Campus Voices - Lucinda Austin

Lucinda Austin is an associate professor and the associate dean for graduate studies and research at the Hussman School of Journalism & Media at the University of North Carolina.She joined the UNC faculty in July 2016 and teaches courses in public relations and strategic communication. Her research focuses on social media’s influence on strategic communication initiatives, namely health and crisis communication, and explores publics’ perspectives in corporate social responsibility and organization-public relationship building.Dr. Austin earned her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she was recipient of the 2011 Charles Richardson Most Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award and the 2009 Outstanding Teaching Award. She has published work in a number of academic journals.She visited the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus in April 2025 to work with College of Journalism and Mass Communications Dean Shari Vail as part of a mentorship partnership through the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and the Association of Schools of Journalism & Mass Communication.