Moody College launches new Center for Global Change and Media

The Moody College of Communication this semester launched a new research and creative center that will give faculty and students the opportunity to explore the ways media influences global and societal changes. 

The Center for Global Change and Media will welcome researchers and graduate and undergraduate students from across The University of Texas at Austin to look at some of the most pressing issues facing communities across the world, including climate change and migration. 

“There are very few issues that don’t have some kind of global connection,” said Journalism and Media professor Celeste González de Bustamante, founding director of the center. “A lot of faculty and students have been doing global facing work, but there has never been a hub for it like we have created now. There has been a long-standing need for it, and I am extremely appreciative of the college’s support to establish this center.”

The center will also support the University’s international students through a first-of-its-kind mentoring program that will offer them resources through events, professional workshops and professional development opportunities.

“So many of our students have international ties so whatever we can do to support them in that regard is important, now more than ever,” said González de Bustamante. “This will help them to be successful in a gigantic institution like UT, in a country and a city they might not be familiar with.”

The center now also houses the college’s Moody Scholars Program, a year-long program for select junior and senior undergraduate students who are interested in communication and social justice. They receive a small stipend and have the opportunity to explore ways to use media to benefit society. 

Many scholars from across UT have already been conducting important research with the center. Faculty and students represent numerous departments and schools, including Moody College’s journalism, communication studies and radio-television-film departments, as well as the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Information. Communication Studies Professor Shiv Ganesh serves its associate director. He and González de Bustamante are also lead professors for Moody College’s Global Communication minor, which is available to undergraduate students and aligns with the center’s mission to improve people’s understanding of the global community. 

In the coming years, González de Bustamante hopes to obtain additional grant funding to support a larger cohort of students to participate in the Moody Scholars Program and to receive a larger stipend for their work. She also hopes to pursue additional funding to support faculty and student creative work, including producing films and documentaries related to important global issues. 

“We are extremely excited that this center is now officially off the ground and see a lot of potential and relevance for the faculty and students at UT and beyond,” González de Bustamante said. “We hope to make an impact on the wider world through groundbreaking research and advancing students’ understanding of global issues.” 

For more information, visit The Center for Global Change and Media website.