #FutureGraduates #CMAC #CMACwins! P.S. Love the swagged out #SSU hoodies 🔥

Two weeks later, and we are still celebrating what happened in Tiger Arena. More than 100 companies and graduate schools filled the floor — and our newest Tigers came ready. My CMAC FYE class took the #SSU Career Fair by storm: every student visited five tables, held real career conversations, and is now turning what they learned into a written game plan for their own success. And it was great to be there watching the engagement at the tables and seeing them apply the soft skills we talk about so much in class. But don't take my word for it — the CMAC verticals say it best. Each student picked up a camera, held in their hands and reflected, in their own words, on the day and how it moves them toward career success. #superproud #SSU #SavannahState #SavannahStateUniversity #TigerPride #TigerNation #SSUCareerFair #CareerFair #CareerFair2026 #FYE #FirstYearExperience #CMAC #MassCommunications #ArtsandCreativeleadershio #ClassOf2030 #CareerReady #StudentSuccess #Networking #HBCU #HBCUPride #CMAC #CMACwins!