Faculty Profile
Holly Hall is an assistant professor in the Journalism Department within the College of Communications. That really shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering her family’s legacy at Arkansas State University.
The Hall family has deep roots at Arkansas State. Her grandfather, Ray Hall Sr., worked closely with Dr. Carl R. Reng and Dr. Eugene Smith. Her dad, Dr. Ray Hall Jr., was SGA president when Arkansas State College became Arkansas State University. Dr. John Hall (her uncle) teaches in the Department of Psychology; Cathy Hall, (an aunt) teaches in the nursing program; and her sister taught in the Department of Music. There are Halls spread throughout campus.
So it’s only fitting that Holly join in.
“Those ties make me very passionate about my work here,” Hall explained. “I am emotionally invested in the success of my department and the university as a whole.”
But it wasn’t a clear path to teaching at the university level. After receiving her degrees in Radio-TV and law, Hall spent ten years as a public relations professional in academia, banking, non-profit and healthcare.
“Everything I learned and experienced, plus my educational background, was great preparation for teaching, which I absolutely love,” Hall said. “I’m able to bring real-world experience into the classroom, combined with theory and research.”
Diverse Research Interests
Hall’s research interests are as strong and diverse as her professional experience. In the past six months alone, Hall has accomplished the following:
- A book chapter on social media policies in public relations was published.
- A book chapter will be published this spring on FTC disclosure requirements for sponsored conversations on twitter.
- A journal article is being published in April regarding Super-Injunctions. For this research, Hall received a Kappa Tau Alpha Advisor’s Grant and funds from A-State’s Eleanor Lane Endowment to conduct interviews in London, England, last May.
- She presented at the January 2013 Hawaii International Conference on Education dealing with setting up international educational partnerships. This is a presentation that also turned in to a published paper that was co-presented and written with Dean Sivakumaran in the College of Education. “Trials and Tribulations of Developing International University Partnerships,” was published last week in the American International Journal of Contemporary Research.
- “From Classroom to Computer Screen: Adjustments Educators Make to Facilitate the Optimal Online Learning Experience,” was also published last week in the International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology. It was co-authored with Thillainatarajan Sivakumaran, Ph.D.; Katie Nelson Garcia, M.A.; and Brooke Keels, M.A.
- She submitted a full proposal for a $80,000+ grant to the US-Japan Foundation, to establish a partnership between Nettleton Elementary School here in Jonesboro and a small rural school in Japan whereby certain students will be chosen on both sides to participate.
Hall is not only continuing a long-standing family tradition here at Arkansas State, she is providing a positive example for her students to follow. By setting the bar high, she is encouraging her classes to find their passion and run with it as she has.
