Category Archives: Uncategorized

Nov 26 2016
Uncategorized

Nat Jo: Being Bold in a Sea of Recent Graduates

By Hannah Hanson

“Be bold. Your ship is not going to sail to you, you have to swim to it” – Natalie Joseph

Natalie Joseph graduated from Longwood in May of 2016 and currently works as a reporter in Newport News, VA. During her four years at Longwood, Natalie was bold enough to make herself into a brand she calls NatJo..

NatJo described her experience at Longwood as being “all over the place,” holding positions in organizations all across campus: from SGA senior class president, having her own radio show “The NatJo Show” on WMLU, to working on every section within The Rotunda, or even her part-time job as a desk aid position. Natalie barely had a second to herself during her years at Longwood.

13217194_10153586182821526_5586605925014918240_oAlthough NatJo had a busy college career, she said it was well worth it. “My experience at Longwood was overall very positive. It had its ups and downs, but I got the opportunity to meet some pretty amazing people and do awesome things.”

Currently, NatJo
is working as a feature reporter at the Daily Press in Newport News. She focuses on the entertainment and lifestyle in the area.  She has written pieces about bands that have come to play in the area, big events in Newport News, authors of recently released books, and even a food column about local restaurants. Natalie was also given the opportunity to host a live election night broadcast, record a sound bite for a Thanksgiving radio commercial, and run a consumer blog for the people in the community. NatJo says her job is “really fun, always different, and there is never a dull moment.”

Natalie claims that she has gotten all of these opportunities because of her experience at Longwood. “I would have never gotten the job I wanted if I did not work for the Rotunda or have my own radio show. The Comm department pushes you to get involved from freshman year and I’m so glad I took their advice. Going to Longwood is a unique experience. It’s different from other public schools,” Natalie explained. “The Comm department has so many resources and opportunities that everyone should take advantage of.”10997486_10152705911221526_3217645848616265210_n

NatJo continued her bold brand into her career by inserting herself into the working world. She continues to promote herself and tirelessly puts in effort to show everyone that she is not afraid of hard work.

“Inaction and indecision kills dreams more than anything else. Don’t be failed to fail and take risks.” – NatJo

Tagged
Nov 20 2016
PRSSA, Student Work, Uncategorized

Longwood University’s Public Relations Student Society of America Soars to New Heights

By Shelby Shelton

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, four members of Longwood University’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) returned back to Farmville, VA after attending a three-day long Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 2016 International Conference held in Indianapolis, Indiana.

President of PRSSA and junior at Longwood University student Kyle Stone feels that the organization benefited from attending the PRSA 2016 International Conference. “Aside from having the amazing opportunity to travel to Indianapolis, Indiana, the conference was very informative and fun.”

The conference is designed to engage the focus of young professionals by providing information sessions on a number of different aspirations.

“One session I attended stressed the importance of adaptation in the workplace.  The speaker did not specifically speak to one field in particular, but to all fields.  They said that adapting to change is the most important thing a person could do in the professional world and that it is one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish.  It requires a lot of practice and patience.” said Stone.

Rebecca Huffine, senior communication studies student and member of Longwood University’s PRSSA found that the conference brought about lots of insight for her and other members of PRSSA. With the conference being international, Huffine was introduced to numerous amounts of PRSSA chapters from local and non-local universities and colleges.  “There were chapters from all over the country! I knew the conference was going to be a large scale event but I never imagined there were so many different chapters worldwide.”

Huffine was impressed with one keynote speaker in particular, Holly Wagner, Product Placement and Blogger Influencer for Vera Bradley.  Huffine approached Wagner following her presentation to thank her for such an informative session. “This was a big deal for me because I love the company Vera Bradley.  Holly Wagner gave me an inside look into how she got her dream career through networking with a family friend.  I was so inspired by her story and really took it to heart.  She even gave me a Vera Bradley makeup bag after our conversation.”

Maya Bennett, sophomore at Longwood University and Vice President of Longwood’s chapter of PRSSA was in awe of the conference. Bennett made a list, prior to their arrival, of keynote speaker sessions she wanted to attend. “The most important marketing tip I received from my trip was that, ‘If you can’t adapt to your clientele, then you won’t be successful in public relations.”

While most members focused on the marketing and networking aspects of public relations at the conference, one chose to explore a different aspect, crisis communication.  Chris Williams, a senior communication studies major, took notes during this session because he found it applicable to his professional future:  “In the public relations world it is valuable to know how to deal with crisis.  Even though it may not affect your company or future profession, it is essential that you know how to handle tough situations.”

Students returned to the classroom with an amazing experience and a greater understanding of what it means to make public relations a career.

