Longwood University Communication Studies

The Communication Studies Career Conference has become a tradition within the major thanks to Dr. Naomi Johnson and other Communication Studies professors. This conference has been traditionally held in person with Communication Studies alumni hosting various career sessions. Naomi described the COMM Career Conference (now week) by saying, 

“The overall purpose is for students who are juniors and seniors is to give them an opportunity to network with people and professionals in fields that they’re interested in to help them obtain internships and jobs after graduation. Then, for all students, but especially for freshmen and sophomores, it is really helpful to see what is possible. A lot of times alumni are in positions that students don’t even recognize exist or are possibilities for them. So, for all students, but especially for younger students, I think it’s really helpful to identify what options are available for you and then that way you can make plans for the remainder of your time at Longwood to achieve those goals.” 

COMM Career Day used to be one day with multiple sessions from successful alumni. Since having to switch plans to accommodate for COVID-19 guidelines, Naomi also said she believes the conference will continue to take place for a few days rather than one day. Also, she hopes in the future the event can be a hybrid format of having some alumni in person while others join via zoom. 

COMM Career Week is not only helpful to current students but to alumni as well. It is a great way for COMM alumni to help current students and to reconnect with their professors. When asked what Naomi wanted alumni to gain from this conference, she said, “Our alumni want to still feel connected to the COMMunity… we’ve been overwhelmed with gratitude with how many alumni have reached back to us and said we really want to help students, we still want to be a part of Longwood, how can we help? That’s been so wonderful to see. It really warms all of our faculty hearts. So, this is just a great way for alumni to still feel connected with students and feel like they’re helping students in a concrete way.” 

During COMM Career Week, many alumni shared their job experiences with students, 13 to be exact. Many said they enjoyed being able to give back to the COMMunity and share their knowledge with students. Steven Herring (’19) said, 

“I would say my favorite part would be connecting with the students. I have been able to connect with one of the students who attended the session and have been assisting that student in not only how to get into Emergency Management, but also what to expect both within the field and with life in general after Longwood. I feel creating that connection and being able to provide that guidance and support to students who will soon be leaving Longwood and entering into their respective careers is by far the most rewarding experience.”

Katelyn (Kate) Hackett Supa (’10) shared a similar perspective and said her favorite part about speaking during the conference was, 

“Nostalgia is real, and I loved being able to reconnect for a few minutes with Dr. Naomi, really try to put myself back in a student’s shoes and think about what they would want to hear and of course I really loved how interested the students were. Social media is ever changing and in seeing their excitement about it I know they are going to be able to take the tools that they are getting from their time as students and kill it in their careers.” 

Hunter Stinnett (’20) said she really liked hearing all of the questions from current students. She said, “They brought great questions and were engaged throughout the session.” Hunter also said she was pleased with the number of students who joined her session. “I wish I would have had more time with them than just 20 minutes, they were asking so many great questions I could have talked with them for an hour.”  

Other COMM alumni that were presenters during COMM Career Week said they enjoyed interacting with other alumni during their session. Nicole Del Rosario (’19) said, “I loved getting to speak alongside my very close friend, Shannon Blunt, and having the moderator be one of my Longwood mentors, Clint Wright! It was fun to reunite with people that definitely helped me get to the point I am right now in my career.”

COMM Career Week truly benefits everyone in the COMMunity, from current students to alumni. It is an opportunity for current students to hear from alumni and receive advice as well as to network. Likewise, it is a chance for alumni to return to Longwood, even virtually, and get to share their experiences with students. This event serves as a reminder that one’s place in the COMMunity does not end after graduation but keeps going to help the next generation of successful citizen leaders. 

Events on campus last fall and this semester have looked a little different than normal. The annual LAMP (Longwood Academy for Meeting and Planning) workshop was no exception. On February 11, 2021, students had the opportunity to learn about virtual events from experienced professionals in the field via Zoom. During the workshop, Tim Vaughn (Technical Producer for Arloesol Designs) and Sarah Luongo (Associate Director for UVA Clubs Strategic Events and Global Engagement) led students through the process of creating virtual events by describing the differences between in-person meetings versus webinars, adapting in-person events to virtual experiences and preparing for digital events. The event consisted of a presentation going over this information then the students worked on a project in break out rooms. 

