Tag Archives: Communication Studies

Newest Hire in Longwood Communication Studies

By Julia Bogdan

The newest hire in Longwood Communication studies, Dr. Isabel Fay, originally applied for a teaching position because she was looking for job stability and a place to establish herself in.

“After getting to know the [Farmville] community, I’ve been able to see myself here in the long run,” Fay said.

Longwood University is important to Dr. Fay because it allows her to accomplish the dreams and goals she’s always had for herself.

“I’m really passionate about giving back, as a professor, what I received as a student,” Fay stated.

“A lot of Longwood students come from economically disadvantaged households, and being able to insure their success and fulfillment, [by helping them] live up to their potential, [and being the] educator who allows students to reflect on their environment and society are some of the many reasons why I wanted to be a professor,” Fay said.

While realizing her dream of being a professor and mentoring students, Fay says she can feel at home in Farmville after a life of continuously moving around.

“It felt like a good fit for me,” Fay said.

Fay was originally born in Berlin, Germany, with a mother of Mexican heritage and father of German heritage. While growing up in Germany, Fay and her family would visit Mexico for about a month every year.

“I grew up between those two worlds,” Fay said.

She originally came to the states at 16 years old for an exchange student program and has been living in America ever since.

“[Being from two different heritages] has allowed me to take a broader perspective on things that many of us are unable to see,” Fay said. “How we communicate in one part of the world is not how we communicate in other parts of the world. It has allowed me to be a more analytical person and to essentially shift culture codes and I often see myself as the moderator [between cultures].”

Fay wrote her dissertation on digital media, but is a rhetorician at heart. She is interested in learning how communities develop a public consciousness, the sort of patterns people use, and different movements like #MeToo on Twitter.

“Rhetoric courses passionately insert with any subject area,” Fay said.

Since Fay has seen many different cultures, she is very excited about communication across societies, including social media use.

Make sure to stop by and congratulate Dr. Fay on her new position!

 

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Digital Media Wins #TheRealCOMM

Image-1Tuesday April 19, 2016, was the day that everyone in the Longwood University communication studies department had been waiting a whole year for; it was the return of The #RealCOMM competition!

The Communication Studies department put students from #TeamPR and #TeamMedia against each other to decide who would be crowned as the Real COMM for 2016, raising funds and awareness for the Farmville Area Habitat for Humanity. This year, Digital Media were named champions for the second year in a row and provided tough competition for public relations. Image

Following from last years COMM Wars, the second year of The #RealCOMM Competition was The Human Games. The games were the main event for this year’s competition and included a week-long build up to involving a host of social media competitions including Guess the Baby, Comm. Studies: Top Chef, and Guess the Professor. Habitat for Humanity also came away winners in the build up through a change drive that raised $124.80 for the non-profit organization.

The Human Games, held on Bedford Lawn, was the students opportunity to claim this year’s crown. Featuring Human Checkers, Corn Hole, CommPong, and life-size Connect Four, students and professors from both concentrations took part in the games to raise money for Habitat for Humanity and earn another year of bragging rights.

Image-5A huge congratulations to #TeamDigitalMedia who hold on to the title for another year and a big thank you to everyone else involved who helped to raise an incredible $263.27 for the Farmville Area Habitat for Humanity. This is what #COMMunity is all about!

 

To stay up-to-date with everything happening in Longwood’s Communication Studies department click here to visit our website, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.

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A Look Inside: French Studio

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The return of our A Look Inside segment is here and this time around Dr. Ryan Stouffer sat down with us to explore everything that Longwood University’s new French building has to offer. The new $1.4 million building is home to the Communication Studies department’s state of the art television studio and editing lab.

The French television studio boasts the most up-to-date and advanced recording and editing software in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The television studio houses three 1080i HD Hitachi cameras, a 32′ foot green screen, custom news desk featuring the Longwood Rotunda logo, and a Ross Carbonite production switcher. The building also has an editing lab with 20 Mac Pro computers as well as seven editing suites all of which are loaded with the best in video and audio editing software.

