Despite being busy with teaching classes, advising, research, taking classes in Knoxville and maintaining a family, Professor Andrew Brown, lecturer of Public Relations at UTM, always takes the time to greet people with a smile and ask them about their day.
Brown, who grew up in Polk County, Tennessee, found his passion for communications by working on his high school newspaper. After getting the opportunity to attend the Governor’s School for the Humanities at UTM, his love for public relations blossomed under the influence of professors he is currently getting to work with at UTM.
“I think my first real exposure to public relations as a discipline or as a profession really came from Dr. Ogg, (professor of Public Relations) and I owe him a lot for introducing that to me.”
Public relations combined many elements that Brown liked: writing, strategic planning, and most importantly, interacting with people.
Brown earned his bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from UTM and went on to earn his master’s degree in Religion and Education from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He also earned his master’s in Journalism and Public Relations from the University of Memphis.
Before filling his role as a professor at UTM, Brown worked in the nonprofit world of public relations, filling roles such as Development Director and Executive Director at multiple firms.
“I was working for a large nonprofit in Nashville and I received a phone call from someone in (the Communications department) that they had an opening and they encouraged me to apply and I just laughed.”
Brown declined the offer because he worked hard to get to his current position and knew UTM would be looking for someone with a terminal degree. Before the position was filled, he received yet another phone call asking him to apply and the rest was history.
“There’s some really huge pluses about the transition,” Brown said. “I instantly loved the students here.”
However, he had to adjust to the many differences between nonprofit and teaching.
“The wheels move slow in higher ed compared to (the professional world), and that’s a huge transition for me. The other thing that I think is really different was in my professional world, I spent a lot of time out talking to people and I was recruiting,” Brown said.
“I was fundraising. I was visiting partner nonprofits and I loved that. While I love the classroom, I miss some days being out, you know, kind of doing that front person role…”
Brown knew that working in higher education meant that he would need to earn his doctorate; a terminal degree was the industry standard.
He is currently working on his doctorate at UTK in Public Relations with a specific focus in nonprofit organizations, particularly those that are agriculture or food based.
Just like all doctoral students, Brown had to endure the rigorous application and acceptance process of submitting writing samples, references, grades from his master’s work and his research interest for a highly competitive program.
He reached out to UTM Chancellor Keith Carver, Ogg, Dr. Robert Nanney, Communications department chair, and Dr. Tracey Rutledge, associate professor of Communications and MMASC Graduate co-coordinator, to help him get accepted into the program.
“I really feel like (Dr. Carver’s) recommendation in addition to previous studies, went a long way to getting me admitted into a really competitive program,” Brown said.
“So his recommendation, Dr. Ogg’s, Dr. Rutledge, Dr. Nanney’s…, I really owe them for kind of putting their reputation on the line and saying, ‘Hey, this is going to be a strong student for you.'”
And Brown hasn’t given them a reason to regret that yet. He has a 4.0 gpa, on top of managing several on-going research projects, readings that go into the thousands of pages, a 12 hour drive to and from Knoxville, classes to teach at UTM, and a family.
UTK expects its doctorate students to know their decided fields top to bottom and to be able to compete with the top researchers in the world.
Brown would sometimes hide in the library or wake up at 4 a.m. to work on his reading for class. On multiple occasions, he has had 800-1,000 pages of text to read for just one class.
He also says there is a higher level of expectation for his papers as a doctoral student than he has ever experienced.
“I’ve seen some stuff professionally. I’ve seen some crisis in nonprofit, and I’ve seen some tough budget years. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Through the juggling act of being a student and a professor, Brown has missed out on getting to do one of the things he loves most about being a professor.
“I really like our students here. I really want you guys to do well; it means a lot to me. What was hard for me last year is when I was driving back and forth, I didn’t get to sit down and have conversations with students that I enjoy.”
Brown’s advice to his students who may be struggling, feel discouraged or stressed out is to never isolate yourself, and make time to relax. He says that if you over do it, you tend to get declining results. But most importantly, do not be afraid.
“Don’t be afraid to take that job out of state. Don’t be afraid to take that international trip. Don’t be afraid to take the hard professor. Don’t be afraid to take that job that you get an offer for and you feel like it’s over your head, because in that process you’re gonna learn a lot about who you are and come out better on the other side.”
Although the journey is tough, Brown finds the motivation he needs to keep going through the understanding that not only is earning his degree going to better his career, it will also make him stronger for himself and his family.
His faith has also been a driving force for him to achieve his goals.
“I was taught and I believe that what I do, I do as unto God. I would say my faith is more a part of my daily life than it’s ever been,” Brown said. “So, I think it’s a combination of responsibility, determination and faith that gets you through.”
Because of its difficulty and struggles, Brown believes the program has changed him academically and personally. It has helped shape his personality, priorities, and ultimately how he values his wife of 25 years who hasn’t left his side during this entire process.
“How do you move forward in your career and who you are as a person unless you’ve walked through difficulty in knowing who you are?” Brown asked.
He feels lucky to have this opportunity to complete his doctorate.
“I never thought as a small town boy I’d get to do this. Here I am sitting at UT with some of the best scholars in the world.”
Andrew Brown, lecturer of Public Relations, receives the 2019 College of Humanities and Fine Arts Outstanding Junior Faculty Award. The honor was awarded to Brown by the chair of the Communications Department, Dr. Robert Nanney. | Photo Credit/ University Relations
