Be Involved – Harrison Connect

February 15, 2017woocw No Comments

Building History: JMU’s First Bateman Teams

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

January 23, 2017woocw No Comments

Nathan Selove: A Testament to Communication

By Bree Riddick (’16), Morgan Gaines (’16), Morgan Galea (’16), & Sam Greene (’18),

Public speaking is difficult. Representing JMU in national speaking competitions is even more so.

But for Nathan Selove and his teammates, going for the win is as exhilarating as it is challenging. It’s also particularly rewarding for the JMU senior who, despite Asperger’s Syndrome, has helped JMU’s Speech Team rank among the top teams in the nation for the past four years.

The momentum doesn’t seem to be slowing. Lee Mayfield, faculty head of the speech team, attributes this success to the hard work and dedication of all team members top to bottom.

November 13, 2016woocw No Comments

Communicating for the Future

By Anthony Barletta (’17)

There is no lack of controversial issues within the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, and even on our campus. But there is a place to discuss them. In 2011, JMU faculty and students in the School of Communication Studies (SCOM) program, created an outlet to create spaces where these issues could be discussed productively.

For the last five years, SCOM’s Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue (ICAD) has collaborated with both the campus and the community to ease different groups of people into complex discussions.

Dr. Britt is facilitating a discussion at the ICAD's Recidivism Summit. — Dr. Britt is facilitating a discussion at the ICAD’s Recidivism Summit.

Unraveling and understanding these public issues is no easy task. Issues that challenge these communities range from mental health disabilities to sexual assault to the recidivism rate. Hitting close to home, community members have difficulty discussing these complex issues.

Engaging diverse groups in productive talk is a collaborative effort headed by ICAD’s director, Dr. Lori Britt and associate director, Dr. Rob Alexander.

ICAD brings community members, JMU faculty, and JMU students together in these discussions. According to Dr. Lori Britt, the talk “is not always about finding solutions but is sometimes focused on creating spaces where people can gain others’ perspectives.” As Dr. Britt explains, encompassing different perspectives helps strengthen community relations on campus, in the community and between the two. Read more Communicating for the Future

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.

April 24, 2014woocw No Comments

Be Involved with SCOM: A Two-Part Series on the Department’s Student Organizations

Part 2: Debate Team and Speech Team

The following introductions of both the Debate Team and Speech Team are from short interviews with the directors of both teams: Professor Michael Davis and Professor Lee Mayfield. Both teams are open to anyone who is interested in joining! Both directors would love to be contacted for any students interested in either of the organizations.

Contact information for both teams are provided below. Anyone interested is strongly encouraged to contact both directors.

Professor Michael Davis (Debate Team)

Email: davismk@jmu.edu

Professor Lee Mayfield (Speech Team)

Email: mayfiecl@jmu.edu

April 17, 2014woocw No Comments

Be Involved with SCOM: A Two-Part Series on the Department’s Student Organizations

Part 1: IABC and PRSSA

The following snapshots of the IABC and PRSSA are the result of short interviews with the hardworking presidents of these organizations. Kerry and Ryan both strive to do what is best for their respective organizations and would love to follow up with anyone that is interested in joining.

Their contact information has been included below so feel free to shoot them an email for more information.

Kerry Mclendon: (IABC)

Email: mclendkg@dukes.jmu.edu

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/kerry-mclendon/7b/714/b6

Ryan Thomas: (PRSSA)

Email: thomasrj@dukes.jmu.edu

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanthomas425

International Association of Buisness Communicators (IABC)

What’s it all about?

April 10, 2014woocw No Comments

Debate Team’s Successful Year Summary

The JMU Debate Team recently completed another successful year. The team finished the year ranked 9^th in both the National Debate Tournament’s and the Cross Examination Debate Association’s National rankings. This is the 5^th consecutive year that the team has finished in the top ten.

(Debate Team)

April 4, 2014woocw 1 Comment

SCOM Conference and SCOM Alumni Day, Here We Come!!

There are two upcoming events this week to kick-off the eventful month of April!

36th Annual SCOM Conference

JMU SCOM will hold it’s 36th Annual conference from April 7th- 9th.

(click imagee for Facebook event page)

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

“Takin’ It to the Streets:” Promoting Social Justice through Communication Activiism Scholarship by Dr. Lawrence Frey will kick off the Conference. It will take place in Highlands Festival Conference Center at 7-8pm.