Nov 04 2016
Uncategorized

A Day in the Life of Katie McGhee: Recent Public Relations Graduate

 

By Hannah Hanson

This past August, Katie McGhee packed up all of her belongings and left her life in Richmond, VA. Along with her cat, Toulouse, she moved to Raleigh, NC. for an amazing job opportunity with Special Olympics.  Katie said, “moving away from Virginia was something I’ve always known I wanted to do, but when I actually did it and left, it was almost like I was experiencing culture shock; even though I was just once state away.”

14543892_10209537485087155_5269514930868099076_oAs a student at Longwood, Katie was active all over campus during her four years. Katie was a sister of the sorority Alpha Gamma Delta, a member of the Communication Studies Honor Society Lambda Pi Eta, a member of mortar board, a volunteer all over campus, and held several positions in all her organizations. Going from a very active college student to a graduate was a huge change for Katie, especially because she had surrounded herself with the same people for the last four years.

Katie graduated magna cum laude from Longwood in May of 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Rhetoric and Professional Writing. Three months ago, Katie landed a job working as the Manager of Communication and Social Media for Special Olympics. Her job responsibilities include posting to social media platforms, writing press releases, creating media kits, attending events to prepare the media that come with media kits, creating graphics and writing stories for the organization.

Spending a day in the life of Katie is getting to the office around 8:30 am. Katie starts her work day by checking her emails, sorting clippings, and doing various tasks on a need to be done basis. She focuses her day mainly around social media and making sure everything is up to date and all posts are timed correctly. Occasionally she will help local Special Olympics with their projects by creating graphics, flyers, and brochures for them as well.

After work Katie comes home around 5 o’clock, makes dinner for herself, and spends time with her cat. Her weekends have been spent showing her friends and family from Richmond that come visit around Raleigh.

14729399_1309532732390681_5211094572463847347_n

Katie said her coworkers are the reason her transition into her new life has been so easy and is so excited to be working for such an amazing non-profit organization that’s making a difference in so many people’s lives. Katie said, “The communication studies department has prepared me for this role for the past four years and I’m so thankful that Longwood has gave me so many wonderful opportunities for my future.”

 

Tagged
Nov 03 2016
A Look Inside, Uncategorized

New Staff and Faculty Spot Light: Dr. Isabel Fay and Clint Wright Join the LU #COMMunity

 

By Hannah Hanson

It’s always a time for celebration when anyone new joins the #COMMunity! The Communication Studies department would like to recognize Dr. Isabel Fay and Clint Wright as newest additions to the department this year.

Dr. Isabel Fay is a new Lecturer for the department and will be teaching public speaking and intercultural communication classes this year. 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. After her undergraduate program was finished, she attended Virginia Tech for grad school and the University of Georgia to receive her PhD in Rhetoric.

Fay has wanted to become a teacher since she was an undergrad. She chose Longwood because she was familiar with the area and loved the teaching methods used within the department. Fay said she was, “drawn to Longwood because it was a small, liberal arts school; similar to my undergraduate school in southern West Virginia.” She hopes to be able to give students an intercultural experience during their years at Longwood, just like she got to experience.

Check out the video below about Dr. Fay and how she is getting accustomed to Longwood!

Clint Wright has been a staff member at Longwood for six years and has been involved with four different departments on campus. His position within the #COMMunity is the Broadcast Studio Manager engineer for the French Hall studio. Wright is in charge of making sure the studio, and all the technology that comes with it, is functioning properly. He also helps with student training within the studio and always encourages extracurricular usage of the studio.

Wright started at Longwood after he graduating from Chadron State College in Nebraska. Wright studied theater with specialization in technical theater, which meant he spent a lot of time working with lighting, sound, and video. Wright said, “I am one of the fortunate people who turned their hobby into a career.” At Longwood, Wright has a lot of creative freedom that he would not have been able to do at other job positions in his field.

Please help welcome our new faculty and staff to the #COMMunity!

Oct 15 2016
A Look Inside, General, Uncategorized

Study Abroad Returns to Communication Studies: Cuba in Summer 2018

By Hannah Hanson

This coming summer, Dr. Ryan Stouffer has an amazing opportunity for Longwood Students to study abroad in Havana, Cuba.

Why Cuba? Commercial airlines to Cuba have just recently become available to the United States again, making this a perfect opportunity to explore the country before commercialization and heavy tourism of the country begins.

Dr. Stouffer has many exciting events planned for the upcoming study abroad class. He will be leading a group of students through Havana to create videos, blogs, and documentaries by interviewing everyday Cubans. This trip is going to be different than most study abroad trips; instead of visiting popular tourist sites and taking pictures, students will learn about Cuba themselves by creating a story with a translator and camera by their side.

