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What's New:

Dr Shavonne Shorter was featured on the “Get to know your campus” video series. You can watch it here.

 

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Featured
Student

Josh Lloyd
I'm a BloomU senior in the Communication Studies major with a Leadership/ Public Advocacy concentration. I'm also majoring in Spanish and minoring in Arabic and Linguistics. I chose the Communication Studies major with a Leadership/ Public Advocacy concentration to complement my language major.
Here at Bloom, I'm the Editor-in-Chief of The Voice, our campus newspaper, and a member of the Tabletop Gaming Club. My overarching goal is a career in Foreign Services or entertainment journalism.
What I value most from the Communication Studies major is the versatility of the program. Great communication skills transcend all careers and cultures. This was never more evident than when I traveled to Costa Rica in Fall 2017 for a semester abroad, using skills I'd learned from both of my majors to observe, explore and learn as much as possible.
I definitely want to thank Dr. Erin Brummett for introducing me to the major way back in Fall 2015, when I took Interpersonal Communication. I also have to thank my advisor, Dr. Kai Kuang, for guiding me every step of the way and helping me with an ambitious Honors Program research project.
In all honesty, I have to thank the entire Communication Studies department, which goes above and beyond to make sure Comm majors have the best opportunities available to them after graduation and are prepared to surmount any challenges they might face in the professional world.

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Featured Student

Gabrielle Narr
I am currently a Junior at Bloomsburg University in the Communication Studies major with a concentration in Organizational Communication. I also have a minor in Human Resources. The decision to choose this major and minor was the best decision I could have made as an incoming freshman. The classes I have taken in my major and minor have set me up to be successful in any career I choose. I am now an ethical thinker, organized, have great interpersonal skills, work well in diverse groups, and thrive as a public speaker. Not only have I gained these great skills, but being a Communication Studies major has given me the courage to get involved, which led to me joining my national sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma. Throughout my time in Phi Sigma Sigma I have held three leadership positions which are, scholarship chair, sisterhood development chair, and fundraising chair. I loved fundraising when I did it and it gave me the inspiration to want to pursue a career in Event Planning. Through my connections in Phi Sigma Sigma I received the opportunity to intern over the winter of 2017 at an event planning company called Philly2Night. During my internship I was involved in the process of planning and implementing events. I also worked closely with the events production manager. My favorite event that we planned was our New Years Eve Gala at the Seaport Museum. During my time as an intern at Philly2Night I gained real life experience, personal growth, field experience, and professional skill building. Throughout my time in the Communication Studies Department there have been two professors that have really stood out and helped me strive to be my best. Dr. Shavonne Shorter and Dr. Mary King have really been a great inspiration to me. They both encouraged me to be ambitious and do something that I never thought I would be able to do— achieve a 4.0 in the Spring 2017 semester. I also served as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Mary King's Introduction to Communication Studies course. This provided an opportunity to build leadership and teamwork skills. I am very grateful for my professors and classmates that have helped me become the best version of myself. Communication Studies has prepared me for life after graduation, even if I'm not ready to graduate.

Department News:
November 2014

Publication

Heineman, D. S. (2014). "Does Game Studies have 'Complete Confidence in Its Own Legitimacy?'" New Media & Society, 16, 1332-1337.

Conference Presentations

Hanley-Tejeda, D. (November, 2014). Persons of Color, Using Poetry as Praxis. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Hobson, K. (November, 2014). Using Our Privilege: Queer Femmes and the Politics of Identity Labor. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

King, M. E. (November, 2014). Applying and Understanding Media Effects Theories in the Classroom. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Michalec, B. (2014, November). GoldieBlox & Super Bowl XLVIII: Reengineering the Media Mix and the Marketplace. Panel participant at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Mackenzie, L. (November, 2014). The Effective Use of Situational Judgment Tests: A Teaching Technique By and For Student Veterans. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Miller, E. C. (November, 2014). Same-Sex Marriage and Communication at the 100th Anniversary of NCA: Past Research and Future Directions. Panel participant at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Petre, J. T. (2014, November). The presence of qualitative communication trainers in unexpected contexts. Panel participant at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Petre, E. A. (2014, November). The presence of qualitative communication trainers in unexpected contexts. Panel participant at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Shorter. S. (November, 2014). Strategies to diversify the professoriate. Paper presented at the PASSHE Summit at Millersville University.

Shorter. S. (November, 2014). New and improved: A small group communication project. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Shorter, S., White, S., Hill, T., Brown, N., Jackson, J. (November, 2014). A return to the party of Lincoln? Understanding points of (dis)connection between the GOP and African American voters. Panel Organizer. Presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Scholarly Achievement

Dr. David Hanley-Tejeda cohosted an open mic event called "NCA @ 100 Open Mic Archive," with performance studies colleagues Joe Hassert, Javon Johnson, and Jen Tuder. This participatory event invited all who wanted to share their thoughts on performance studies and was held at the LeRoy Neiman Center of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Dr. Kathryn Hobson served as respondent for the Top Paper panel of the GLBTQ division.

Dr. Mary E. King was elected as paper reader for the Family Communication Division and the Interpersonal Communication Division of NCA, and served as Chair of two panels: "Biophysical Indicators of Social Interaction Qualities" and "Health Communication Issues Within the Family Context."

Department Event

On Tuesday, November 11, the department held its annual Speaker's Forum, organized by members of Lambda Pi Eta and supervised by Dr. David Heineman and Dr. Jim Petre. The Forum featured four competitively selected student speeches on the topic of "Invisible Illness," as well as a keynote address by former BU faculty member Nicole Defenbaugh, director of education and medical educator for the Lehigh Valley Health Network.