Newsletter for Alumni
Alumni Newsletter
Spring 2006, Vol. 1, Issue 1
From the Director
New Communication Club
Dean Search
Research Notes
Speech Communication/Communication Studies Inagural Alumni Reception
New Alumni Association
Alumni Association Membership Information
Class Notes
Calendar of Events
Download a printable version of the newsletter. (This is a large .pdf file and may take several minutes to download.)
From the Director
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the School of Communication Studies alumni newsletter. Inside you will find information about current happenings in the department as well as news from fellow alumni.
The saying that the only thing that remains constant in this world is change truly applies to our program. Looking back to 1987 when the program was created, few things have remained the same. We moved from McClung Tower to the Communications Building in December 1999. Our name changed in 2004 from the Department of Speech Communication to the School of Communication Studies. When the Department was created, we had a total equipment inventory of one monitor and one VCR. Today, we have a computer lab for students, video-conferencing equipment, smart-board technology, conference rooms, and classrooms outfitted in state of the art technology. In 1987, we were almost entirely an undergraduate program. Today, students in the communication studies participate in college-wide M.S. and Ph.D. programs. In the fall of 1987, approximately 300 students were enrolled in our classes. In the spring 2006 semester, a total of 2,119 students are enrolled in our classes.
Most rewarding, however, has been the opportunity to work with all of you. As members of the speech communication/communication studies family, we want to continue this relationship with you through participation in the alumni association. Please take a few minutes and complete the online membership form.
New Communication Club
This year marks the first for the Communication Studies Communication Club at the University of Tennessee.
The club, currently consisting of approximately 30 members, meets once a month. Kevin York serves as President; Samuel Freeman as Social Committee Chair; Joanna Muscatello as Recruitment Committee Chair; and Laura Jetter, Aaron Perfetti, Martyn Van Kelegom, Abby Wallace, and Rob Wilson as committee members. The club is advised by Dr. John Haas.
The mission of the club is to connect students interested in communication by encouraging scholarship and preparing for future careers while reaching out to the community and having fun doing it.
Workshops for resume cover letters and interviews are two of many upcoming events for the club.
Membership is encouraged and open to all Communication Studies majors. For more information, please contact John Haas at (865) 974-2090 or or Kevin York.ing soon coming s
Dean Search
The College of Communication and Information is in the process of searching for a new Dean. The person that is hired for this important position will lead the four units in the College (Advertising and Public Relations, Communication Studies, Information Science, and Journalism and Electronic Media). More than 50 people were nominated or applied for this position, and the candidate list has been narrowed to five people. Each of the applicants visited campus during the month of March to meet with faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
- Dr. Shirley Staple Carter-Professor and Director, College of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of South Carolina
- Dr. James L. Gaudino-Dean, College of Communication and Information, Kent State University
- Dr. Wendy Ford-Executive Associate Dean, Arts and Sciences, Western Michigan University
- Dr. David W. Schumann-William J. Taylor Professor of Business, University of Tennessee
- Dr. Michael Wirth-Director, School of Communication, University of Denver.
The new Dean will play a central role in moving the College forward. We look forward to introducing you to the new Dean in the next few issues of the newsletter and sharing his/her views with you about the future of the College.
Research Notes
As communication scholars, our research focuses on messages across a variety of contexts. The School’s faculty and graduate students have increasingly focused their research programs on several areas including organizational communication, leadership, and oral communication skills. In addition, several faculty and graduate students have been examining hate speech in our culture.
During the 2005-06 academic year, faculty have published in a variety of periodicals (American Behavioral Scientist, Basic Communication Course Annual, Communication Yearbook, Media Psychology), book chapters (in Advertising and the World Wide Web, Case Studies in Organizational Communication) and books (Public speaking in the Information Age). In addition, faculty and graduate students presented more than 25 competitively selected papers at national and regional association meetings.
For a complete list of publications and presentations from the Communication Studies faculty and graduate students, please visit the Communication Studies Web site.
Speech Communication/Communication Studies Alumni Reception
The inaugural Speech Communication/Communication Studies Alumni Reception will kick off on Saturday, April 29 beginning at 7:00 p.m. at The Foundry located in the World’s Fair Site. The event will include a buffet dinner, cash bar, silent auction, and live music by Dave Landeo. Your former teachers and office staff will be there along with several new additions to the communication faculty.
We are excited about reconnecting with all of the members of the Speech Communication/Communication Studies family. You will also have the opportunity to welcome new members to our growing family as many from the 2006 class will be joining us at the reception. Please make plans to join former teachers, staff, and friends at the alumni association kick off event.
Tickets for the event are $8.00 per person or $15.00 a couple. Please contact John Haas at (865) 974-2090 or Sandy Cabbage at (865) 974-0696 for tickets and information.
New Alumni Association
Due to the broad nature of a Communication Studies degree, students often find it difficult to set specific career goals. The primary purpose of the Alumni Association is to provide current Communication Studies juniors and seniors an opportunity to interact with professionally driven alumni that can assist in defining diverse career possibilities.
The secondary purpose of the Alumni Association is to provide Communication Studies alumni a meaningful way to remain actively associated with the school and to foster long-term relationships between the School and these alumni.
The Alumni Association is headed by the Alumni Council, which serves at the pleasure of the Director of the School of Communication Studies and has its sole scope of activities one or more of the following:
- meet once a semester at the request of the Director to advise students regarding career possibilities
- promote the value of a degree in Communication Studies
- support the external mission of the School in ways to be defined by the Director.
Prospective Alumni Council Members will be selected and approached by the Director of the School of Communication Studies. The council will consist of approximately 10-15 members and will assume a chair/vice-chair or co-chair structure. The Council will serve in a strictly voluntary capacity, and any financial expenditures will be the obligation of individual Council members.
Alumni Association Membership Information
Join us! We invite you to apply to the Speech Communication/Communication Studies Alumni Association. Membership in the association will offer you opportunities to expand educational horizons through workshops and special events as well as sharing your expertise with current students. You will also have new networking opportunities with fellow alumni and friends of the program.
For many of you, membership will also provide you with the opportunity to “give back” to the program. It is through alumni support that we can expand mentoring and internship opportunities for current students. In addition, we need your ideas and expertise to grow the program and prepare students for an ever-changing workplace.
Anyone interested in joining the Alumni Association should fill out the Membership Form and submit it to the Office of Communication Studies.
Classnotes
Want to catch up with that person who sat next to you in Communication Theory? We invite you to submit news about yourself (job-related, family, awards, events in your life) for our classnotes section. Visit the college's classnotes page for more inoformation.
Calendar of Events 2006
| April 6-9 | SSCA Conference |
| April 26-30 | ECA Conference |
| April 29 | Alumni Reception |
| May 11 | Graduate Hooding Ceremony |
| May 12 | Commencement |
| August 23 | Start of the School Year |
| December 15 |
Graduate Hooding Ceremony |
| December 17 | Commencement |
| 2007 | 20th Anniversary Celebration! |
| UT Home Football Schedule | |
| August 2 | UT vs. California |
| August 9 | UT vs. Air Force |
| August 16 | UT vs. Florida |
| August 23 | UT vs. Marshall (Homecoming) |
| October 21 | UT vs. Alabama |
| November 4 | UT vs. LSU |
| November 25 | UT vs. Kentucky |
Upcoming events
- Independence Day Holiday(Now)
- Second Session Classes Begin(3 days)
- Full and Second Session Summer Classes End(34 days)
- Fall Semester Classes Begin(47 days)
- Labor Day Holiday(58 days)
- CCI Faculty/Staff Meeting(70 days)