One of the facilitators, Sarah Luongo (’15), an alumna of the Communications Studies program, had some special reasons why she chose to help with this event: “I love any opportunity to come back and meet Longwood University Communication Studies students. I would not be where I am today without the support of the COMMunity (faculty, staff, and fellow students). When I was a student, I was given the opportunity to attend 2 conferences (1 in DC and 1 in Tampa) and with the generous support of alumni and the University I was able to attend with little to no out of pocket expenses. This meant the world to me because I might not have been able to attend without their support. Any chance I get I like to pay it forward.”

Sarah is experienced with virtual event planning because it is a large portion of her job. She was able to provide students with a lot of personal knowledge due to her experiences. As previously mentioned, many aspects of virtual events were discussed throughout the event. However, Sarah also mentioned the most important parts of LAMP to her. “Even though virtual events look different than in-person, we still go back to the basics for the planning process. It is important to identify the goal of your event, your audience, and how you want to measure success. Once you outline those foundations you could build any event – in-person or virtually!” Sarah was able to provide great insider advice to students and we thank her for her willingness to participate. 

For most students in 2021, attending class online has become the new norm. However, attending a virtual conference was new to some student participants. Many students expressed their thoughts about LAMP and described what was most useful to them. 

Nichole Reano, a junior Communication Studies major with a concentration in Public Relations, seemed to enjoy LAMP and said her biggest takeaway was, 

“How to successfully promote a virtual event. This resonated with me because it gave me a better understanding of how important it is to identify your audience, market an event at the correct time, and how to communicate a compelling reason why your audience should care about the event you are trying to promote.”

Reano also mentioned that this was her first time attending a virtual event and that she would recommend other students to participate in LAMP to learn something new. 

Another student who benefitted from attending LAMP was Jacob Farmer, a sophomore with a double major in History with a concentration in Pre-Law and Communication Studies with a concentration in Public Relations. Jacob mentioned “As president of the College Democrats of Longwood University, I have worked hard with members and community organizers this past fall and now spring to host engaging online events, so I have certainly experienced this reality firsthand.” The reality Farmer is describing is how much work and preparation goes into planning and facilitating virtual events. Students of all ages who are involved in clubs and organizations have faced the challenges of keeping their members interested in virtual events. Jacob also commented on LAMP as a whole, “I think this year’s LAMP event went exceptionally well. I appreciate that the Communication Studies department took advantage of our new virtual academic landscape to translate LAMP into an online event.” 

Students, organizations, companies and the like have had to re-envision their events this year. The Communication Studies department is committed to providing students a useful experience no matter the circumstances. We are very proud of this year’s LAMP and that we were able to carry on the tradition for the fourth time. This event could not have happened without our facilitators and the contributions from our professors. Also, the event could not have occurred without students attending. We thank everyone who was involved in the planning and implementation process as well as all of the participants. 

By: Heather Waldo

For many students, professors and faculty, fall 2020 will go down in history as being one of the most challenging and strangest semesters yet. Many students are feeling the weight of this semester and are in need of a pick-me-up. That is exactly what Lambda Pi Eta accomplished during their COMMunity Open Lawn event on October 28 on Lankford Mall. 

Lambda Pi Eta is the official honor society of the National Communication Association (NCA). The Nu Epsilon chapter of Lambda Pi Eta at Longwood University began in 2008. According to the NCA, there are over 500 chapters nationwide. Lambda Pi Eta stands for logos, pathos and ethos: logic, emotion and ethics/credibility. The goals of the organization are to recognize outstanding scholastic achievement in the communication field, promote both professional and academic development, encourage students to have positive mentor relationships with faculty and other students and to stimulate interest in Communication Studies. 