“The ability for our students to get hands on with this kind of technology and to produce stuff and have stuff for their demo reel is unparalleled.”
                                                                                      – Dr Ryan Stouffer

Everyone within the Longwood Communication Studies program is excited about the building and Dr. Stouffer highlights just how important the aspect of hands on learning is to students. “If students want to get in to the production field, there’s really only one way to get a job and be successful and that’s to do,” said Dr. Stouffer, and Longwood’s new studio is structured to do just that.

The French building was opened for student use in Fall 2015 and is a big indicator of the progress that Longwood’s Communication Studies department has made since its creation 12 years ago. To stay up-to-date with everything happening in Longwood’s Communication Studies department click here to visit our website, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.

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Alumni Spotlight: Travis Lyles

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The second instalment of our Alumni Spotlight segment features Communication Studies graduate Travis Lyles (class of ’15) who is currently the Social Media Producer for Business Insider.

Lyles is very complimentary of Longwood’s Communication Studies program and the way it prepared him for his daily tasks at Business Insider. Recognizing the way the professors at his alma mater helped develop his skills, Lyles values the department’s teaching.

“The biggest thing it prepared me for is really just being a playmaker at BI, someone who can come in the office everyday and get to work and do something totally different that I didn’t do yesterday, or ever.”
                                                                                          – Travis Lyles

Being a recent graduate, Lyles’ experience of transitioning into the working world from college is still fresh in his mind and he knows what helped him come out of college and easily adjust to his position at Business Insider.

“You really have to find one or two things and give all of yourself to those … find one or two organizations and really invest in those,” said Lyles when asked about what advice he could give current Longwood Communication Studies students.

Longwood University’s COMMunity will be following Travis avidly as he progresses in his career. We wish him well during his time at Business Insider and we are excited to see how he continues in his profession.

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The Bill Stuart Memorial Scholarship: Kristen Perdue

Dr. Bill Stuart

Dr. Bill Stuart

The Longwood University Communication Studies department owes everything to Dr Bill Stuart. Dr. B, as he was known by all, was the first Communication Studies faculty member and founded the department in 2001.

The department mourned the loss of Dr. B on September 9th 2012 and the decision to start the Bill Stuart Memorial scholarship came out of the legacy that Dr B left behind at Longwood.

“I think the scholarship is a continuation of the generosity that he had. We can make sure that students who work hard, care about Longwood and Communication Studies like Dr B did can focus more on their learning.”
                                                                              – Dr. Naomi Johnson

The presence of Dr. B rings through the hallways of Longwood’s Communication Studies Department in the same way his reach extended outside of the classroom. Dr. B presented himself to everyone as much more than just a professor; he had an infinite love for Longwood and he was a mentor and a parental figure for any student who needed help or guidance.

Kristen Perdue, Bill Stuart Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Kristen Perdue, Bill Stuart Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Communication Studies student Kristen Perdue is the first recipient of the Bill Stuart Memorial scholarship and is expected to graduate in May 2016 after completing her degree in three years.

“It’s a prestigious scholarship and knowing the impact that Dr. Stuart had on the Communication Studies Department and Longwood itself, I can only hope I have served his memory well as the first recipient.”
                                                                               – Kristen Perdue

Kristen has been an exceptional student at Longwood, dedicating her time to the community as well as her studies. Perdue is currently a leader of Young Life at Fuqua, coached JV Softball at the school last year, and was a part of Longwood’s Big Siblings program.

The Bill Stuart Memorial scholarship is going to be awarded annually to Longwood Communication Studies students who epitomise the hard-work, values, and love for Longwood that reflect the attitudes that Dr. B had during his time at the university.

