WHAT'S NEW IN COMM STUDIES

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WHAT'S NEW IN COMM STUDIES

Letter from the Chair

In Memoriam: Richard Curtis and J. Edgar Webb Communication Week 2015

Alumni Spotlight: Kim Bechtel (MA 2015) New Faculty Spotlight: Krista Hoffmann-Longtin Congratulations TCN Officers

An Undergraduate Perspective: Attending the National Communication Association Convention

Graduate Corner

Advising Updates, Welcome Jan DeWester Theatre at IUPUI: "All In The Timing"

Jaguar Speech and Debate

8th Annual Robert and Dana Curtis Memorial Oratorical Contest

R110 Corner

Faculty Accomplishments Upcoming Events

Comm Studies students and faculty organized the "Stop the Violence, End the Violence" forums this fall.

Message from the Chair

Greetings:

Spring semester 2015 brings with it many opportunities to celebrate our faculty and student accomplishments. Highlights of this semester include our Annual Communication Week, which will feature presentations by students and faculty, culminating in our 5th Annual Student, Alumni, Employer Networking Conference. We welcome a new faculty member, Krista Hoffmann-Longtin, to our department, and see other members of our department family stepping into new roles, including Jan DeWester as our new Lead Advisor, Ron Sandwina as the new Director of General Studies, and a new leadership team in our R110 public speaking program. Our students have many achievements to celebrate as well, including the first student theatre production at IUPUI for several years, "All in the Timing," speech and debate team successes, speech night and Curtis Memorial Contest winners. You can read about all of these exciting opportunities

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and more in this issue.

This spring semester also brings a time for reflection. Our department lost two emeritus professors in January, both of whom left behind an incredible legacy. Professor J. Edgar Webb, along with Professor Dorothy Webb, is largely responsible for the strong theatre program that developed on our campus in the late 20th century. We also lost Professor Richard Curtis, our department's founding chair and the founder, with his wife Beth, of the Curtis Memorial Oratorical Contest. We will miss these important individuals whose leadership helped pave the way for the many successes we have experienced over the years.

I hope you enjoy reading about these accomplishments, which would not be possible without the generosity of friends like you. Thank you for your support of our department! We would love to know what you've been up to. Please email the department at [email protected] or contact us on our Department of Communication Studies Facebook page. Please be sure to join us on Saturday March 28 for the Student, Alumni, and Employer Networking Conference.

Sincerely, Kristy Sheeler

Chair, Communication Studies

In Memoriam: Richard Curtis and J. Edgar Webb

Dr. Richard Curtis passed away in January. He was Professor Emeritus of

Speech/Communication and served as the first chair of the department. Richard and his wife, Elizabeth Curtis, founded the Robert and Dana Curtis Memorial Oratorical Contest (CMOC) in tribute to his brothers, Robert, who was killed in World War II, and Dana, who perished eight years later in Korea. Dr. Curtis was just a few days shy of his ninety-first birthday.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in Dr. Curtis' memory may be made in support of the IUPUI Curtis

Memorial Speech Contest, payable to: True North, and mailed to True North, RKC Fund, 205 North College, Suite 713, Bloomington, IN 47404.

J. Edgar Webb, Emeritus Professor of Communication/Theatre, passed away in late January.

During his tenure at IUPUI, Professor Webb instructed many students in the arts of

communication and theatre and served as Director of the IUPUI University Theatre, leading performances in many venues such as the Marott Building, the Mary Cable Building, and the Union Building.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in Dr. Webb's memory may be made to his church - Speedway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 5110 W. 14th Street, Speedway, IN 46224. Gifts may

also be given to the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI for the theatre and made payable to the Indiana University Foundation, with the memo line indicating: In Memory of J. Edgar Webb ; and mailed to The Indiana University Foundation, PO Box 6460, Indianapolis, IN 46206-6460. You may view his obituary here: http://go.iu.edu/kOk

Communication Week 2015

by Mike Polites, Senior Lecturer and TCN Faculty Advisor

Communication Week is always a great celebration of the work of our students, alumni, and faculty. Organized by members of the faculty and students of The Communication Network (TCN), Comm Week is a great opportunity to network, catch up with old friends, make new ones, and maybe even get a lead on an internship or job. We hope to see you at these exciting events!

