Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sep 13 2017
Uncategorized

Megan Clark Has Lessons to Teach at Her Alma Mater

By Julia Bogdan

Convocation at Longwood is a formal ceremony in which seniors are initiated into their final year of college. Awards are presented to faculty members and there is also a keynote speaker.

This year, Megan Clark, 2005 communication studies alumna, will speak at the convocation in Willett Hall on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m.

“My reaction when learning I was chosen to speak at convocation was complete and utter shock,” Megan Clark said, “(Coming back) makes me nervous with a hint of nostalgia.”

Clark is the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Prince Edward County. She is in the second year of her four-year term and plans to incorporate what she has learned through her experience into her convocation speech.

“In a nutshell, I am the chief law enforcement officer for the county,” Clark said. “I believe my biggest professional achievement has been successfully running for office.”

The Department of Communication Studies at Longwood University has helped Clark within her career in many ways.

“There truly is an art to communicating and handling conflict,” Clark said.

She said that her communication classes prepared for her in ways that she did not imagine. “I took an organizational communication course and, at the time, I had no idea how that class would ever help me. One day, I was discussing a friend’s workplace conflict with her, and organizational communication class kicked in with suggestions to help resolve her workplace conflict. It came out of nowhere!”

Clark states that Longwood University and the department helped tremendously while working toward her desired career.

“The core values I attained at Longwood have carried me through some difficult times,” Clark said.  “In my convocation speech, I plan on addressing some light-hearted college memories mixed with a charge to all citizen leaders moving forward.”

She added that a core value she possessed from Longwood itself is maturity. However, she stated it does not come overnight.

“We will all make mistakes, but the key is to learn from them and not repeat history,” Clark said.

If the students she talks to only take one thing away from her speech, she wants it to be “do right, no matter what the consequences.” Clark wants to make sure the graduating students will take these lessons to heart and never forget them as they venture into their furthering lives.

This is our #COMMunity at its finest.

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Apr 20 2017
Uncategorized

From NatGeo to US News& World Report: An Insider’s Perspective

By Madison Miles

The recent Student Alumni Conference on Thursday, April 6th highlighted nine Communication Studies alumni who work in a variety of communication fields. Gabby Frederick, Kevin Green, and Rebecca Lundberg gave us a glimpse into the digital media world.

Gabby Fredrick works as a Multiplatform Programing Coordinator for National Geographic Partners. Fredrick plans programs and activities while implementing policies and practices for National Geographic. She was excited to come back to her alma mater and reminisce with students about her experiences at Longwood.

When asked who her fav
orite professor Communication Studies professor was, Gabby stated: “The holy trinity of the COMM department: Tracy, Naomi, and Halliday.”

Fredrick says “I chose Communication Studies because of my love for media and the desire to help tell a story,” which was shown as she spoke about her position to eager students.

 

 

Rebecca Lundberg also works in the digital media field as a Product Coordinator at U.S. News & World Report. Lundberg manages the distribution of their products, sales, and customer interests.

 

Prior to her return to campus, Lundberg was remembering her time on the Rotunda, stating: “I really loved the nights I’d spend with The Rotunda newspaper staff until 2a.m., working on the paper, eating way too much pizza and inspiring hilarious inside jokes.”

She encouraged the students to get involved with the campus media, saying it will give you the opportunity to learn the basics of developing content and being part of a media organization.

 

 

The Student Alumni Conference came to a close by providing networking opportunities for students as they move closer to their future careers. The networking provided students and alumni the chance to interact on an individual level.

 

Overall, this inaugural event was a huge success for our students, department, and the visiting alumni!

Apr 20 2017
Uncategorized

Longwood Alumni Share Their Passion for PR

By Caroline Nelms

“Going to the alumni event helped me see how much the department can truly benefit my future.  All of the graduates talked about most of the classes I am in right now and that related to me a lot,” says Freshman Nicola Borrell.

The Student Alumni Conference was held on Thursday, April 6th, to offer current students networking opportunities and advice on their future careers.  The Student Alumni Conference showcased six alumni with careers in the public relations field. Victoria Walker, Dani Roberts, Emily Conner, Sarah Schmader, Dylan Martinez, and Paige Rollins shared with students their unique experiences and how they all relate back to their time spent at Longwood University.