While at his previous institution, Dr. Stouffer led six study abroad trips with students, five of which were to Israel and another to Brazil. He has helped create 29 student lead foreign documentaries over his career and has high hopes for students who plan to join him in Cuba. Stouffer said, “Telling and creating stories is an amazing way to explore a country and every student should have that experience.” This trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will truly be tailored to each student’s interest.

The Communication Studies Department is thrilled to be building their reputation with study abroad programs. This past summer, Dr. Hosterman led a study abroad trip with Dr. Maureen Walls-McKay to London, Normandy, and Paris where students toured the countries and important World War II historic sites. Students learned about narrative storytelling and how stories shape the way we communicate: “Students could see the recovery process of different country’s from World War II and had a new appreciation of culture.”

Dr. Hosterman and Students During Summer 2016 Study Abroad

Dr. Hosterman and Students During Summer 2016 Study Abroad

The summer of 2018 already has two study abroad trips in the process of being planned. Dr. Alec Hosterman and Dr. Jake Milne (in Sociology) are organizing a trip to take students to Scotland to immerse them in the culture, arts, sports, history, landscape, and food of the country. Similarly, Dr. Kris Paal and Dr. Jennifer Miskec (in English) are planning to take students to Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Romania to learn about imaginative narrative and fairytales, and how stories help people identify the region of where they are and come from.

Study abroad trips are a great opportunity for students to learn outside of their own cultures. If you or anyone you know are interested in heading to Cuba in the summer of 2017, have them contact Dr. Ryan Stouffer directly at stoufferrr@longwood.edu.

Oct 11 2016
Student Work, Uncategorized

Vice Presidential Debate Recap: How Making History Shapes our Future

by Hannah Hanson

“You walk into that debate hall, and I just got this overwhelming sense of excitement and giddiness, like I just got the best surprise birthday present ever. Everything was decorated patriotically and it was absolutely enthralling to know that I was able to be in the presence of so many influential and deeply respected people in this country… that feeling was like no other and I felt so lucky I got sit in that freezing cold room for 90 minutes and absorb all of it.” – Ally Werner, Communication Studies major

Communication Studies students inside the debate hall

Communication Studies students inside Willett debate hall

There comes a moment in every Communication Studies major’s life when they are handed a once in a lifetime opportunity. The 2016 Vice-Presidential debate was that for many majors at Longwood University. As campus is returning to normal, the Communication Studies department would like to take the time to reflect over this life-changing experience for all of the students, staff, and faculty of the #COMMunity.

According to Macrae Hammond, the Special Assistant to the VP of Strategic Operations at Longwood University, approximately one hundred students, (over 10% of all the student volunteers) were from Communication Studies. These students were able to partake in making history at Longwood and got first-hand experience working with major news stations.

Ally Werner got the opportunity to work with CNN during debate day. Werner’s experience was the most amazing, yet tiring, moments of her life. She said, “No one prepares you for what it is like to work for one of the most influential media outlets in the world… the experience made me so much more interested in mass media. Because my interests will always lie with politics and communication, but to now to have another door to open is just really exciting.”

Taylor Tharrington and Drew Pelkey with Sen. Tim Kaine

Taylor Tharrington and Drew Pelkey with Sen. Tim Kaine

Drew Pelkey is a senior Communication Studies major that was a student volunteer for the debate. She was placed as an usher in the hall handing out programs and showing people, like Rev. Jesse Jackson, to their seats. Pelkey spent her day walking around different news station stands, received free swag, and getting interviewed with her sorority by MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle. Pelkey said if she were to describe her experience in three words they would be “thankful, amazing, and eye-opening.”

Michael Castanon, another senior, was placed with Twitter on the day of the debate. Castanon was also featured on different Facebook and Instagram live video streams, including one for Longwood University. Castanon was fortunate enough to receive a ticket into the debate hall to watch the debate from the audience. He was so ecstatic that he was able to be there for the experience: “[it was] so surreal and awesome. I’m so happy I got to be in there for such a historic, once in a lifetime opportunity.”

These are just a handful of stories from Communication Studies students who were able to experience the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate firsthand. To say the debate was life changing would be an understatement for the #COMMunity at Longwood University.

And what do faculty think about what the debate provided students? Dr. Ryan Stouffer, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, best sums up this experience by saying:

“The debate was an incredible experience for our students, both in terms of getting professional production experience and witnessing first-hand the impact the media has on the political process.”

