VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian G. Smith, Ph.D., to director of the Robertson School of Communication. He will begin in this role on July 1.
Smith joins VCU from the University of Mississippi, where he serves as professor and chair of the Integrated Marketing Communications program, housed in UM’s School of Journalism and New Media. Smith has built a research department on public relations management and social media, with a particular focus on how people use social media for social advocacy. He has published more than 40 journal articles and book chapters. In 2017, Smith received a Fulbright Award to investigate hate speech regarding refugees in Europe.
Smith has earned various research grants and awards, including two grants from the Arthur W Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication and a Facebook Grant on Digital Privacy. He is editor for the International Journal of Strategic Communication. He has presented at conferences worldwide and currently serves on the advisory board of the International Public Relations Research Conference. Prior to his work in academia, Smith filled positions in online brand marketing management, editorial management, and market research.