Monday March 23, 12-1:15, CE 305, Faculty Research Showcase Tuesday March 24, 12-2:45, CE 305, Student Research Showcase

Wednesday March 25, 1-3, CA 508, COMM Choose your class / Advising Open

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House

Thursday March 26, 12-1:15, Basille Auditorium, Civic Engagement Showcase

Saturday March 28, Student-Alumni-Employer Networking Conference, Fairbanks Hall

On Saturday, March 28th from 8:30 to 1:00 p.m. The Communication Network (TCN), our undergraduate student organization, and the Department of Communication Studies will host the 5th annual Student, Alumni and Employer Networking Conference at Fairbanks Hall, 340 West 10th St., Indianapolis.

The conference will feature two panels of Communication Studies alumni speaking to current students. They'll be answering questions, offering advice, and networking. Employers will be back hiring again this year as well.

There are multiple goals for this conference. First, we want to create the opportunity for students to learn about what life after college is really like, and who better to speak to that than our alumni. Secondly, we want an event that would give our Communication Studies alumni the chance to share what they have learned with some of our current students. Any alum who has ever said, "Gosh, I wish I would have taken X class," or "if I knew then what I know now, I would have done X differently" is the perfect fit for one of our alumni panels. Third, we miss you! As faculty members, we really enjoy and take a lot of pride in hearing what our alumni are up to. The conference gives faculty and alumni a chance to visit, too. Fourth, by awarding the Outstanding Alumni Award, we publicly recognize alumni for their career success and desire to help others.

Emily Gregory, Communication Studies major and past president of The Communication Network, has been an attendee the last three years and had this to say about the conference: "Attending the last three Alumni Conferences was very eye opening. I loved hearing how past IUPUI students are successfully using their degrees. It is the perfect opportunity to network and get to know other liberal arts professors, students, and alumni."

A catered lunch will be provided at noon. Please RSVP to the event by emailing the conference chair, Mike Polites, at [email protected] by Friday, March 20st with subject: RSVP. This promises to be a "can't miss" for everyone. | Read More

Alumni Spotlight: Kim Bechtel (MA 2015)

Hi, my name is Kim Bechtel and I recently completed my MA in Applied Health Communication at IUPUI. When I entered the graduate program to obtain my MA in Applied Communication, like many students, I did not have a certain area of focus in mind. My first class in the program was COMM C500, Introduction to Communication Theory, with Dr. John-Parrish-Sprowl. As a scholar in health communication and a consultant for the World Health Organization (WHO), John opened my world to the many reasons why health communication is so important to public health and the need to understand human behavior through theory including overall well-being, disease prevention and health promotion. | Read More

New Faculty Spotlight: Krista Hoffmann-Longtin

Dr. Krista Hoffmann-Longtin joins the department as an assistant professor of Communication Studies. She holds a joint appointment with the IU School of Medicine as an assistant dean for

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Faculty Affairs and Professional Development. Professor Hoffmann-Longtin's research focuses on faculty development, organizational/professional identity, and strategic communication in academic health settings. Her work has appeared in the "To Improve the Academy" and "Academic Medicine"

journals. She is currently developing an interdisciplinary partnership between the Department of Communication Studies, School of Medicine, IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning, and School of Science to develop curriculum for faculty and students on how to communicate complex scientific research to the lay public.

Professor Hoffmann-Longtin holds a Ph.D. in education leadership and policy from Indiana University, and communication degrees from Purdue University and Ball State University.