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Alumni Spotlight: Hannah Meadors & Laura Pugh

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The first Longwood University Communication Studies students to be featured in our Alumni Spotlight segment are Hannah Meadors (class of ‘15) and Laura Pugh (class of ‘13). The two recent graduates have found a new home working for Breaking Limits, LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Laura Pugh, an Account Executive at Breaking Limits, graduated from Longwood in 2013 and has a soft spot for the Communication Studies department and the COMMunity she graduated from. As an alumnus applying her trade in the workplace, Laura values the experience that she was able to gain throughout her years at Longwood.

“I still keep my connection with the Communication Studies department because they were so helpful for my development as a student and as a professional.”
                                                                                        – Laura Pugh

Since graduating in May, Hannah has been able to reflect on the skills she developed within the Communication Studies program. She attributes her success to the abundance of hands on learning that was carried out in the classroom.

“The professors want to help, they’re there to help you. They want to be hands on and give you as much experience as you’re willing to accept.”
                                                                                         – Hannah Meadors

The Longwood COMMunity has a strong connection beyond the classroom and wishes these two graduates the best in their careers. We will all be watching intently as they continue to grow.

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Longwood PRSSA Attends National Conference

PRSSA group

On November 6th 2015, the annual PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) National Conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia. As an active chapter of the PRSSA, Longwood University was able to offer some of its PRSSA members the opportunity to attend the four day conference.

PRSSA speakerThe PRSSA National Conference gives all PRSSA representatives the chance to hear from the nations most prominent PR organisations and companies. With Longwood Communication Studies Assistant Professor Dr. Alec R. Hosterman in attendance the students were also given a strong platform to network with experts and colleagues in the PR field.

“The conference was a unique opportunity to meet other students, and network with communication professionals.”
– Ben Stembridge, Longwood’s PRSSA President
 

Head of PR for Coca-Cola North America, Scott Williamson was the keynote speaker at the conference. Williamson has over 23 years of PR experience and has overseen a majority of Coca-Cola’s PR campaigns. Williamson spoke to those in attendance about his personal rules for success in Public Relations and was one of the many speakers the students were able to see at this years conference.

PRSSA Coke

The trip wasn’t all business for the students and they were able to take some time out to explore Atlanta before returning to Longwood. The Longwood students were able to visit Atlanta’s World of Coca-Cola building, which gave them the opportunity to look at Coca-Cola’s history, successful advertising campaigns and other pop culture memorabilia.

The students also went on the Inside CNN Studio Tour, where they got a close look at CNN Studios in Atlanta. The tour includes a look at how CNN puts together a news broadcast, behind the scenes look at a newsroom, and how a professional news studio operates.

“Attending the sessions throughout the conference was a really good opportunity for students to see how their education is being put in to practice.”
– Dr. Alec R. Hosterman, Communication Studies Assistant Professor
 

Anyone who has an an interest in Public Relations can join Longwood University’s PRSSA chapter. If you want to get a feel of the PRSSA chapter all majors are welcome to sit in on one of their weekly meetings that are held at 4pm in CSTAC 205 on Tuesday afternoons.

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A Look Inside: WMLU Radio Station

[youtube]https://youtu.be/lNmd-eGAAzs[/youtube]

The first organization to be featured in our A Look Inside segment is Longwood University’s WMLU radio station. WMLU is a student-led organization for those with a passion for a career in radio. This video will give you a behind-the-scenes look at what goes in to running WMLU.

Why WMLU?

Whether it is being on air or working behind the scenes, being a member of WMLU can give you the chance to learn and develop your skills in radio. WMLU provides each member with six hours of training that will teach you how to use the station’s radio equipment.

After completing the training, members of WMLU will be able to develop their own radio personality and present themselves professionally on air.

“Creativity is key, it can get you one step ahead of the game.”

                                                                                          – Jessica Mayo

Jessica Mayo is WMLU’s General Manager and she admits that one of the biggest appeals of the organization is the freedom to create. It also gives you an inside look at what it is like to have your own radio show and structure it to your personality.

If you have the desire to work in radio or you are simply interested in joining the crew, then visit their website at wmlu.org or sit in on one of their meetings, Sunday’s at 9pm in Hiner 207.

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