Board of Directors:
Dennis Davis, Professor and Department Head
Dennis Davis is a professor and department head of the Department of Film/Video and Media Studies in the College of Communications at Penn State. In addition, he serves as the director of international programs. Davis specializes in political communication research and has conducted studies of learning from news. More specifically, his research retains a focus in mass communication theory, new media literacy, international communication, and research methods. He teaches courses with a particular emphasis on media theory, research, and international communication.

John Sanchez, Associate Professor of Communications
John Sanchez is an associate professor at Penn State. Sanchez’s research interests lie within the ethnocentric perceptions of contemporary American Indian cultures through the lens of the American mass media and the effects on American Indian children. Sanchez teaches courses such as news media ethics, cultural aspects of the media, women, minorities, and the media as well as broadcast journalism. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he has served as a consultant, legislative advisor, and board member to a host of initiatives.

Anne M. Hoag, Associate Professor of Communications
Anne Hoag is an associate professor of telecommunications at Penn State. Hoag conducts research on the economic impact of new communication technologies and media industries. More specifically, she has performed studies in three predominant areas of influence: e-commerce and trading relationships, cable broadband innovation, and teaching and learning industries. In conjunction with her scholarly endeavors, she teaches courses in telecommunications management and media economics. Within such instruction, Hoag has pioneered the use of online teaching and learning, inter-university learning teams, and Web-based virtual visiting professionals.

Fuyuan Shen, Assistant Professor of Communications
Fuyuan Shen is an assistant professor of communications in the
Department of Advertising/PR at Penn State. His research focuses on political
communication, advertising, and media psychology. Prior to joining the Penn
State faculty, Shen served as a faculty member at Bradley University and the
University of South Dakota. Shen developed his expertise in mass communication
research as an affiliate of the Center for Research in Mass Communication at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of the American
Academy of Advertising, International Communication Association,
and the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Doug Anderson, Dean and Professor
Douglas Anderson became dean of the College of Communications in July 1999. For 20 years prior to joining Penn State, he taught at Arizona State University, spending the last 12 years as director of and Cronkite Endowment Board of Trustees Trustees Professor in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunication. He has written on issues ranging from the First Amendment, libel, and media ethics to fundraising and academic issues like balancing teaching and research and engaging students in journalism. He is a frequent keynote speaker at journalism institutes, symposia and professional association meetings, for which he has served in several leadership positions.

Ann Marie Major, Associate Professor of Communications
Ann Major is an associate professor at Penn State. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Major also serves as the director of the Jimmiro Center for the Study of Media Influence. In her research capacity, Major conducts studies of public opinion about and mass media coverage of the environment and politics. She has 15 years of experience in survey research design and has conducted studies in the United States, Africa, Australia, Europe, and Asia.

Contact information:
Ann Marie Major, director
Phone: (814) 863-2370
Email:amm17@psu.edu

More about the Center:
About Jim Jimirro
Board of Directors
Current Research / News