When asked about this organization, President Allison Turner (’21) said, “One of our six goals is to establish and foster relations amongst the students and department, and that is what we are doing not only through this event, but also on a day-to-day basis. We also recognize scholastic achievement, and we do that through our Student of the Month event, put on by our Vice President, Caitlin Sullivan.”

Turner also mentioned that this event had many benefits for current as well as prospective members. “Our initiation was virtual in the spring, so the members that joined in the spring (a majority of the group) have not been recognized publicly yet. We wanted to invite the Communication Studies department and were then asked to collaborate with the department to create this event. The goal behind it is to recognize the new members of Lambda Pi Eta, but also bring the Communication Studies department together for the first time this semester.”

Cade Kinzel (’21) and Brookelyn Parker (’21), both seniors and Digital Media concentrations, came to the event to receive their Lambda Pi Eta certificates and pins. They were inducted into the organization last spring and were excited to see other members as well as other fellow COMMunity members. Kinzel said, “I really wanted to attend this event because we haven’t really gotten that in person connection with the members of Lambda Pi Eta, this was my first opportunity to do that.” 

This event was about welcoming new Communication Studies majors and to formally initiate new Lambda Pi Eta members into the organization. When asked what her favorite part of the event was Brookelyn Parker (’21) said, “I think the quiz was really fun because you got to learn more about people in Lambda Pi Eta, the COMMunity and the professors.” The quiz was about all things within the COMMunity. It had questions about many topics, from organizations, professors and even students. The winner of the quiz also received a $25 gift card. 

Along with current Communication Studies majors there were also prospective ones. Brittany Washington (’23) a Computer Science major attended the event to learn more about the department because she is considering adding it as a minor. Brittany mentioned she is already familiar with some of the software that is used within the major. She attended to learn new things and to help her make her final decision whether to add the minor or not. Washington said, “I hope to learn more about Communication Studies and speak to some of the professors and learn about the organizations/clubs I could join.”

Another person attended the event to learn more about Communication Studies. “My friend is a Communication Studies major and she talks about it all of the time and since I’m undeclared I felt I like I need to get out there and learn about different majors.” This event provided this student an opportunity to talk representatives of Communication Studies clubs, current Communication Studies majors as well as other prospective students. This student said she enjoyed being able to talk other students within the major by saying, “My favorite part of this event is definitely interacting with the other Communication Studies students because you get to learn the most from talking to other people.” Overall this student was glad she attended the event and got the opportunity to learn more about Communication Studies. 

Lambda Pi Eta’s event was definitely a success. When asked what the purpose of the event was, Dr. Kris Paal said, “This event is intended to provide just a little opportunity to accomplish both bringing together students and celebrating some of the academic success of our newest members of LPH.  2020 has been a rough year for everyone, and it certainly has made it difficult for our COMMunity to feel like a community.  The purpose of the COMMunity Open Lawn is rooted in LPH’s desire to hold some sort of gathering for members and other students to connect.  Additionally, LPH’s spring initiation was held via Zoom due to lockdown, and so our new members have yet to have a ceremony where they can receive their official membership certificates and where we can publicly acknowledge their achievement.”

Everything Dr. Paal and the rest of Lambda Pi Eta set out to do by hosting this event was accomplished. New members of LPH got the opportunity to be publicly recognized and to connect with other members. It also provided prospective students a chance to learn more about the COMMunity and why it is such a unique major to join. As Dr. Paal mentioned, this semester has been a challenge for everyone. This event provided students an opportunity to connect with one another and to not focus on all of their challenges for a little while. The COMMunity Open Lawn event also proved that as a major we can still come together and keep our community strong no matter the circumstances. Even in the most challenging of times, the COMMunity remains resilient. 

COMMLab: A Production Class Like No Other

By: Hunter Stinnett

Ever wonder what it was like to be part of an award-winning team? Students from COMMLab know. They produced the video that made it possible for Longwood University to win the 2019 best campus traditions award from the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA).

