Journalism and Mass Communication’s Cindy Royal named 27th Piper Professor at Texas State

Cindy Royal, Ph.D., Regents’ Teacher and professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University, has been named a 2026 Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation.  

Royal was named Piper Professor on May 1 and is the first TXST faculty member in journalism and mass communication to receive this recognition. Since 1958, the Piper Foundation has annually honored 10 professors from Texas colleges and universities for outstanding achievement in the teaching profession. Piper Foundation honorees are chosen by committee members who look for well-rounded, outgoing teachers, devoted to their profession who have made a special impact on their students and the community.  

Royal has served on the School of Journalism and Mass Communication faculty since 2006, where she teaches web and mobile application development, digital product management and courses dealing with a range of digital issues and concepts. She has played a central role in advancing innovative, technology-focused curriculum as the founding director of the Media Innovation Lab. She led development of the university’s Digital Media Innovation (DMI) program, preparing students for careers at the intersection of media and technology, now in its 10th year.

“The DMI program is the result of an academic community committed to providing students with cutting-edge and future-facing experiences,” said Royal. “I share this honor with the faculty who contributed to its vision and the many students who gravitated toward the program’s mission by selecting this major.”  

“I deeply appreciate this recognition from the Piper Foundation for our efforts, particularly in a state with so many outstanding educators,” Royal added.

Royal’s students have gone on to digital media careers across industries at notable organizations, including Microsoft, Southwest Airlines, General Motors, Rackspace, Texas Tribune, New York Times and Houston Chronicle.  

“Cindy has an excellent rapport of teaching students on all levels and backgrounds,” said Danielle Molinar (DMI ’18), a former student of Royal, now a user-experience developer architect at Microsoft. “She is truly a subject matter expert of her field and can make even the most complicated and toughest ideas tangible and understandable to everyone.”

“Dr. Royal is a distinguished Regents’ Teacher whose career embodies innovation, scholarly rigor, and dedication to student achievement and mentorship,” said Judy Oskam, Ed.D., director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “She has set a standard of excellence that reflects the values of the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award.” 

Royal’s service contributions reflect a sustained commitment to both campus and professional communities. Royal is an active member of the News Product Alliance and has developed programs for students to attend and create content for the South by Southwest Festival. She is the SJMC liaison for the TXST Global Career Accelerator program. She serves on the curricular committee for the National Science Foundation grant STEM-CLEAR: Creating Contextualized Learning Pathways across Academic and Cultural Boundaries, in collaboration with faculty in Computer Science, Health Informatics and Information Management and Agricultural Sciences. Her current research agenda addresses the role of artificial intelligence in media curriculum.  

Royal’s selection as a Piper Professor adds to a distinguished record of honors recognizing her excellence in teaching and service. She has received TXST’s Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Service, multiple Everette Swinney Faculty Senate Excellence in Teaching Awards, and was named a Regents’ Teacher by the Texas State University System in 2024. She has also been recognized nationally as the AEJMC/Scripps Howard Journalism and Mass Communication Teacher of the Year.

Royal is the 27th overall Texas State professor to be named a Piper Professor. Other TXST Piper Professors have been Emmie Craddock, 1962, history; Robert Galvan, 1968, modern languages; Thomas Brasher, 1970, English; Dan Farlow, 1975, political science; Clarence Schultz, 1976, sociology; Henrietta Avent, 1979, health and physical education; Robert Walts, 1982, English; Beverly Chiodo, 1988, computer information systems and administrative sciences; Barbara Hatcher, 1993, curriculum and instruction; Michael John Hennessy, 2001, English; Nancy Feyl Chavkin, 2002, social work; Paul Nathan Cohen, 2003, English; James David Bell, 2004, business; Byron Dale Augustin, 2005, geography; Christopher Frost, 2006, psychology; James Housefield, 2007, art history; Brock Brown, 2008, geography; Max Warshauer, 2010, mathematics; Steven Furney, 2012, health and human performance; Kenneth Margerison, 2013, history; Vedaraman Sriraman, 2015, engineering technology; Debra Feakes, 2016, chemistry; Steven Beebe, 2018, communication studies; Ann Burnette, 2020, communication studies; David Lemke, 2022, biology; and Carolyn Conn, 2025, accounting.