Congratulations TCN Officers

The Communication Network (TCN) recently elected new officers for the 2015 calendar year. We are pleased to announce that the following officers took office in January:

President- Courtney Shelburne Vice President- Loghan Pickett Secretary/Treasurer- Mary Bentley Volunteer Coordinator- Hannah Wheeler Social Activities Coordinator- Greg Zimmerman Senate- Nicole Davis

An Undergraduate Perspective: Attending the National Communication Association Convention

By Tyler White, Communication Studies senior

"If a person has a contribution to make, he must make it in public. If learning is not made public, it is a waste." When Jewish-American author Chaim Potok penned these words in his novel "The Chosen," he saw a world struggling to fill itself with meaning. Ultimately, I am a firm believer that a universal pursuit of every student is this fight for meaning. As a young communication scholar, it is a fairly frequent occurrence that I feel inundated with so much information that it becomes

extremely easy for me to think I've achieved some pinnacle of learning and rest on those laurels.

Then, in that moment, I hear another story or read another research study and I realize that in reality I do not really know anything at all. | Read More

Tyler focuses intently during an ultimate Frisbee game at the Comm Studies department picnic back in September

Graduate Corner

By Jen Bute, Director of Graduate Programs

It's admissions season in Communication Studies. The graduate committee is busy reviewing applications for both our M.A. and Ph.D. programs and will be admitting our next cohorts in the coming weeks.

One of the most exciting developments in our program has been the introduction of a new award designed to support graduate student travel to professional conferences. The Petronio-Bantz travel award was created through the generosity of Professor Sandra Petronio and Chancellor Charles Bantz and was awarded for the first time this fall, going to doctoral student Nicole Johnson and supporting her attendance at the National Communication Association annual meeting. We are deeply grateful to Professor Petronio and Chancellor Bantz for creating this opportunity. | Read

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Advising Updates: Welcome Jan DeWester

Beginning spring term, Jan DeWester became the Lead Advisor for Communication Studies. Jan has been advising Communication Studies majors for fourteen years and is delighted to have this opportunity. After many successful years as Lead Advisor, Ron Sandwina is now executing two other important roles - General Studies Program Director and Director of Undergraduate Studies for Communication Studies.

"Our department is fortunate to have a team of ten dedicated faculty advisors supporting our students throughout their academic careers" stated DeWester. The Communication Studies advisors include Professors Goering, Hamilton, Karnick, Lebeau, Polites, Sandwina, K. Sheeler, Thedwall and White-Mills.

Theatre at IUPUI: "All in the Timing"

The Communication Studies Department is producing the comedy, "All in the Timing" by David Ives. It's been more than twenty years since the department sponsored a theatre production on the IUPUI campus. Faculty member Callie Burk directs the production which features six one-act comedies.

"All in the Timing" has been applauded by critics. The New York Times stated, "Like sketches for some hilarious, celestially conceived review. The writing is not only very funny, it has density of thought and precision of poetry....All in the Timing is by a master of fun. David Ives spins hilarity out of words."

The performances will be April 17th and 18th at 8:00 p.m. and April 19th at 2:30 p.m. in Cavanaugh 003. There is no admission charge, but tickets are required. For more information, contact Jan DeWester, [email protected].

Jaguar Speech and Debate

By Jaime Hamilton, Jaguar Forensics Coach

IUPUI Speech and Debate has had a strong start to the 2014-2015 competitive season. We have competed in several tournaments with astounding results! As you may know, this team has multiple layers incorporating many components in order for things to run smoothly. Such components include: processing travel, coaching 30+ hours a week, weekly scrimmages, recruiting, and

competitions. While all of these layers are necessary for an effective team, nothing binds it together better than our seniors. We have astounding students who continue to represent IUPUI and the Department of Communication Studies in wonderful ways. We will miss the following seniors as they embark on a new adventure: Jon Sheldon — Masters in Media Arts and Sciences; Lincoln Wallis — B.S. Physics; Bethany Crocker — B.S. Anthropology and B.S. Museum Studies; Meredith Moore — B.S. Communication Studies. We are so proud of all of our seniors and are thankful that they have taken the forensics journey with us.