Here is a brief schedule of the conferences:

Monday (7th)

Pre-Conference Workshop 3:30-4:30pm @ Harrison 1290

Conference Start 7-8:15pm @Highlands, Festival Conference Center

Tuesday (8th)

Paper Session 1:Social Movements and Cultural Change 9:30 – 10:45am @ Transitions,Warren

Paper Session 2: Communicate Criticism and Popular Culture 11-12:15pm @ Transitions, Warren

Paper Session 3: Independent Research Projects 12:30-1:45pm @ Transitions, Warren

Paper Session 4: Communication and College Life 2-3pm @ Transitions, Warren

Information Session: Graduate Degree in Communication and Advocacy 3:30-4:30pm @ Transitions, Warren

Wednesday (9th)

Paper Session 5: Mediated Communication and Identities 9:05-9:55am @ Transitions, Warren

Paper Session 6: Presidential and Public Rhetoric 10:10-11am @ Transitions, Warren

Paper Session 7 : Honors Theses 11:15-12pm @ Transitions, Warren

Since there are multiple sessions, find ones that fit your schedule and attend. You will be able to find out interesting information as well as supporting your classmates.
For the full program you can find it at our Facebook event page.

SCOM Alumni Day

The day is finally here! This Friday will be the ‘Springboard Into the Future’ Alumni event!

(click image for Facebook event page)

Five Alumni Panel Presentations in Harrison 0102:

– Panel 1: (9:05-9:55) Entering into the Fast Paced World of For-Profit Organization’s: What to Expect!

– Panel 2: (10:10-11:00) “I graduated with a degree in Communication Studies… Now what?!”

– Panel 3: (11:15-12:05) Branding and Planning the Career of Your Dreams

– Panel 4: (12:20-1:10) Networking Like an All Star: The Ins and Outs of Building Professional Relationships

– Panel 5: (1:25-2:15) Inside the World of Public Relations: From the Day to Day to the Big Picture

Student-Alumni Lunch in Harrison 1290 from 11:30-2pm

Afterwards come out to the Alumni Awards Picnic in the courtyard behind Harrison and Ashby at 3pm!!

Enjoy a sunny Friday mingling with your classmates, faculty members and alumni! This will be a great opportunity to network as well as get to know others in SCOM!

We will be updating our Facebook and Twitter page during these events so please stay tuned through these outlets as well!

Please let us know if you have any news to share with us. You can contact Dr. Isaac Woo (woocw@jmu.edu), Karen Kim (kim2yj@dukes.jmu.edu) or Colby Boone (booneck@dukes.jmu.edu) for a blog story idea.f

April 1, 2014woocw No Comments

Event TOMORROW!

As the weather is warming up, we have exciting events coming up as well and there’s a great event happening TOMORROW!

Community Dialogue on Community Health

(click on image for Facebook event page)

We hope you will join us for a facilitated community dialogue on: Access to Health: It’s Political—A Community Dialogue on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 (TOMORROW) 5:30-7:00pm in the JMU Rose Library, 3^rd Floor Flex Space.

(Parking is available to campus visitors in the C10 and D2 lots between 5:30pm and 7:00pm. No permits will be necessary)

This discussion will center on the question “How can we educate and engage community members in all facets of healthcare and remove barriers to wellness, access to preventative and urgent care, and local resources in an effort to protect, promote and enhance quality of life.”

This focus was sparked by many of the ideas in the A Book for the ‘Burg selection, Mountains Beyond Mountains, about the work of Dr. Paul Farmer in addressing critical health issues and finding that those issues intersect with politics, the natural environment, cultural values and norms, transportation, etc. The discussion will consider how healthcare intersects with these issues right here at JMU, in Harrisonburg and in the Valley and consider how we might all contribute to our community’s health.

This interactive event is being led by trained student facilitators of the 4C Initiative: Campus Community Civic Collaborative, a program of the Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue (ICAD)/School of Communication Studies. This event is part of a larger programming schedule for A Book for the ‘Burg, a community reading experience. The event is free, open to the public, and does not require participants to have read the book.

For more information, contact Lori Britt at brittll@jmu.edu, or

540-568-5028

540-568-5028.

See more on healthcare access and community dialogue at a blog created by students: http://accessinghealthjmu.wordpress.com/contact-us/

October 31, 2013woocw No Comments

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:

https://secure.www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/JMD/onlinegiving/showGivingForm.jsp?form_id=127370

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

Mark with the debate team and his professors

We thank you for your time spent here at JMU and the legacy you left with our debate team.