Debuting in the fall of 2017, the students of COMM 434 COMMLab have been helping community organizations by writing, shooting, and editing videos for them. Originally developed by Dr. Ryan Stouffer and Professor Jeff Halliday, COMMLab is a course that creates videos for clients in and around the Farmville area. Even the course number itself, COMM 434, is a nod to the Farmville community.

According to Dr. Stouffer, “COMMLab was created to give students hands-on experience communicating with clients, producing professional videos, and enhancing student’s professional portfolios.” One of the unique components of COMMLab is that students work primarily for nonprofit agencies in the Farmville community because they oftentimes do not have the funds or resources to have a video professionally made.

The Process

Something that makes COMMLab stand apart from other media production courses is that it is offered every semester. By no surprise, the spring 2020 section of COMMLab filled in just under 90 minutes.

With a cap of 12, the students are then broken into four different groups, they will work with on projects for the entirety of the semester. Each group completes four different projects of the course of the semester for different clients. After selecting the clients, student groups reach out and set up a meeting to discuss what the client is interested in having produced. And after a contract is signed, the students begin writing and filming the video.

A current COMMLab student, Miranda Farley (’20) said she is “thankful for the opportunity to gain this experience in a class because it helps prepare [her] for jobs after graduation.” While students in COMMLab have only produced videos to date, they hope to expand their offerings in future semesters based on client needs.

COMMLab Clients

To date, COMMLab has worked with over 62 different clients.

According to Professor Halliday, one of the most unique clients COMMLab has worked with was The Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation (VCBR). The VCBR works to help sexually violent predators recover and provide them with the opportunity to return to their communities. COMMLab created an employee recruitment video for this facility that is now featured on the main page of their website.

Another recent client is the Longwood University Athletics Department. COMMLab created a program for them called Lancer Central that features 30 different episodes about the different athletic teams at the university. COMMLab has also worked with Susan Sullivan, Director of the University Center and Student Activities, to create a video about Longwood’s tradition of The G.A.M.E. This particular video was submitted to NACA won the competition in February of 2019 where Longwood was awarded the Best Campus Traditions under 5,000 students. Sullivan remarked that she is glad Longwood offers a “great academic class that university offices can call upon in a time of need.” She also said that COMMLab “allows students the opportunity to participate and create a unique tangible video that has the potential to be award winning.”

Digital Media alumnus, Nicole Del Rosario (’19) reached out to Dr. Stouffer saying, “thank you for creating a course that helped prepare me for the professional world.” Other alum have also reached out and said that their employers were impressed by the camera experience and professional portfolio so soon after graduation. Dr. Stouffer stated that he is “happy to provide an opportunity for creative freedom to students while also helping them build a professional portfolio.”

Finally, this semester one group of COMMLab students was tasked with creating a new introductory video for our very own Communication Studies department, working with Dr. Alec Hosterman and his intern. The video is going to be used during recruiting events as well as posted across the department’s different social media accounts. And without further ado, here it is:

Broadcasting Their Way Into the Future

At the end of each semester, COMMLab live broadcasts the senior poster session for communication students who go through COMM 460 Communication Research. This year will be the second annual broadcast of this event, where different students will explain their research and highlight their results. Parents, alumni, and other community members will be able to live stream the poster sessions on the Longwood University Communication Studies YouTube channel. This year’s live session will be held on Tuesday, December 10, 2019, starting at 10:00 a.m. EST.

COMMLab is a production course like no other at Longwood University. This course gives students the ability to serve the larger community while also learning skills that most have to wait until they are in the profession to learn. Dr. Stouffer gave thanks to Dr. Naomi Johnson-Tsigaridas, who was department chair when this course was created, for believing in the program and what it has to offer to students. Current department chair, Jeff Halliday, says, “this is a class that serves the university’s greater mission of creating citizen leaders.”

Make sure to check out some of the different videos COMMLab has produced which are linked below.

1. Madeline’s House
2. Elwood’s Cabinet
3. Longwood Traditions: The G.A.M.E.

If you are interested in having COMMLab create a video for you, please reach out to Dr. Ryan Stouffer (stoufferrr@longwood.edu) or Professor Jeff Halliday (hallidayja@longwood.edu).

