2017 College Report

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES ABOUT COMMUNICATION STUDIES Te Department of Communication Studies prepares students to be skilled leaders, problem solvers, speakers, writers and researchers. Te undergraduate degree ofers areas of study in Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Communication, Persuasive Communication as well as Teacher Certifcation. Te department is also the academic home of several interdisciplinary minors emphasizing Leadership, Political Communication and Health Communication. Te nationally ranked Master’s program ofers research emphases in Health Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Communication, Persuasion and Political Communication, Rhetorical Studies, and Communication Training and Development. FACULTY ACCOLADES Collectively, faculty have published more than 85 books (including editions) and more than 300 peer-refereed articles in communication journals. Faculty regularly win top paper/article awards from the International Communication Association, National Communication Association, Eastern Communication Association, Central States Communication Association, Southern States Communication Association, Western Communication Association, and the Journal of Family Communication ; they have won Article of the Year awards and Book of the Year awards from the American Journal of Nursing and the Intercultural Communication Division of the National Communication Association Collectively, faculty have received millions of dol- lars in grants from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, the Special Olympics of Texas, the United States Department of the Interior, and the United States Bureau of Land Management. Faculty are nationally recognized for holding top leadership posts including the president of the National Communication Association and president of the Southern States Communication Association. Faculty have also served as Editors of Communication Teacher and Communication Law Review. Faculty research is regularly featured in Psychology Today and cited in media outlets such as Te Wall Street Journal , Te New York Post , Te Washington Post , Te Chicago Tribune , Men’s Health , Business Insider , Te Hufngton Post , Te New York Daily News , ABC News Radio, AARP, Wisconsin Law Review , the Times of Indi a, Yahoo India, Quo! (Spain & Mexico), Fox News, Indian Express , and the Chicago Sun-Times . Te department is the only academic unit at Texas State to lead a Study Abroad program at Oxford University, Oxford, England. OPPORTUNITIES TO EXCEL It has the #3 ranked M.A. program in the U.S. for communication education research. Master’s students regularly present at national con- ferences and publish peer-reviewed articles. Within the past ten years 100% of Communication Studies master’s students seeking to pursue a Ph.D. who have been recommended by faculty members have been accepted to top doctoral programs. Master’s program alumni have been employed as faculty members at: DePaul University, Princeton University, Ohio University, Marquette University, Emerson University, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Indiana University, Western Oregon University, University of Colorado, University of Iowa, Southern Mississippi University, George Mason University, UT Pan Am, UT San Antonio, UT Austin, Cal Polytechnic, Arizona State University, University of Central Michigan, Nebraska Wesleyan University, UT Rio Grande Valley, Belmont University, and UT Health Science Center in San Antonio. Last year the department successfully led the frst TEDx conference at Texas State. Te LBJ Debate Society and Elton Abernathy Forensics Society continues to dominate other Texas universities, as well as the national stage; in sixteen of the last seventeen years, the LBJ Debate Society and Elton Abernathy Forensics Society has won 1st place sweepstakes at the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association Championships. Tey are the only Texas university debate program annually invited to debate at Oxford University. Texas State placed second in the nation in the President’s Tree Division of the National Forensics Association’s National Championship. Last year more than twenty debate and forensic team members placed ffth or higher in a variety of state and national tournaments in competitive events such as parliamentary debate, Lincoln-Douglas debate, after-dinner speaking, prose, dramatic interpretation, impromptu speaking and communication analysis. Texas State also produced seven national quarterfnalists (top 24) this past year. For the past 29 years, the department has hosted COMM Week, an event featuring national and international guest speakers, as well as networking and professional development opportunities. 32 | COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION