The National Communication Association Convention (NCA) was held Nov. 20 – Nov. 24 in Washington, D.C. Below are a few pictures of our professors presenting their research papers.
NCA 2013
Thanksgiving Break
Alright, we finally have a thanksgiving break!! But, before that, we need to share some news about SCOM for last two weeks.
Faculty Award
Dr. Corey Hickerson was named the recipient of the 2014-2015 JMU College of Arts and Letters Carl Harter Distinguished Teacher Award.
Congratulations!!
IABC
IABC recently elected their new officers for the 2013-2014 school year! Congratulations to the following: Read more Thanksgiving Break
We know SCOM has Wonderful Alumni!!
And, the School of Communication Studies wants to recognize our finest alumnus for 2014.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is given every spring to an alumnus who demonstrates outstanding contributions to the discipline or profession and demonstrates outstanding service to the School of Communication Studies, James Madison University, their community, region or nation.
The School of Communication Studies Community Committee is requesting your nominations and self-nominations for this award by Feb. 15, 2014. The winner will receive up to $1,000 for travel and accommodations in order to receive their award on our annual alumni day to be held in April 11, 2014.
Nomination packets must include a cover letter, two letters of support, and a resume or curriculum vitae. All materials should be submitted to the Assistant Director of Communication Studies at the following address:
Alumni Award
c/o Dr. Toni Whitfield, SCOM Assistant Director
54 Bluestone Drive, MSC 2106
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
OR submit the package electronically to whitfits@jmu.edu
Harrison Connect, Here we come!!
We created a poll for a new blog name and now our name is Harrison Connect. Thank you for all of you who voted.
Like our new name, we will do our best to connect people around SCOM by creating fun stories about them or about us.
Right before the homecoming weekend, we added a special story about one of beloved JMU Debate team members, Mark Waugh.
Mark’s family, Professor Mike Davis, and the University founded a memorial fund for Mark. Here is a link to donate.
Under my gift will support select “Other” and enter “Mark Waugh Memorial Fund”.
Speech Team
The JMU Speech Team returned from their largest tournament this semester with impressive accomplishments. The team finished 14 out of over 40 schools and over 400 competitors, including 16 of the Top Twenty teams from last year’s National Individual Events Tournament. The individual results are as follows:
Jessie Burr (JR, SMAD/ENG) Semi-finalist in Impromptu Speaking–Top 12 out of 126 Speakers
Zach Healy (SR, SMAD/SCOM) 4th Informative Speaking–out of 87 Speakers
Nathan Selove (FR, SCOM/THEA) Novice Prose Semi-Finalist–Top 12 out of 52 Speakers and Novice After Dinner Speaking CHAMPION
The team, coached by Lee Mayfield and Alyssa Reid, travels this weekend to Seton Hall University.
Teaching Assistant
We added a story of our very first Teaching Assistants for our first graduate program. Please read it here, if you missed it.
Alumni Award Nomination
The deadline to apply for the Alumni Award is February 15th, for all you amazing alumni you will not want to miss this deadline!
The award is given annually to an alum who manifests the following criteria:
a. Outstanding contributions to the discipline/profession
b. Outstanding service to the department, university, community, region, nation
c. SCOM major, minor, co-curricular and extracurricular programs alumni are eligible
You can nominate yourself, too!!
The award is presented at the year-end SCOM Celebration event in the Spring semester. More information on the award and the procedure/deadlines for submitting a nomination packet can be found by clicking on this link.
Now, it is already one month away from the end of the semester. Let’s finish this semester strong!!
If you have any events or activities of SCOM to share, please send information to Dr. Isaac Woo (woocw@jmu.edu) or Chelsea Legendre (legendcj@dukes.jmu.edu) or Tweet us @JMUSCOM.
Life as a TA
I had the opportunity to meet with two of the six Teaching Assistant’s for SCOM’s new grad program. Jackie Carroll, from Massachusetts with her undergrad degree from The College of William & Mary, and Eric Dirth, from Iowa and graduated from Saint Leo University in Tampa, Florida.
Read on for more about the life of our first TA’s!
Honoring Mark Waugh: The Mark Waugh Scholarship
Earlier this month, the JMU Debate team lost their beloved friend and alumnus.
Mark Waugh was a student who embodied the JMU culture in every aspect of his life. He left a lasting imprint not only on the JMU Debate team, but on the JMU community as a whole. He graduated in 2012 and joined the debate team his freshman year. Mark graduated with the most wins in JMU debate history, including the novice national championship his freshman year and five other tournaments in total. His senior year, Mark was named to the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) All-American team, which put him among the top 30 debaters in the nation, and he twice qualified for the prestigious National Debate Tournament (NDT). Mark was also an outstanding student, being selected for membership in JMU’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.
