How often does a person graduate from college the first week in May and present research at a national conference just days later? Not often, but it happened to Melissa Lilley, a 2006 graduate of the department of Mass Communication, not once, but twice. In late May, Lilley presented her original paper, “All the news that’s fit to print: Media reaction to religious humor, Case study of Muhammad cartoons,” at Campbell’s Faith and Communication Conference. This national conference attracts scholars from across the nation and her paper was selected to be included in the proceedings. The process is very competitive and she beat out one of her professors who also presented some research on the use of labels by newspapers. But it’s OK because that professor, Dr. Michael Ray Smith, joined Lilley in late June to present their findings from a study of volunteers in disaster relief projects at the National Faculty Leadership Conference in Alexandria, Va. Again, Lilley was the only recent undergraduate to join national scholars in the presentation of research. So, what gives? “Melissa Lilley is a scholar,” Smith noted with his usual frankness. “She knows how to conduct a first-class literature review, how to design a project and she writes well, too. She will be a hit when she attends graduate school at North Carolina State University.” For Lilley, the achievement is just another in her series of successes. She is a freelance writer and she works with the Baptist State Convention in Cary, reporting on the ministries of North Carolina Baptists. She is a bit of a sprite, who zooms from one activity to another with good cheer and a ready bit of wit. She received the student-of-the year award from the Mass Communication Department for 2005-2006 and served as president of Lambda Pi Eta honor society. In addition, she was the editor of the award-winning “Campbell Times” newspaper that won a dozen national awards in 2005-2006. Lisa Farmer is the adviser. Other professors also praised Lilley for her scholarship. “Melissa is one of a growing number of Campbell mass communication students who are as interested in communication as a research field as they are about getting a job,” said Dr. J. Dean Farmer, chair of the Department of Mass Communication. Lilley is from Elizabeth City.
Lilley presents research at two national conferences