Emily Conner, college recruiting coordinator for Genworth Financial, targets colleges as she searches for candidates to fill positions at Genworth Financial.  In her presentation she reinforced how helpful Communication Studies is: “Take the media classes – I would think those would be interesting ones to take with our current media situation. I really enjoyed the Applied Organizational Communication class too [now Public Relations Campaigns] – it was a great way to learn leadership skills and teamwork. Also, be as diverse as possible in your portfolio so you have work to show when you graduate. Finally, start building your LinkedIn page early!”

Students left the inaugural conference feeling excited that the work they are doing now in their classes will soon be put to good use in their future careers, whether as an event planner or a human resources recruiter.  It gave students the opportunity to network through one-on-one conversations and mutual experiences here at Longwood. This conference was a significant success for Communication Studies and the COMMunity!

 

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Apr 14 2017
A Look Inside, Student Work, Uncategorized

3rd Annual #RealCOMM Competition: 300 Pairs of Shoes and $200 Later

By Hannah Hanson

Every year the Communication Studies department hosts an event to raise donations for a local philanthropy and have a little healthy competition between their two concentrations. On Tuesday, April 11th, students, faculty, and staff from both Public Relations and Digital Media concentrations gathered on CSTAC/Bedford Lawn for the #RealCOMM competition.

This year the the department chose Madeline’s House as their philanthropy. Madeline’s House is a local nonprofit organization that helps provide support to victims and families of sexual and domestic abuse. They offer anything from shelter, food, legal assistance, to clothing and shoes. When the department reached out to Madeline’s House earlier in the semester, the item they were in most need of was shoes; and the department was up to the challenge!

 

The event was a huge success this year. On the day of the #RealCOMM competition, students and faculty throughout the Longwood community hauled bags and boxes of shoes across campus over to CSTAC Lawn. Together, they raised almost 300 pairs of women and children’s shoes and over $200 in loose change.

Not only did the department raise points with shoes and money, but the concentrations spent time playing games to earn points: like cornhole, giant Pac Man, dodgeball, and ladder ball to continue the competition. By the end of the event, Public Relations had earned the title of #RealCOMM Champion, with a total score of 184 points to Digital Media’s 150 points.
While the concentrations enjoyed the competition, the department came together to support a great cause and that is what it was all about. Thanks to everyone who made this year’s competition so successful! Look for the #RealCOMM Competition to return in 2018.

Mar 29 2017
Uncategorized

Heidi Voss: Transitioning into the “Real World”

By Hannah Hanson

“Something I will always miss about college is how close everyone is to each other. All of my friends lived in the same area, I lived right next to campus too. Even when it came to the COMM department, the professors and the students were a very tight group of people and they always had their doors open. One part of me was excited to be moving on with my life, getting a job, and being in a different work environment; but the other part of me was incredibly sad that I had to leave all the friendships and memories I made back in Farmville.”

Heidi Voss currently works as the business development coordinator for the School Nutrition Association but her time spent at Longwood University from 2012 to 2016 helped her become the professional she is today.

After graduating in May of 2016 from the Communication Studies program, Heidi got a reality check from the comfort of being a college student. While Voss was at Longwood she took advantage of all the extracurricular opportunities she could. She joined several organizations such as campus community, Alpha Gamma Delta, peer mentors, and Lambda Pi Eta. Voss said, “One thing unique about Longwood is that the more involved you become, the more friends you make, and the more Longwood becomes your home. Which makes it even harder to leave.”

Heidi’s job responsibilities revolve around planning events for the organization’s foundation team and business development team. Because she works for two different teams, she also reports to two different managers, something Voss says “I wouldn’t be able to work with both of my bosses if I had not taken my Interpersonal Communications and Conflict Resolution classes.”

Voss works to plan meetings to connect industry members that deal with food and school nutrition specialists to the kitchen managers and staff. Voss says that the School Nutrition Foundation, which is the non-profit aspect of their organization, also holds conferences for all of the industry members and kitchen managers to attend. Voss helps to assign and give out many scholarships for the kitchen staff to attend as well. The foundation also helps to provide new kitchen equipment and distributes scholarships for kitchen staff to continue their education, all of which Voss is part of planning.

