Columbus State University Communication professor Chris McCollough earned his second Top Paper Award of the year from the Public Relations Division of the Southern States Communication Association.

His study, Cultivating a Civic Mindset: Assessing Public Relations Student Perceptions of Service Learning and Community Involvement Beyond the Course, was the top paper among public Relations faculty from across the southern United States. The paper is a longitudinal study examining the long-term impact on former students' engagement with civic life following participation in service-learning courses in the public relations curriculum. McCollough will present his piece at the 89th meeting of the Southern States Communication Association in April of 2019 in Montgomery, Alabama.

The honor marks McCollough's second Top PR Paper Award this year, and fourth since joining the faculty at Columbus State University.