Thank you for visiting the Department of Communication Studies website.  We are a dynamic department and are undergoing many exciting changes.  These changes keep you, the student, at the forefront by creating options and flexibility for your education and preparing you for a variety of careers.

Some of these changes include the addition of seven new tenure-track faculty in the past four years, offering both B.A. and B.S. degrees in Communication, developing concentrations allowing students to specialize in Organizational Communication and Culture and Social Influence.  We are also excited to announce a new concentration in Health Communication that started in Fall 2020.

Please take a moment to browse our website and explore our programs.  Feel free to call or email for more information.  The faculty are excited to meet you and help you shape your future.

 

Communication Studies Departmental Statement: Black Lives Matter

In the Department of Communication Studies, our mission and values reflect our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. As communication scholars, we understand the power of language, representation, and the importance of listening, especially to the most vulnerable people. To do nothing is to contribute to the trauma, deepening the grief and perceptions of isolation. Instead, we write this statement as one way to join others in proclaiming that Black Lives Matter.

In response to recent moments of racialized and heightened state violence that resemble moments in our past, we stand in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students, faculty, and staff. In doing so, we stand against hate, against inequality, against police brutality and impunity. While calling for an end to the long and ongoing reality of racial injustice and white supremacy in the United States, we must also acknowledge the fact that higher education can often be an unsafe space. In joining with the AAUP statement on racial justice in higher education, we are committed to creating a safer space by refusing to be bystanders to messages and behaviors that perpetuate racial injustice and invalidate Black lives. The reality of racism prevents People of Color from living freely in America. This system erases BIPOC contributions and diminishes their humanity. 

Words themselves impact and shape our identities and social worlds. But we recognize that words alone are not always sufficient. We stand with our students and communities and remain committed to acting in ways that support our values. Below are a list of concrete actions we can take to support those who are hurting, to educate ourselves, and to engage in self-care.

 Books and Online Resources:

• Lynching: Violence, Rhetoric, and American Identity, by Ersula Ore
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander
• Resources from National Communication Association

 Signed,

Andrew Tinker	Katie Gruber	Roberta Chevrette
Betsy Dalton	Kristin Naylor	Robert B. Layne II
Debra Boyd	L’Oreal Stephens	Robert Carlsen
Dee Priddis	Mary Beth Asbury	Ron Kates
Elizabeth Stephens	Natalie Hoskins	Scarlett Hester
Heather Hundley	Natonya Listach	Steve Decker
Hsin-I Cheng	Patrick Richey	Xiaowei Shi
Janet McCormick	Pierre Vincent, Esq.