As Michael Davis, Director of the JMU Debate team, noted, “Mark Waugh was one of the best people I have ever met. He was one of those people who effortlessly combined a commitment to excellence with a fun and easygoing attitude.”
JMU has created the Mark Waugh Memorial Foundation Fund, with all donations going towards the JMU Debate team. Mark Waugh was a wonderful, energetic person who left an impact on all he met.
If you would like to donate to the Mark Waugh Memorial Foundation Fund, go to this link:
Under my gift will support select “Other” and enter “Mark Waugh Memorial Fund”.
If you would like to donate by check please send those made payable to James Madison University with “Mark Waugh Memorial Fund” in the subject line and send them to:
Dr. Michael Davis
James Madison University
MSC 2106
800 S. Main St
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
We thank you for your time spent here at JMU and the legacy you left with our debate team.
The End of October
It has been quite the busy two weeks here in Harrison. Read on to see what has been going on. If you have anything else to add please comment below.
Speech Team
The JMU Speech Team continued their impressive competitive season this past weekend in Allentown, PA on the campus of Cedar Crest College. The team, including 4 first year competitors, finished in third place for the weekend against schools including; Cedar Crest College, Cornell University, Lafayette College, Liberty University, George Mason University, Saint Joseph’s University, Seton Hall University, West Chester University, and Wilkes University.
Individual results are as follows.
Day One
- Shelby Akins, SR SCOM, 5th Informative Speaking, 5th After Dinner Speaking
- Virginia Bonds, FR SCOM, 6th Program Oral Interpretation
- Jessie Bur, Soph SMAD, 6th Poetry Interpretation
- Abby Fiege, FR MATH, 4th After Dinner Speaking
- Katie Lese, SR SCOM, 4th Dramatic Interpretation, 2nd Communication Analysis
Day Two
- Shelby Akins, SR SCOM, 5th After Dinner Speaking
- Virginia Bonds, FR SCOM, 5th Program Oral Interpretation, 2nd Novice Prose Interpretation
- Jessie Bur, Soph SMAD, 1st Extemporaneous, 6th Impromptu Speaking
- Abby Fiege, FR MATH, 3rd After Dinner Speaking
- Katie Lese, SR SCOM, 2nd Dramatic Interpretation, 2nd Communication Analysis
- Nathan Selove, FR THEA, 1st Prose Interpretation.
The team, coached by Lee Mayfield and Alyssa Reid, will have a weekend off before facing their largest competition of the semester in Peoria, IL on the campus of Bradley University.
IABC Meeting
Last week on Thursday, October 17th IABC held another meeting before their elections. If you have any questions please contact Dr. Janell Bauer (bauerjc@jmu.edu) or Dr. Heather Carmack (carmachj@jmu.edu) for more information.
We are all very excited to see what our newest organization accomplishes in their first year!
PRSSA
On Thursday, Oct. 10, @JMUPRSSA accepted an annual grant awarded by the Blue Ridge PRSA chapter.
On Friday, Oct. 11, @JMUPRSSA visited 8 PR firms and organizations to learn more about best practices, industry trends and future opportunities. They took a bus up Friday morning with more than 30 members, toured different agencies, then wrapped the day up with an alumni networking event.This was the first agency visit of the semester and PRSSA is planning for more agency trips in the Spring.
SCOM professors were recognized
Dr. Corey Hickerson received a teaching and technology award and Dr. Brian Kaylor was nominated he State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s prestigious Outstanding Faculty Awards with seven other JMU professors.
Congratulations!!
“El Pintor” with Dr. Carlos Aleman
The Latin Ballet of Virginia performed “El Pintor” (The Painter) at Harrisonburg High School
this past Wednesday, October 23rd. The event was co-sponsored by Dr. Carlos Alemán of the JMU Professors in Residence.
Upcoming
Homecoming Week
Next week officially starts Homecoming Week here at JMU. Students are excited for the Bleed Purple day next Monday. While, we are excited to see our SCOM Alumni! Check out the Homecoming Week Twitter or Facebook for updates. Also, keep checking with JMU SCOM, we may have something exciting planned for our alumni!
Alumni Award Nomination
The deadline to apply for the Alumni Award is February 15th, for all you amazing alumni you will not want to miss this deadline!
The award is given annually to an alum who manifests the following criteria:
a. Outstanding contributions to the discipline/profession
b. Outstanding service to the department, university, community, region, nation
c. SCOM major, minor, co-curricular and extracurricular programs alumni are eligible
You can nominate yourself, too!!
The award is presented at the year-end SCOM Celebration event in the Spring semester. More information on the award and the procedure/deadlines for submitting a nomination packet can be found by clicking on this link.
