SCOM News & Event – Harrison Connect

April 20, 2017woocw No Comments

SCOM Celebrating Open Oceans of Opportunity

A party by students for students and faculty?

Sounds like fun—and, yes, it will be!

Each and every April, JMU’s School of Communication Studies hosts an annual dinner where SCOM students, faculty, family, and friends get together to gaze back and ahead. The event includes great food, numerous awards, plenty of celebration and, of course, a dash of education.

Last year’s SCOM dinner. The theme was “the world is waiting for you.”

Eric Fife, Director of the School of Communications, agrees saying, “it’s a wonderful event, and a great way to celebrate a successful year.”

That’s certainly the case this spring. Planning began in January, and has been a time of high anticipation for the student planners, seniors Karan Deengar (’17) and Ian Francisco (’17).

Deengar, a highly organized and detail-oriented individual, chose to plan this event because he wanted to learn.

“This dinner is one of the biggest events within SCOM and I wanted to be a part of the process to learn all about what makes it such a special event for all those involved,” Deengar says.

This year’s theme, “Open Oceans of Opportunity” reflects the many paths to success within communication studies.

Francisco, the creative brains behind the dinner, chose to take part in the event because he wanted this year’s event to be the best one yet.

“My last year in SCOM, or at JMU in general wouldn’t be enough if I didn’t become involved in a big way” the senior says.

Ian Francisco and Karan Deengar have planned the event and sold tickets.

“This was my way to give back to my major and wrap things up as a student here!”

Both students found the planning process enlightening and educational as they learned the importance of having a good partner.

“The success of any two business partners or colleagues is directly reliant on the synergy between the two people,” said Francisco, “I learned this right away as Karan kept catching things I was missing, and I was doing the same to him.”

This year, the event falls on Tuesday, April 25 and will be held in the Madison Union Ballroom. It’s a special time to unwind, listen to live entertainment and enjoy a lovely meal with faculty and students alike.

Most importantly, the evening will feature various awards. For students, recognition will be given to individuals within their chosen concentration and student organizations in SCOM. The best lecturer award, the best professor award and the distinguished alumni award will be presented as well.

Fife noted his excitement surrounding the event saying “Every aspect of the community is represented, which I think is fantastic. If I could find a way to do so, I’d make it an even larger event.”

Both Francisco and Deengar agree they hope the night will be a time for everyone to “take it all in one last night before finals and entering the real world, I know it will be for me” said Deengar.

Melissa Swan, an SCOM major following plans for the event, is also excited. “It’s sure to be a great time,” she says. “After all, who knows how to throw a party better than JMU students?”

February 15, 2017woocw No Comments

Building History: JMU’s First Bateman Teams

By Hope Gallagher (’17)

When JMU students go head-to-head in a national competition, two things happen: great work and great experience.

Before the judges even look at the entries, this makes the prestigious Bateman Case Study Competition a win-win for the JMU Chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) members.

The Bateman competition is an annual, nationwide campaign that began in 2011. They ask teams of four or five students to create full public relations campaigns through research, strategy development, implementation, and evaluation.

And for the first time in program history, SCOM students are competing. Because one team would be too predictable, two teams from PRSSA are entered in the 2016-2017 competition.

The top three teams receive monetary prizes, and get to pitch their idea in-person to the judges.

The winner’s campaign becomes the inspiration for a real-life campaign by Bateman competition. It’s an incredible opportunity, and not one to be taken lightly.

The competition begins today. Read more Building History: JMU’s First Bateman Teams

February 4, 2017woocw No Comments

SCOM’s newest study abroad program: Public Relations in Korea

By Sara Hardiman (Class of 2017)

JMU classes, particularly communication classes, are great.

But even the best of classes have their limitations.

That’s why a dozen Public Relations students in JMU’s School of Communication Studies packed their bags and went to South Korea last summer.

Sports and International public relations in Korea is one of the newest study abroad programs the School of Communication Studies offers. Read more SCOM’s newest study abroad program: Public Relations in Korea

April 20, 2016woocw No Comments

32 Students and Faculty Represent SCOM at ECA Conference

By Amberly Millis (’16)

March 31 to April 3, students and faculty members in the School of Communication Studies at James Madison University presented at the 107^th Eastern Communication Association Convention at the Hyatt Regency in Inner Harbor Baltimore, Maryland. These Students and faculty members presented their scholarly research in the convention’s informational and/or competitive panels.