Sep 26 2016
A Look Inside, General, Student Work, Uncategorized

An Inside Scoop on the (Now) Infamous Paul Ryan Selfie: Communication Studies Major Ally Werner Sheds Light on the Compromising Photo

Ally Werner, a senior communication studies major, had an internship on Capitol Hill this past summer. And Werner was front and center for Paul Ryan’s viral selfie of Grand Old Party interns.

Paul Ryan and Ally Werner (right)

Paul Ryan and Ally Werner (in blue, right)

The selfie above was taken during a lecture that Paul Ryan was giving to all of the GOP interns. As soon as the photo was released on Paul Ryan’s personal Instagram account, many media outlets used it as an opportunity to point out the lack of diversity within the group of interns.

Werner was an unpaid intern for congressman, Rodney Frelinghuysen, over a four-week period this summer. During this time, Capitol Hill had a lecture series for all of their interns to listen to various people from the House of Representatives. Werner was told that Paul Ryan had an opening in his schedule and was going to be speaking to all GOP interns.

Werner arrived an hour and a half prior to the event to have a seat in the front during the lecture. Werner said Paul Ryan took the time to thank them for all their hard work, especially since all the interns were unpaid. He ended his lecture by asking the interns to take a selfie to impress his followers with a picture of all the interns he got the opportunity to speak with.

The Friday after the event, Werner was at a Gwen Stefani concert when she received the news that the photo with her face front and center went viral. One of Werner’s sorority sisters sent her a link to the Buzzfeed article.

Paul Ryan's Famous Selfie @speakerryan

Paul Ryan’s Famous Selfie @speakerryan

Several media outlets followed Buzzfeed, releasing hundreds of articles criticizing the photo. Different sources were making similar claims about how the picture was “white washed”.

GQ released a humorous article and named all of the interns in the photo, claiming they had an “exclusive roster of the GOP interns.” This list renamed each individual with “typical white people names”, said Werner. She was renamed as Blair Callahan along with all the other interns. GQ went as far with the joke as giving interns names such as, “Daddy’s Little Girl” and “Fry McMillionaire”. Werner took the joke lightly, but is still asking the question “what about my face gave me the name Blair Callahan?”

The Democrat interns soon responded to the GOP selfie with their own.

Werner spoke about the issue of lack of diversity as a problem among all federal government interns. Although, Werner said her congressman has had several different cultures and races as his personal intern in the past. Werner recognizes that there is a need for more diversity within federal government interns and hopes to see change in the future.

Overall, Werner said she enjoyed being a part of the whole experience. She took interest in watching media agenda setting, especially after learning about the subject in her communication courses, and now has an interesting first-hand experience that she won’t forget any time soon.

Sep 16 2016
General, Uncategorized

44 For Bill: Remembering Dr. Bill Stuart

by Hannah Hanson

bill-420x281-1Dr. Bill Stuart would light up any classroom at Longwood University as soon as he walked in the door. If a student, coworker, or friend would approach him for help, whether it be academic or personal, he would do everything in his power to help. Remembered as a loving husband, caring father, incredible professor, and amazing friend, 44 for Bill is a day the community celebrates Bill Stuart’s life with random acts of kindness.

Dr. B, as he was affectionately known, passed away suddenly on September 9, 2012. His wife, Amy Stuart, created 44 for Bill to inspire people to live their lives the way Bill lived his every day, with positivity and ambition.

44 for Bill is active on several different social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. There you can see all the generous acts of kindness people took part in for this year’s 44 for Bill. For this most recent event, Amy asked everyone to leave a comment about the acts of kindness that people did in honor of Bill so her and her children could read through them. The comments included people buying flowers for their office manager, purchasing a gift for someone who was feeling down, and paying for a military family’s entire meal.

Amy posted on the 44 for Bill Facebook page later in the evening saying that thousands of people participated in the 44 for Bill campaign during the fourth anniversary of his death. Each year participation grows and more people get involved for this day.

310600_10150500978889369_1364325404_nWhen talking to Amy, she described her husband as “incredibly intelligent, [a] wicked and quick sense of humor, kind, inquisitive, always learning and trying to be better… You felt like you were important and your opinion mattered when you were with him because he asked you questions, listened to you, remembered your answers and always learned your name. It didn’t matter if you were the CEO or the custodian. He treated you the same and was equally interested in your story. He always wanted to help people do more and be more. As I told Channel 8, he was just a random act of kindness personified.” Clearly, Bill was an amazing man that deserves recognition for the impact he made.

Bill Stuart had a natural zest for life. He was eager to start every day and greet each student with a smile. As someone who developed the Communication Studies program at Longwood University, professors, students, and the community at the university remember Bill for the amazing person he was.