“Be bold in whatever it is you want to do” – Michael Durr

By: Hunter Stinnett

Michael Durr (’16), is doing exciting and unexpected things these days, from soccer coach to salesperson, to fashion model. However, before Michael got to where he is today, he was a division one student-athlete with a Public Relations concentration and minor in Business Administration.

Photo taken from @Michaelatleydurr on Instagram.

During his four years at Longwood, Michael was on the men’s soccer team, where two of those years he spent as captain. Michael said that being captain of the team, “forced me to hold myself to a high standard both on and off the field.” As a result of Michael being a leader both on and off the field, he was hand-selected to be a part of the Lancer Leadership Program. This program was led by Troy Austin, former Athletic Director at the university. The primary goal of this program was to mold and cultivate young leaders. Michael was also a member of the Communication Studies academic fraternity, Lambda Pi Eta. This fraternity, now called the is the National Communication Studies Honor Society, has specific academic requirements students must meet to be invited to join. Which are, to have completed 60 credit hours, completed 12 credit hours in the Communication Studies program, have a 3.0 overall GPA, and have a 3.25 GPA for all Communication Studies courses.

Photo taken from @Michaelatleydurr on Instagram.

Two years from graduating, Michael wears many different hats in his day-to-day life. He is a fulltime soccer coach, soccer trainer, and fashion model. Oddly enough, when Michael graduated he was first a salesperson for an application (app) development company for ten months. He then transferred to a small medical supply company where he did sales for 7 months. After working there, Michael was then promoted to Director of Sales. He held that management position for a little over a year before the company was sold in November of 2018.

Two months before the medical supply company was sold, Michael began modeling on the side. He was originally placed in New York with Muse Management. However, recently Michael signed with Ursula-Weidmann Models located in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael currently live in Mississippi where the modeling market is nowhere near what it is in New York so her typically has a gig every three weeks.

Photo taken from @Michaelatleydurr on Instagram.

A typical soccer day for Michael starts at the gym and ends on the soccer field. He hits the soccer field and does training and coaching from 2:30 pm to 9:30 pm, with personal training lessons starting at 2:30 and practice beginning at 5:30. He is currently coaching three different soccer teams.

Michael says that effective communication, branding, and marketing are the three biggest skills from his degree that he uses on a daily basis. Effective communication plays a large role when communicating with his team’s parents. He is able to get important information out in a clear and concise manner. Whereas branding and marketing have helped him grow his Instagram following. Michael learned that it is all about knowing your target audience and that brands are more likely to higher you when you have a large following. He then made the decision to change his Instagram from private to public and has since gained over 1,500 followers. Since his increase in followers he was able to work with brands like Hugo Boss and was offered a spot on a CBS TV show. Unfortunately, he cannot share which one (yet). But he did say “reality tv isn’t my thing.”

Photo taken from @Michaelatleydurr on Instagram.

As far as dream jobs go, Michael is not completely sure if where he is at now is his dream job. However, he does believe his dream job involves soccer since he has been training kids since he was fourteen years old. In regard to his modeling career, he has only been it for a year now. While he is not sure what exactly he wants from it, he does believe it will open something else up for him.

Michael’s advice to current and future COMM students is “just be bold in whatever it is you want to do.” If you would like to follow along on Michael’s journey, you can follow him on Instagram @Michaelatleydurr.

The COMMunity is On the Move!

By Hunter Stinnett

At the first all majors meeting for 2019, Department Chair, Jeff Halliday shared with current COMMunity students exciting news: the Communication Studies Department will be moving across campus into the new academic building beginning in fall 2020. Though CSTAC has been home to the department since 2009, the faculty was given an amazing opportunity to grow and be closer to the French studios.

The new academic building behind French Hall.

Halliday said the new building will, “Increase student-faculty engagement because the offices and classrooms will both be on the second floor of the building.” This way, students will no longer have to go to another floor in the building or across campus to talk with their professors: everyone will now be in one location.