Although Voss is very excited to be in the “real world” and working for the School Nutrition Association, she states, “The transition from being a college student to a working professional is stressful, yet exciting. But having a great support system at Longwood and within the COMMunity was what made it easier.”

Heidi’s Longwood experience wouldn’t have been the same without the friends,  professors, and organizations she met and joined while she was a student.  Voss says, “Don’t take your time at Longwood for granted, get involved, and make the most of the best years of your life.”

 

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Mar 02 2017
Uncategorized

Student Leadership within Communication Studies

By: Hannah Hanson

The most popular piece of advice that any freshman or prospective student will hear while they are at Longwood is, “Join an organization. That’s how you keep yourself busy at Longwood.”

Taking on leadership roles on campus is highly encouraged within the Communication Studies department. Longwood has over 175 clubs and organizations that students can join. Organizations that are sponsored through the Communication Studies Department include Lambda Pi Eta, PRSSA, WMLU Radio, and The Rotunda.

For students like, Taylor Tharrington, taking a leadership position can be a nerve wracking experience. Tharrington is the President of the communication honor society, Lambda Pi Eta. She is responsible for facilitating all executive and general body meetings. For Tharrington, this is her first leadership position at Longwood. Her experience has taught her more than she ever expected it to: “I have learned not only how to be a leader, but how to work with many different people. Having a position where you are in charge of so much can be tough, but I have found that I am more organized and more willing to be leader, even outside of LPH.”

Abbey Stanzione is Junior in the Communication Studies department and a member of Longwood Ambassadors. Abbey held the position of Membership Chair on the Executive Board from Fall 2015 to Spring 2016. Some of her position responsibilities included overseeing the membership of current ambassadors, running the interest meetings, managing applications, and handling the new member selection process. Stanzione said that her communication classes prepared her for her executive position, the most important one being Public Speaking: “I would not be able to speak in front of the general body or interest meetings, if it had not been for Dr. Paal’s Public Speaking class my first year. I even incorporated a Likert type scale into the interview process for new members which is a scale that I learned in a Comm class.”

Peer Mentors are responsible for leading the incoming freshman. Michelle Brown, a senior studying public relations, has been a peer mentor for the past two years. Brown spends her time co- facilitating a Longwood Seminar class with her corresponding professor. She acts as a person for new students to be able to come to with problems, questions or concerns, and be able to give them advice from a student’s perspective. Brown stated that “being a Communication student helps me lead the freshman by using skills that I learned in classes such as public speaking, conflict resolution, and ethics.”

Halle Parker is the Editor-in-Chief of The Rotunda, Longwood’s student-run newspaper. Parker is responsible for managing a 30 person staff and reporting breaking news. The Rotunda produces weekly content through print and online. Parker has gained a lot through her experiences with The Rotunda: “Without my experience with The Rotunda, I wouldn’t have the post-grad prospects that I have now. I mean, this summer I’m interning with The Richmond Times-Dispatch, the second largest media market in Virginia, so I can’t imagine what’s next. I’m just excited to keep growing through my position and through the comm department. Without the professors and their advising, I definitely wouldn’t have been nearly as successful.”

Each of these students have taken advantage of the extra-curricular leadership opportunities that Longwood University has to offer. The Communication Studies department students have grown and learned from their experiences in their organizations and has no shortage of citizen leaders.

Feb 21 2017
Uncategorized

Got Internships? Communication Studies Students Gain Experience Before Graduation’

By Hannah Hanson

With graduation approaching in May, many seniors have begun the after-college job search. One way the Longwood Communication Studies Department helps their students find a job after college, is requiring students to work at an internship at some point in their college career.

Although completing an internship can be somewhat stressful, Assistant Professor, Dr. Alec Hosterman says that the ends justify the means. Hosterman believes that, “the benefits of having our students complete this process gives them all the opportunity to take what they have learned over the course of their college career and apply it outside of the classroom. Not only are they gaining experience, they are building their resume, and giving themselves an advantage within a sea of recent graduates.”

Types of internships range from managing social media accounts for an organization to working in a radio station.