To find out more about Dr. Bill Stuart, visit www.longwood.edu/commstudies/scholarships.

Continue to pay it forward and mark your calendar for next year!

Tagged
Sep 09 2016
General, Uncategorized

COMMunity at the Annual Convocation

By Hannah Hanson

drew-getting-capped

Photo Credit: Longwood University.

For the past three years, there has been a COMMunity presence on the main stage at the annual Convocation ceremony. Since 2015, the senior class president has come from Communication Studies majors. Paige Rollins led the class of 2015, Natalie Joseph led the class of 2016, and now Drew Pelkey leads the current graduating class.

Convocation is an exciting Longwood tradition where graduating seniors are able to get dressed in their cap and gown and engage in a ceremony that dates back to the days of Longwood College. President Reveley congratulates seniors for reaching this point in their college career and a featured speaker gives them a few words of wisdom. However, the most exciting point of the ceremony is when the seniors get capped. Here, the senior class gets their caps decorated by a close friend. And when it comes to decorating, the rule is simple: the bigger the better.

paloma-capped

Photo Credit: Longwood University.

After the seniors get capped, another speech that is always given at the convocation ceremony is presented by the senior class president. As part of her duties, the senior class president – Drew Pelkey – addresses the class after getting capped.

Pelkey was influenced to run for senior class president during last spring semester because she was so involved with the Student Government Association while in high school. She has been an active member of the Longwood community since she her first year. Her commitment to organizations, internships, and friends shows why the majority of the senior class elected her president..

Pelkey also thanked her COMMunity for preparing her for the role of senior class president, stating, “The Communication department has helped me to get out of my comfort zone and taught me how to effectively lead our senior class. I would not be able to communicate properly with the other officers, senior class, or faculty and staff if I wasn’t a Communication Studies major”.

Drew also contributes the success of her convocation speech to her COMMunity as well. While Pelkey was writing her speech she remembered her first ever communication class, Public Speaking with Dr. Laura Farrell. Pelkey also reached out to Dr. Alec Hosterman who helped her edit the speech.

14107822_10154533813788011_6024881209555408115_o

Photo Credit: Longwood University.

Drew was inspired to write the theme of her speech when looking back at her journey through her years at Longwood. Everyone has their own personal experience at Longwood, but we all go through the same stages of growth and finding who you really are while in college. Each student at this amazing university, from freshman to seniors should reflect on your time here at Longwood and get excited for the future.

Sep 05 2016
A Look Inside, Student Work, Uncategorized

Communication Students Film the Hokule’a at Hull Springs Farm

by Hannah Hanson

This summer, Communication Studies Assistant Professor Dr. Ryan Stouffer was given the opportunity to take three students to Longwood University’s Hull Springs Farm in order to film the arrival of the Hokule’a, a Polynesian voyage canoe.

hokulea_profile

The Longwood managed site is located in Westmoreland County and is used as an educational, outdoor classroom for research and other programs. Longwood acquired the property in 1999 after the original owner and Longwood graduate, Mary Farley Ames Lee, passed away. Leaving more than 660 acres to the university to prevent development on the property, Longwood has transformed the land into an almost perfect ecological system for the students and community to study.

CiRQBOgWEAAdadmStouffer and his students were hired to film and capture the vision of Hull Springs Farm, but more importantly film the docking of the Hokule’a. The Hokule’a is a traditional Polynesian voyage canoe that traveled across the world on a 60,000 mile trip. The mission of the Hokule’a is to discover how local communities are working towards a sustainable future; naturally, Hull Springs Farm was a perfect stop on their voyage. The crew consisted of 13 men whose goal was to change the world by water. A majority of the crew would leave their families for months on end so they could make a difference.

Robert Watkins, Payton Conway, and Marci Logsdon were the Communication Studies students hired to film during the two days that the Hokule’a was docked at Hull Springs Farm. Watkin’s main responsibility was filming everything he saw: from the crew of the Hokule’a, the people working at Hull Springs Farm, and the students that came to visit from schools all over the county.

When asked about his overall experience, Watkins was most excited that he got first-hand experience with the camera. Watkins stated, “no one was telling me what to do or what shots to film, but there was 500 kids watching me so I had to do my best.” When asked what Watkin’s favorite part about filming on location was he was most excited because, “[Dr.] Stouffer gave us guidelines about what to be filming, but having to shoot and create a story all on my own was the most rewarding.”

Dr. Stouffer and his students worked diligently to perfectly capture the Hokule’a and their mission of sustainability.

← Older posts
Newer posts →