Professor, Media & Cultural Studies
Dept. of Communication, Media & Performance
Allegheny College
Box 45. 520 North Main Street
Meadville, PA 16335
EMAIL: iroy@allegheny.edu
As a Professor of Media Studies at one of the Colleges that Change Lives ...
I encourage adaptive thinking, lifelong inquiry,and problem-solving inspired by global perspectives and ethical outcomes.
DEGREES EARNED
B.A & M.A
(English Lit.)
Bombay University, India
M.A. & Ph.D (Communication)
Annenberg School for Communication at the
University of Southern California,
Los Angeles
Global Media
Media and Storytelling
Postcolonial Studies & Nation Branding
Integrated Marketing Communication & Brand Storytelling
Representation and Identity
Emerging Media Technologies & Trends
In summer 2026, 32 Allegheny alumni across different cohorts, took a journey over 18 days, with my co-faculty leader Dr. Eric Pallant (Professor, Philosophy) and me, across northwest India. We explored contrasting "ideas of India," and discovered how Gators are lifelong lovers of learning.. Read more here.
Our next exploration will be to Kenya (East Africa) in the summer of 2028. With a faculty colleague from Biology and Neuroscience, alumni will spend 17 days meeting the country's movers and shakers, studying conservation efforts, and seeing how current efforts and initiatives are informed by the spirit of harambee or pulling together to develop community solutions. Interested in participating in this tour? Visit the College's ALUMNI TOURS webpage at the end of September 2026.
 Tattered Corners New & Used Bookstore |  Class-designed logo |
|---|---|
 Owner Jen Murphy at the event |  Collection of stories on the class-designed website |
 A sample story from the class-designed website |  Read one student's account of the experience (on the right) |
Read Drew Hairston's ('28) experience of Allegheny College and on this "Branding & Storytelling project above, and here.
In spring 2026, students in my "Branding and Storytelling" undergraduate course worked on a project with a local community partner, Jen Murphy, owner of the Tattered Corners New & Used Bookstore in Meadville. The course was co-taught by the Dean of the Pelletier Library at Allegheny College, Tressa Snyder, who helped studuents think about how to work information literacy into the messaging.
Students devised a logo and slogan. They also designed a website linking community stories to books with shared themes in the bookstore, and a linked social media campaign highlighting these stories. At a public event at the downtown public library, students shared their journey, what they had learned through the collaboration, and there was a reading of some of the community stories on the website. Attendees were encouraged to purchase books that were donated to the local middle school.
Thrilled to host a former student Kristen Lauth-Shaeffer ('03), who was double major in Communication and Theater. Kristen re-visited her Alma Mater, thanks to the Allegheny College Public Humanities Program, which sponsored the event. During her talk, she unpacked examples of her work, including the immersive 360 VR video "By the Waters of Babylon," and showed students how to take an idea and develop it into a creative-critical piece.
"By the Waters of Babylon," takes viewers into the world of composers silenced by the Holocaust and a string quartet’s mission to make this music heard. It was awarded the hashtag#VIFFImmersed Best in Documentary Award at Vancouver International Film Festival.
Most recently, Kristen was recommended for The Academy Gold Fellowship for Women, a fellowship by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that is designed to inspire emerging women filmmakers. Making us proud and showing what a liberal arts education can do!
From the Campus News
Allegheny Alumni Magazine (Fall 2024)
"A Career Connection Made for Hollywood" by Jennifer Rignani
This piece covers the incredible collaboration with Hollywood producer and alumnus, Lloyd Segan ('80) who, along with diverse media, technology, and labor advocacy professionals, enriched my introductory course in Media & Cultures (Spring 2024).
Alumni Profile
John Meyer ('04) by Jennifer Rignani
An alumnus reflects on how Allegheny College empowered him to reach for the stars.