Sarah Toler, is a senior in the Communication Studies department, is currently working as the Social Media Coordinator for InnerWill Leadership Institute in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia. Her job responsibilities require her to stay up to date on social media trends and create marketing plans for InnerWill. Toler also follows a social media posting schedule, has to create content for all of InnerWill’s social media platforms, and attends events for the company. Toler says, “Even though what I am doing is a lot of mass media and I am a public relations concentration, the Communication Studies department has taught me how to be flexible and bring both concentrations together.”

Alyssa Taylor is completing her internship with the Longwood Office of Alumni and Career Services as a marketing intern. Alyssa spends her time creating and sending out a monthly newsletter, working on destination surveys for recently graduated students, creating a full communication plan for the VASE conference, and helps with tasks around the office. All of the work she has to do has specific deadlines that she has to meet. Taylor accredits the Communication Studies department for her ability to organize and be punctual with all of her work.

Not all internships are in Virginia. Allyson Stone had a week long internship with FOX in Houston, Texas for the Superbowl as a Production Runner. Stone spent her time in Dallas running errands for her supervisors, greeting guests, and directing celebrities, like Tim Tebow, to hair and makeup. Stone volunteered for the Vice-Presidential Debate that was held at Longwood and was placed with FOX. The FOX representatives were so impressed with her work that they hired her to work for them during Superbowl 51. At the end of the week Stone had put in 86 hours of work, 22 hours just on the day of the Superbowl. Stone said the support of the department prepared her for her role in Dallas.

The Communication Studies Department believes that their students truly benefit from working at their internship. Students are able to grow from their experience, which allows them to figure out what they truly want to do with their career.

Feb 14 2017
A Look Inside, Uncategorized

From Dating Apps to Horror Films: Communication Studies Seniors Delve into Research

by Hannah Hanson

Over the course of any Communication Studies student’s college career, a pivotal moment happens when they begin the process of their senior research project. All seniors, from both concentrations, start the fall semester in Communications Research Methods and Prospectus class to brainstorm their year-long research project.

Students are given the freedom to choose their own topic that is related to communication studies, and they are highly encouraged to choose topics that interest them. Over the course of the semester, students spend hours researching and developing their topic. Once the spring semester starts all students are separated into their Senior Seminar course based on the type of research method they have chosen to pursue: qualitative or quantitative.

maxresdefaultOlivia Robinson and Victoria Belviso have been planning out their project since their freshman year when they first joined the #COMMunity. Olivia and Victoria
spent several sleepless nights watching horror films together. From this they decided to turn their love for horror films into a research project. They are questioning how horror films affect the everyday lives of millennials by showing the movie “Lights Out” and performing focus groups with a group of men and a group of women.

Deanna Carwile wants to understand how millennials perceive Facebook statuses that are “too much information.” Over the course of her time on social media, Deanna said, “I have read a lot of statuses that made me think, why is that a good idea to post and share with the online community?” Deanna wants to perform a focus group on millennial Facebook users in order to have an open conversation about the process of oversharing.

Students Meghan Enzinna and Richie Kamtchoum chose their topic based off of their love for music. They are trying to discover whether or not there is a political presence within popular songs from two separate eras. Their research is going to consist of a content analysis of top charting song lyrics from songs during the Anti-Vietnam war protests and #blacklivesmatter movement. Meghan and Richie will code several different variables to help identify whether or not the songs are politically charged, as well as determining which era has more of a presence.

Another quantitative project by Drew Pelkey and Michael Castanon focuses on the differences in communication on datingdownload apps between gay and straight people. They chose their topic because of how prevalent technology is within millennial’s love life. They began to notice the differences  in the dating apps when it came to communicating with other gays versus straight people and depending on which app was being used. In order to do this Drew and Michael will be giving out surveys and collecting data to see which differences occur most often.

Over the next few months all of the Communication Studies seniors will be performing their research and presenting their findings during a poster session to the Longwood community on April 26th, 2017.

Feb 07 2017
A Look Inside, Uncategorized

On the Road to Success: Mapping the way to a More Rewarding Education in Communication Studies

 

By Hannah Hanson

Four years ago the Communication Studies faculty began the process of revising the curriculum requirements for the major. The development of the new curriculum all began with some of the original professors from the department: Dr. Pam Tracy, Dr. Naomi Johnson, Professor Jeff Halliday and the late Dr. Bill Stewart. Since then, the faculty has expanded and the project has continued to advance.