We look forward to all of our students finishing out the year strong as we travel to the following tournaments: Indiana State Forensics Tournament (Butler University); Novice Nationals (Butler University); National Parliamentary Debate Associational Tournament (Kansas City, Missouri); National Forensics Associational Tournament (Athens, Ohio.)

8th Annual Robert and Dana Curtis Memorial Oratorical Contest

A legacy to remember...

We celebrate the 2014 Curtis Memorial Oratorical Contest in a monumental way this year.

Two classes competed in the contest this year doubling our student involvement and

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student competitors. It was a wonderful night to celebrate peace as we welcomed over 200 audience members, six student finalists, and Dr. Curtis and his family. Smiles were abundant as we welcomed the largest and most successful Curtis Contest to date.

Scholarship Winners: (pictured at right, with Dr. Curtis) Jason Feuerstine

Quinton Elliott Emily Rettig Courtney Spencer Preston Carson Emily Koenn

With that said, we should remember that all of this started with a simple conversation

about peace. A small conversation erupted into a monumental event with the hope of sparking more conversation about peace. This is what Dr. Curtis envisioned. Dr. Curtis was a man of incredible integrity, respect, and honor. It is clear that Dr.

Curtis left a legacy that will span generations impacting thousands of young hearts and minds.

R110 Corner

By Ian Sheeler, R110 Co-Assistant Director To say that R110 saw some major changes in the fall of 2014 would be an understatement. First, the leadership team of the course made the decision to move to the new classroom management software, Canvas. This was a bold move in that it gave those managing R110 and its curriculum a head start on this new environment that will replace Oncourse next year. Second, R110 became part of the common core of classes for IUPUI, which means the course must

service ALL students of the Indianapolis campus. Finally, with all the changes to R110, this was the first semester using our new textbook — "The Fundamentals of Public Speaking." Perhaps the most significant part of this textbook is the authors — the faculty of the Department of Communication Studies. This is a text published specifically for our students by our faculty, and it cut the price of the previous textbook in half for our students. | Read More

Congratulations Fall 2014 Speech Night Finalists: Kadé Diallo, Danar Ziraldo, Blaike Travis, Adam Reinhart, Lexi Shriver, Julia Olson (Champion), Joshua White.

Faculty Accomplishments

At the National Communication Association Convention in November, Professor Kristy Sheeler and co-author Karrin Vasby Anderson received the James A. Winans and Herbert A. Wichelns Memorial Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Rhetoric and Public Address. The award is in recognition of their book "Woman President: Confronting Postfeminist Political Culture".

Professors Jennifer Bute and Maria Brann were recently featured on Fox59 News for their study of couple communication and miscarriage. Bute and Brann also published an editorial in the Indianapolis Star about breaking the silence surrounding miscarriage. You can read more about their important work here: http://go.iu.edu/kOl

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Mike Polites received a sabbatical-like leave for the fall 2015 semester to research and develop communication pedagogy on the subject of humor. Mike hopes to teach a class in the future on humor and communication.

In summer 2015, Professor Jonathan Rossing will travel to Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa in order to interview comedians, audiences, and political leaders about the role comedy has played in shaping post-apartheid South Africa and in helping citizens find a political voice. Professor Rossing received the Indiana University New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities grant which will support this new research project in South Africa.

Upcoming Events

March 23-28 Communication Week

April 17-19 All in the Timing performance, Cavanaugh 003, April 17th and 18th at 8:00 p.m. and April 19th at 2:30 p.m.

April 24, Student Achievement Night and Lambda Pi Eta Initiation, Campus Center 450A, 5:30 reception, ceremony begins at 6:00

April 27, Speech Night, Old National Center, 7pm

May 8, SLA Graduating Seniors Reception, Woodstock Club, 6pm May 10 Commencement, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis

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