Plans for the new academic building were a part of the 2015 Campus Master Plan and construction began in April of 2018. The new building is set to open in fall 2020 and has yet to be named. Many faculty and students are excited about the move since French Hall is where a majority of the Digital Media concentration classes are held. Many students make that dreaded run from CSTAC to French, or vice versa, in that short 10-minute transition between classes, will benefit. Sadly, future COMM students will not have to sprint the 7 minutes it takes to go between French and CSTAC.

Dr. Ryan Stouffer, Dr. Alec Hosterman, and Dr. Pam Tracy explore the new building.

Dr. Naomi Johnson is extremely excited for the new building and the opportunity for the two concentrations to work more closely together. Johnson stated, “I am really excited about the possibilities to develop collaborative classes between the concentrations.  For example, it would be wonderful to have a ‘PR Lab’ like we have ‘COMM Lab’ now, with the public relations students working in collaboration with the digital media students to promote the videos they create or to develop events that will be filmed.” Dr. Naomi said that this is just one example of the many ideas the department has come up with once the buildings are side by side.

The Department of Health, Athletic Training, Recreation, and Kinesiology (HARK) will also be using the building as a space for new equipment and labs. The second and third floors will have an area for collaborative learning spaces, offices for faculty, the Center for Academic Faculty Enrichment (CAFÉ), classrooms, student research, and study rooms.

A sneak peek of the second floor from inside the building.

While many alum might be worried about how the COMMunity will adjust after leaving CSTAC, the place Dr. Bill Stuart taught and impacted so many, Halliday reminds everyone: ‘the COMMunity is mobile.’ And, Dr. Naomi also gave a bit of teaser in saying that “Dr. Stuart started this major and he will always be with us in spirit, so it was important to have him come with us.”

With this news, how do you think the department should incorporate Dr. Stuart into the new building? And what accent color wall would you want the new COMM classrooms to have? The iconic green, or a new color? Place your comments below.

Yet another one of our very own success stories, Hannah Meadors, is out in the workforce making Communication Studies proud. After graduating in 2015, Hannah started working for a public relations firm called Breaking Limits in North Carolina. When the company went out of business, her former supervisor helped her to find her current job at CSM Production as a special events manager.

Hannah started at CSM Production in April 2018 and, among other accounts, was put in charge of handling all things Daimler Freightliner. This company has taken one of their old freight trailers and turned it into a mobile bar that makes appearances at NASCAR races throughout the country. Not only does the trailer travel but it comes with an exclusive event that requires a lot of planning and hard work to produce. That is where Hannah comes in. She is responsible for these events from start to finish.

“Daimler goes to about ten of these NASCAR races per year, it is my job to travel to these events and make sure it all goes according to plan.”

The process starts with calling the racetrack and making sure there is a spot reserved for the trailer as well as various other details. She then contacts the client for a guest list and to make sure they are prepared for the event. Then it is on to organizing the catering, equipment rentals, and deliveries. Hannah maintains the backend work as well, including a budget and event proposal. Finally, Hannah gets to travel all over the country to makes sure that these events take place without any issue.

“Talladega Superspeedway would probably be my favorite NASCAR track I have been to so far. It is one of the longest and fastest tracks in the series, which also makes it one of the most competitive. In addition to the exciting races, the atmosphere around the track is electric. You can tell the fans that attend that race eat, breath, and live NASCAR. They are some of the most dedicated fans making it an experience you can’t forget. Talladega Superspeedway was also the first track I traveled to after starting at CSM Production so it will always have a special place in my heart.”

When asked what prepared Hannah for the position, she said it was making the most of her time here at Longwood and truly taking advantage of the resources that were available to her. This included her time in the PRSSA as well as maintaining close relationships with her professors and staying active.

Hannah also had this advice to give the upcoming graduating class: “Stay open-minded, don’t shoot down an opportunity just because it is not exactly what you are looking for because it may end up leading you to something better than you could have ever imagined.”

We are very proud of our COMMunity’s graduates, and we look forward to seeing where life takes Hannah Meadors as well as all of our alumni!