The work began with Dr. Johnson and Professor Halliday going to the Richmond and Lynchburg markets and asking leaders in public relations, journalism, radio, social media, and marketing what knowledge and qualities they were looking for in interns and recent graduates. Over a year’s worth of research took place to gather as much information as possible in order to start the process. Research included giving out surveys and conducting focus groups with the Longwood Communication Studies alumni, as well as, environmental surveys of other colleges programs.

Within the public relations concentration, courses like Public Relations Research, Public Relations Writing, and Public Relations Campaigns were added and some classes were eliminated from the curriculum. These decisions were based off of faculty research as well as what the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recommends undergraduate programs teach. When it comes to digital media, production based classes, like Digital Storytelling and Digital Editing were added. Giving students more experience using the technology that the French studio has to offer. In addition to the courses changing within each concentration, the title of them changed as well: from organizational communication and public relations to public relations and mass media to digital media.

After the new curriculum was implemented, the next step was to do curricular mapping. According to Dr. Tracy the start of this process is to ask the question, “What do we want our students to know at the end?” The answer to that question is learning outcomes, which is what specifically needs to be taught for each concentration within the major. In order to make sure these learning outcomes were fulfilled within the curriculum a subgroup of professors, including Dr. Tracy, Dr. Ryan Stouffer, and Dr. Laura Farrell, all came together to represent both of the concentrations. From there the team developed a strategy to make sure material within the courses were bridging theory and practice. They made sure all of the courses fit into one of the three distinct levels: introduce, reinforce, and master.

All of these new changes will benefit students because they will now be able to recognize how all the courses work together. The strategic planning done by the faculty was thought out meticulously so that connections between different level courses would stand out to the students. Not only will students benefit from this, but the professors will be able to recognize skill improvements between the different levels of courses and make modifications to their teachings, if needed.

Hundreds of hours of work went into mapping out the curriculum for the department. However, Dr. Stouffer knows that for the long term, the whole process was very beneficial: “Things are slow moving in academia because we are committed to making sure students graduate in four years, when we change the curriculum we still have to make sure everyone else that came in with a different expectation graduates as well… It is very slow and that is frustrating, but that is the nature of the beast and it is worth it. It’s like cooking a big dinner, the process of making it has lots of steps, but the end result tastes very good.”

The new curriculum began in the 2015 academic year and has been implemented for new students within the major. By 2019 every student within the major will be going through the program with the updated curriculum.

Jan 02 2017
A Look Inside, General, Uncategorized

Recapping the Fall 2016 Semester

By Hannah Hanson

As the semester comes to a close the Communication Studies department would like to reflect on the eventful last three months. As the department continues to grow, it has a lot to be proud of. From adding new faculty and staff, to the outstanding amount of student volunteers for the Vice-Presidential Debate, or even the accomplishments of our student organizations, like the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) or the Communication Studies Honor Society, Lambda Pi Eta. 

In the beginning of the year the Communication Studies department welcomed Dr. Fay and Mr. Wright to our faculty and staff. Dr. Fay joined the #COMMunity as a new Lecturer for the department and has been teaching public speaking and intercultural communication classes this . Fay was raised in Berlin, Germany and came to the United States as an international student to get the chance to experience a liberal arts school and has now ended up teaching at one. Mr. Wright has been tasked with keeping French studio in perfect working condition, assisting students with equipment, and training students how to use all the technology French has to offer. 

cropped-14599889_1405206776160798_137035325_o.jpgWhen October approached the event that all of Longwood had been waiting for over a year for finally happened, the Vice-Presidential Debate. of student volunteers were Communication Studies studentgot the opportunity to work with major news outlets like CNN, Fox News, or even Twitter. Other students got the opportunity to usher guests into the debate hall and got to watch the historic event happen from inside Willet Hall, a once in a lifetime experience for the students that gave up their fall break to witness the debate themselves.

At the end of October four members of Longwood University’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) attended the three-day long Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 2016 International Conference held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Students got the opportunity to go to several different information sessions and networked with students from around the nation.

Lambda Pi Eta recently held a toiletry drive for homeless veterans. The organization collected boxes of toiletries to give to local homeless veterans and made the drive a competition between public relations and digital media. Lambda Pi Eta’s hard work even got recognized by CHI, a secret society on campus.

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