JMU undergraduate student participants included:

Amy D’Amato, Lauren Antilety, Nicole Banville, Alexandra Foley, Katie Haskins, Andrew Haveles, Haley Hoff, Gina Jeliff, Yoon Ko, Kaitlyn Lema, Laura Mack, Kathryn McAnally, Amberly Millis, Amanda Pennypacker, Ashley Reynolds, Emma Talkington, Haley Winter, and Lindsay Wright.

Graduate student participants included:

Erin Casey, Claire Habel, Austin Woodruff, and Leanna Smithberger.

Faculty member participants included:

Dr. Carlos Aleman, Dr. Timothy Ball, Dr. Lori Britt, Dr. Heather Carmack, Dr. Eric Fife, Dr. Lindsey Harvell, Dr. Kathryn Hobson, Dr. Tatjana Hocke, Dr. C. Leigh Nelson, and Ms. Christina Saindon.

These participants joined with experts and scholars from all over the country to present their research on a variety of communication studies subjects, including crisis, interpersonal, advocacy, leadership, health, organizational, media, rhetorical, and many more. This year’s selection was very competitive, so please congratulate your fellow Dukes for their hard work and accomplishments!

To learn how you can apply to partake in next year’s ECA Conference, go to www.ecasite.org for more information.

April 23, 2015woocw No Comments

SCOM Week 2015

The School of Communication Studies just wrapped up its 37th Annual Communication Studies Conference last week. The conference ran from April 13-15 and kicked off Monday night with the keynote address given by Dr. J. David Cisneros from the University of Illinois. Collectively, there were 25 papers presented by 50 students with 22 guest faculty discussants.

Beginning Tuesday morning and lasting till Wednesday afternoon, a variety of student speakers presented their research papers. The topics varied from communication and digital media, persuasion, identity, relationships, well-being, honors theses and more. Some papers had been completed and the presenters expounded on their findings, while others are still in the process of concluding and the outcomes were to be determined.

The director of the conference, Dr. Carlos Aleman, explained to the audiences how each presenter was hand picked by their professor. These students had displayed exceptional research, study and work habits and therefore had the honor of sharing their findings with those in attendance.

Furthermore, guests and speakers could follow along via social media, using the hashtag #SCOMcon2015 to see various pictures and updates throughout the week.

One presenter, Marlena Luciano (’16), talked about her experience presenting at the conference, “Presenting for SCOM week was an incredible experience. Although this was our first time conducting research, we still gained valuable practice in presenting a topic that interested us and received feedback from faculty and other professionals. It taught us the importance of continuing our knowledge in the field of communication by asking questions and finding answers through research.”

As in years past, Top Presentation honors are selected by faculty discussants’ assessments of the clarity of purpose, organization, professionalism, informative value, and level of engagement. This year the following presenters earning highest marks were:

“Crisis Communication and Sexual Assault on College Campuses.” (Julie Hirschhorn)

“Students as Neighbors Employing Dialogue and Deliberation to Manage Town-Gown Tensions.” (Lauren Holder, Courtney Herb & Alison Steed)

“Public Relations Promotion to Advance Child Reading and Literacy.” (Rosemarie McGinty)

To find out more about this year’s conference, the individual speakers and their topics, or information about previous years, you can visit their webpage by clicking here.

April 19, 2015woocw No Comments

Student Worker Appreciation Week: Honoring two members of our SCOM family

“Family,” a word used often by the SCOM Program Support Technician, Gretchen Hansen, has become a motif to describe the School of Communication Studies’ atmosphere and the people of Harrison Hall. As we near the end of the semester and a very busy April, it is important to recognize the members of our family that sometimes go unnoticed by the general body for their hard work and dedication to the success of our program.

In celebration of Student Worker Appreciation Week, April 13 through April 20, the SCOM family would like to honor Kelsey Evans and Logan Caldwell for their years of service in the SCOM office and their contributions to the School of Communication Studies.

March 19, 2015woocw No Comments

Lambda Pi Eta

Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) is the official communication studies honor society of the National Communication Association (NCA). JMU’s chapter, Gamma Beta, was founded in 1994 and is part of the almost 300 chapters worldwide. LPH’s purpose is, “to educate and honor students in the field of communication, while giving them a forum within which they can voice opinions and be active in promoting understanding of the field through service on campus and in the community.”

In a recent interview with the chapter’s advisor, Professor April Roth, they recently inducted 20 new
members, which is roughly 30% more than last year.

