FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 26, 2026 CONTACT | Heather Birks | 202.602.0584
BEA Awards the 2026 New Faculty Research Grant to Dr. Shannon Scovel
Washington, DC – The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Shannon Scovel, University of Tennessee, is the recipient of BEA’s 2026 New Faculty Research Grant.
Dr. Shannon Scovel is an assistant professor of journalism and media at the University of Tennessee with a research focus on sports media and athlete branding. She earned her PhD from the University of Maryland in 2023 in Journalism Studies and wrote her dissertation on the self-representation of women college athletes in the age of ‘name, image and likeness.’ Her interest in sports media is informed by her experience as a Division I swimmer at American University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism before completing her master’s degree in gender studies at the University of Stirling on a Fulbright scholarship. Additionally, Shannon works as a college wrestling freelance reporter for NCAA.com, and her byline has also appeared in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports and USA Today.
BEA’s New Faculty Research Grant (NFRG) seeks to promote scholarship through achievement by untenured broadcast and electronic media faculty. A cash grant of $1,000 was awarded to Dr. Scovel. Initial funding for this grant was provided by Rebecca Hayden, winner of BEA’s Distinguished Education Service Award in 1993, and long-time editor/publisher of broadcast and media books at Wadsworth Publishing Co. The grant honors the memory of Sydney W. Head (1913-1991) and Harrison B. Summers (1894-1980), two key pioneers in broadcast education. The recipient will be recognized at BEA’s annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas.
About the BEA Convention – BEA’s annual convention is held in conjunction with NAB Show in Las Vegas every spring. BEA’s annual convention attracts 1,300 educators and students with 250 sessions, events, research panels, technology workshops and an exhibit hall, making BEA the largest conference partner of NAB Show.
About the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) – BEA is the professional association for professors, industry professionals and graduate students interested in teaching and research related to electronic media and multimedia enterprises. There are currently more than 2,500 individual and institutional members worldwide. Visit www.beaweb.org for more information.