Don’t forget, our poll for the new SCOM Blog name is still going on! Vote on your favorite or make a suggestion!
Vote on the New Blog Name
We want to rename our blog site to refocus the purposes of this blog: 1) To be a source of information for students, alumni, and faculty, 2) to create conversations within the SCOM community, and 3) to promote engagement among those involved with the SCOM program.
Your voice is important to us. Please vote below. If you have an idea, please leave a comment.
[poll id=”1″]
The Week in Review
Speech Team Update
The JMU Speech Team had their most productive weekend of competition to date this past weekend on the campus of George Mason University. Twelve teams representing 7 different states joined JMU at the Virginia is for Lovers tournament hosted by our team and the George Mason Speech team, including: Pacific University (Oregon), University of Florida, University of Akron (Ohio), Seton Hall University (New Jersey), Sarah Lawrence College (New York), and St. Joseph’s University (Pennsylvania). The JMU team finished in 2nd place and Zach Healy (Sr, SCOM/SMAD) was overall top speaker. The individual results are as follows:
Shelby Akins (Sr, SCOM) 2nd Communication Analysis (QUALLED), 5TH Informative Speaking, 6th Prose Interpretation
Jessie Bur (Jr, Eng/SMAD) 1st Impromptu Speaking, 1st Persuasive Speaking (QUALLED), 6th Poetry Interpretation, 5th TOP SPEAKER
Zach Healy (Sr, SCOM/SMAD) 1st Duo Interpretation, 2nd Informative Speaking (QUALLED), 2nd Poetry Interpretation (QUALLED), 1st Prose Interpretation (QUALLED), OVERALL TOP SPEAKER
Katie Lese (Sr, SCOM) 4th Dramatic Interpretation, 1st Duo Interpretation, 2nd Prose Interpretation (QUALLED)
Nathan Selove (Fr, THEA) 1st After Dinner Speaking (QUALLED)
Kendrick Smith (Soph, SPAN) 2nd Program Oral Interpretation (QUALLED)
In order to qualify an event for the National Individual Event Tournament (NIET) a student must compete in at least three tournament final rounds and their placings in the final round must equal a total of 8 or less. The JMU team now has 6 members qualified (the most we have ever had qualified this early in the season) for the NIET to be held in Tempe, AZ at Arizona State University in April.
The team, coached by Lee Mayfield and Alyssa Reid, travels next to West Chester University in Pennsylvania.
Family Weekend
Family weekend was a great success and thankfully the weather stayed nice! If you have pictures from family weekend that you would like to add, please email Dr. Isaac Woo (woocw@jmu.edu) or Chelsea Legendre (legendcj@dukes.jmu.edu).
Upcoming Events
PRSSA Agency Visit
PRSSA is taking their first trip of the year to D.C. to visit different PR agencies today. The organization will be taking a bus up to D.C. and have the opportunity to meet with PR professionals. Then there will be an alumni networking event to conclude the trip.
IABC Meeting
SCOM’s newest organization, the International Association of Business Communications, will be having one more meeting prior to their elections. Elections will be held in November and if you are interested in running for a position, you will not want to miss these meetings! Contact Dr. Heather Carmack at carmachj@jmu.edu for more information.
Next Meeting: October 17th
Time: 6:30 PM-7:30 PM
For the Students
Gretchen Hansen is one of the Program Support Technicians for The School of Communication Studies. She grew up and went to school in Luray, VA (home of the Luray Caverns), and still currently resides there. She began working at SCOM in February 2003, and just had her 10 year anniversary. It was a great opportunity to sit down with her and ask her for some tips and advice for our SCOM students. To contact Ms. Hansen, please email hansenga@jmu.edu or call (540) 568-6775.
Deadlines
- Graduation Application– Due to your adviser October 15th. Make an appointment with your adviser in advance to go over the application.
- Apply for SCOM – November 15th: Applications are submitted through email scom@jmu.edu
SCOM Minor
- Submit application before registering for SCOM 240 & 241 in the Spring.
- When you find out your Spring 2014 registration appointment time, email that information to scom@jmu.edu, along with your section choices.
- There are six sections each available for the intro classes, 240 and 241. You must choose the same section number for both. (EX: 240.0001 & 241.0001)
- Check the SCOM website
- Email Dr. Whitfield (whitfits@jmu.edu ) or Dr. Hickerson (hickerca@jmu.edu ) to ask for any internship opportunities
- Recruit-a-Duke
Graduating Senior Majors
- Register for SCOM 394 now if you are graduating in December, if you are unable to register, contact the SCOM office at (540) 568-6228, or stop in.
- Go to Ashby Lab toward the end of the semester and take the assessment tests, but avoid exam week.
Do you have any more questions or comments? Please feel free to comments on this story.