Roth also mentioned that an advantage to being a part of LPH is being able to attend their meetings. LPH consistently has great speakers (such as Mark Anderson from C.A.P and Dr. Lori Britt) who present on building and enhancing resumes, how to utilize social media, and other great workshops. Members and those interested can also check out their bulletin board, located on the first floor of Harrison, for updates and upcoming events.

Furthermore, members are encouraged to join LPH’s executive team, which is voted on by those in the chapter.

“My favorite part of being in Lambda Pi Eta has been getting to hear all the great speakers we have had at each meeting,” stated Alyssa Wolf (’16), current vice president. “We have had all types of talks, from resume workshops to a speech on ‘The Most Important Lesson I Learned From My Communication Education.’ I always enjoy hearing what the speakers have to say and taking their great advice.”

Those interested in LPH are encouraged to attend their next meeting, which is on March 27 at 7 PM.

March 6, 2015woocw No Comments

February Recap: SCOM Reaches New Heights

Along with numerous inches of snow, the SCOM department has seen major accomplishments for the month of February.

On February 10^th students and faculty attended the Love Talk Film Festival, where scholars and long-term couples shared their expertise on love and relationships. In addition seven mini-documentaries, produced by students in Jennie Rosier’s (fall 2014) SCOM 314: Communication in Romantic Relationships class, were screened. The top three filmmakers received awards for their hard work.

FIRST PLACE:

Filmmaker Name: Jessica Hunt

Film Title: Love Me Not: Why You Stay When You Should Go

SECOND PLACE:

Filmmaker Name: Alyssa Herington

Film Title: “I Love You (maybe)”

THIRD PLACE:

Filmmaker Name: Nicole Lamberta

Film Title: Smooth Sails Ahead!

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On February 13, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) visited Washington D.C. to attend business briefings with PR agencies: Adfero Group, Burson-Marsteller, Edleman, Fleishman Hillard, and Golin. JMU will continue their professional development efforts with a visit to New York City in March.

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Dr. Fife’s essay was featured on the COE’s story project, “What Sustains Me.” He is the only CAL faculty member included in this project!

The College of Education’s “What Sustains Me” Project is a series of personal essays and/or artistic contributions about the heart of teachers and teaching. JMU College of Education faculty, faculty from other areas of the University, and teachers from surrounding area pre-K through 12th grade schools share their stories for the purpose of better understanding each other as educators and our potential as a community.

James Madison University – Eric Fife essay

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Dr. Lori Britt received JMU’s Goodman Faculty Award! This prestigious award is designed to recognize an exceptional junior faculty member for “excellence in teaching, and especially faculty who integrate their teaching and scholarship to benefit our student and the learning process.” Please share the good news.

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On the weekend of February 27^th, the JMU Speech team completed the last of their regular season travel on the Alexandria campus of Northern Virginia Community College. With eleven teams representing the eastern area of the US, the JMU team finished as the Top Team both days of competition. Qualification for the national tournament is a season long process and with the results from this last weekend every member of the JMU Speech Team qualified for the American Forensic Association-National Individual Events tournament to be held in Portland Oregon this April; this will be the largest squad JMU has qualified in its history.

Individual Results are as follows:

Olivia Adams, Freshman SCOM, 3rd After Dinner Speaking
Magdalene Dada, Sophomore Nursing, 5th Impromptu Speaking
Abby Fiege, Sophomore SCOM, 4th After Dinner Speaking
Nate Gross, Freshman Undeclared, 2nd Impromptu Speaking, 4th Persuasive Speaking
Armin Haracic, Sophomore International Affairs, 3rd Extemporaneous Speaking
Ally Hepburn, Freshman Undeclared, 1st Informative Speaking
Ty Kemp, Freshman SCOM, 6th Dramatic Interpretation, 2nd Informative Speaking
Haley Lawrie, Sophomore Spanish, 5th Extemporaneous Speaking, 3rd Informative Speaking
Nathan Selove, Sophomore SCOM 2nd Dramatic Interpretation, 4th Informative Speaking, 4th Prose Interpretation
Marieka Turner, Senior SCOM, 3rd Poetry Interpretation
Greta Wolking, Freshman Undeclared, 3rd Persuasive Speaking

1ST PLACE OVERALL TEAM

Day Two Results:

