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Melinda Farrington, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Communication

Melinda Farrington

Education

  • Ph.D., Duquesne University
  • M.A., Boston College
  • B.A., State University of New York at Albany
  • Courses

  • Advanced Public Relations
  • Creative Campaigns (Capstone)
  • Introduction to Organizational Communication
  • Non-Profit Communication
  • Public Relations Strategies
  • Social Media Strategies
  • Writing for Media
  • About Melinda Farrington Ph.D.

    Dr. Farrington brings 20 years of integrated marketing and communication experience into the classroom. Prior to joining the faculty at Saint Vincent college career highlights include leading public relations initiatives for organizations in both the non-profit and private sectors, as well as leading these organizations through major rebranding initiatives. She has in-depth marketplace experience in crisis communication and fundraising communication. Her research interests include studying how media environments affect human communication in both intended and unintended ways. She also focuses on communication ethics and organizational communication with particular interest in issues of equity and inclusion.

    Publications

    • Ong’s Ramus: Origins and Implications of the Decline of Agonistic Practice. Western Journal of Communication. 2022;86(5):716-733.
    • Nike’s “Dream Crazy”: Exploring discourse tensions in Nike’s seemingly values-laden campaign. published in the Pennsylvania Communication Annual 2021 v. 77 (1). 

    Award

    May 2019 - Harold A. Innis Award for Outstanding Thesis or Dissertation in the Field of Media Ecology by the Media Ecology Association  

    Select Presentations

    • Integrated Marketing and Communication Conference 2023 – “Menopause is the “It Girl” of 2023.
    • Media Ecology Association 2020 - “The challenge of evolving communication practices in smart devices”
    • Integrated Marketing and Communication Conference 2019 - “Nike’s “Dream Crazy”: Exploring discourse tensions in Nike’s seemingly values-laden campaign”
    • National Communication Association Annual Conference 2017- "Rhetoric Rearranged: Ong's Role for Rhetoric in a Mediated World"
    • Eastern Communication Association Annual Conference 2015 – “Orality and Vernacular: Ong’s opening via Peter Ramus”
    • Media Ecology Association Annual Conference 2014 – “Walter Ong and Peter Ramus: Parallel Historical Moments”
    • Eastern Communication Association Annual Conference 2013 – “Walter Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm as a Lens for Tattoos as Visual Rhetoric”
    • Eastern Communications Association Annual Conference – 2012 – “Is Dialogic Presence Possible in a Mediated World?”
    • Southern States Communication Association Conference 2012 – “Free Speech and the Military: The Case of Chelsea Manning”
    • Integrated Marketing and Communication Conference 2011 – “Zhu Zhu Pets and the Power of Public Demand in Aiding Corporate Crisis Recovery”