Olivia Adams, Freshman SCOM, 1st After Dinner Speaking
Jessie Bur, Senior SMAD/English, 3rd Poetry Interpretation
Magdalene Dada, Sophomore Nursing, 4th Impromptu
Abby Fiege, Sophomore SCOM, 2nd After Dinner Speaking, 2nd Duo Interpretation, 4th Prose Interpretation
Nate Gross, Freshman Undeclared, 2nd Impromptu Speaking, 4th Persuasive Speaking
Armin Haracic, Sophomore International Affairs, 4th Extemporaneous Speaking
Ally Hepburn, Freshman Undeclared, 6th Dramatic Interpretation, 4th Informative Speaking, 5th Prose Interpretation
Ty Kemp, Freshman SCOM, 3rd Dramatic Interpretation, 2nd Duo Interpretation
Haley Lawrie, Sophomore Spanish, 3rd Extemporaneous Speaking
Nathan Selove, Sophomore SCOM, 4th Dramatic Interpretation, 2nd Informative Speaking, 3rd Prose Interpretation
Greta Wolking, Freshman Undeclared, 3rd Persuasive Speaking, 6th Prose Interpretation

OVERALL TOP TEAM

The team is coached by graduate students Nicole Hudak and Katie Lese, as well as Alyssa Reid and Lee Mayfield.

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REMINDERS:

SCOM Banquet tickets now available!

Below are the dates/times/locations of ticket sales this week:

Monday 3/2: Harrison Conference room 1131 from 11-2pm
Tuesday 3/3: Harrison Conference room 1131 from 10:45-1:45pm
Wednesday 3/4: Harrison 1^st floor hallway from 11-2pm

*Tickets $13, cash and check accepted.

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ALL GRADUATING SENIORS (FULLY ADMITTED MAJORS):

You must take SCOM 394 prior to graduation. Some of you may already have taken the class, and in that case you don’t need to worry about it – but if not, make sure you’re registered for the course by the time it “starts” on March 16. The course consists solely of a set of assessment tests that you must take, with no specific score required, by the deadline (typically mid-April).

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Don’t forget, you can always prepare for your future by visiting the Career and Academic Planning Center. They can help you venture down the right road with advice on majors, internships, resumes, jobs, and more.

February 7, 2015woocw No Comments

SCOM Requests Distinguished Alumni Award Nominations

It’s that time of year again, when the School of Communication Studies Community Committee has the opportunity to select another accomplished alumnus to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award. The committee is accepting nominations and self-nominations for this award until February 16, 2015.

“I would encourage alumni to consider applying—if anything, it’s a great exercise in reviewing your goals and general career direction,” said Meghan Ely, 2003 SCOM graduate and last year’s Distinguished Alumni Award winner, when asked why alumni should self-nominate, “It never hurts to be a bit introspective from time to time. Awards help professionals stand out when faced with a saturated market and it’s nice to have an added competitive edge.”

The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented every spring to an alumnus who makes exceptional contributions to their discipline or profession and demonstrates outstanding service to the School of Communication Studies, James Madison University, their community, region or nation. The winner of the award will receive up to $1,000 in travel and accommodations to attend the SCOM banquet on April 8, 2015, where they will be recognized for their dedication and growth in the communications field.

December 16, 2014woocw No Comments

No More GCOM?! The “G” Indicators will be removed from Gen Ed Courses by Fall 2015.

“Gen Ed’s are supposed to be easy.” Says who? JMU students immediately associate ‘general’ with ‘easy’. This commonly held mindset is actually a big misconception. Many of these courses are actually very challenging. So why does the dreaded “G” in front of all of these courses change the way students view the difficulty of a course?

This is one of the negative connotations the G has acquired over the years that has come to many faculty’s attention. The G was originally intended to be a positive symbol and make JMU’s General Education program distinctive, when it was created in the late 1990s. Although the General Education program continues to do this, it has acquired negative connotations that have led to major reconsiderations. During JMU’s 2011-2012 program review, faculty proposed the idea of removing the G from the course prefix in General Education classes, according to the General Education page on the JMU website. Last year it was confirmed by various members of the JMU community that this was a good idea.

Last year, the JMU General Education program made a concerted effort to reach as many people as possible including instructors who teach General Education courses to listen their opinion about this issue.

“They tried hard to explain why the program was contemplating the removal of the G,” said Dr. Tim Ball, assistant professor and SCOM basic course director, “They wanted to make sure we thought it was a change that needed to happen.” Read more No More GCOM?! The “G” Indicators will be removed from Gen Ed Courses by Fall 2015.