ACOM Newsletter Fall 2024

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

VOL 1 | FALL 2024

Applied Communication

MATTERS

IN THIS ISSUE UPDATES...................................................2 FEATURES..................................................4 FACULTY NEWS & STORIES.............................6 STUDENTS................................................15 SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS............................17 LEADERSHIP LECTURE SERIES........................18 STUDENT SUCCESS......................................19 CONTACTS & CREDITS..................................21 @ualrappliedcomm

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

UPDATES

Applied Communication Moves to Ross Hall

In a bittersweet move, the department was encouraged to vacate our old home in the Speech Building in 2021 and move to Ross Hall. This change ensured academic departments were accessible to students in the heart of campus. The move brought back vivid memories of the Communication Skills Center (CSC) helping students across campus for 50 years, classroom renovations to create more space for students, and continually buying equipment to upgrade our classrooms for student success. The Speech Building saw legendary faculty such as Mike Hemphill, a former student and ultimately Chair of the department, in the halls with wise and popular instructors like Linda Pledger, Jerry Butler, Christy Standerfer, and Allan Ward.

The department has always been at the forefront of innovation, even in the Speech Building era. We were pioneers in the 1990s, introducing online classes for communication students. We then successfully transitioned our minors, undergraduate, and graduate programs to an online platform, setting a precedent that other institutions would later follow, offering both face-to-face and online programs.

Our department's excellence has been celebrated and recognized time and again. In 2000, we proudly accepted the Department of Excellence Award, accompanied by a prize of $30,000. This recognition was a testament to our faculty and staff's hard work and dedication. We invested this prize in its classrooms, further enhancing the learning environment for students. The faculty's unwavering commitment and expertise have also been acknowledged with several campus-wide Teacher of the Year and Researcher of the Year Awards, a testament to faculty commitment to academic excellence and student success. In addition, in 2015-16, the department received the Innovation in Recruitment and Retention award from the College of Social Sciences & Communication, and in 2021, the department was awarded the university's Student Success and Retention Award.

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PG 2

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

UPDATES

Applied Communication Moves to Ross Hall The department now occupies the first floor of our new building, Ross Hall, with some offices on the sixth floor.

On the first floor of the building is a set of critical offices for the department. The Chair of our Department, April Chatham Carpenter, or Dr. April, occupies the former dean’s office. Kristen McIntyre, Dr. M, director of both the Basic Course Program and the CSC, has offices on the first floor, along with other instructors of the 1300 program, such as Katie Halford. Another face in the main office is our new Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Bailey Blackburn.

As you enter our office, our long-time Administrative Assistant, Mrs. Leslie McBryde, will warmly welcome you.

Leslie's friendly demeanor and eagerness to assist make her a familiar and comforting presence for our students and friends. Her dedication and the supportive environment we strive to maintain are evident in the many who stop by the office to visit with her, fostering a strong sense of community and belonging. We believe this sense of belonging is crucial for our students' success and are committed to maintaining it.

On the sixth floor, we find the offices of other faculty, including Dr. Gerald Driskill, formerly Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Julien Mirivel, who created the Positive Communication network, and Dr. Avinash Thombre, who brings our department's insights into media development and Intercultural Communication. Dr. Carol Thompson also has an office on the sixth floor.

Reviews of the move are uniformly positive. Dr. M likes “really being a part of campus.” She thinks “our main office is bright, inviting, and able to support all the students in the building, whether in our classes or not.” Dr. Blackburn enjoys that “we are the first set of offices by the main/lobby entrance.” She says that when “students wander in, they are immediately greeted by Mrs. Leslie and our mission written/painted on the wall.” She thinks “even the sixth floor feels like an adventure.” Leslie McBryde mentioned the “open hallways, close to the classrooms,” and being able to see students whenever she “opens the office door,” as great reasons to be in Ross Hall.

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PG 3

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FEATURES

CSC Celebrates 50th Anniversary On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, the Communication Skills Center, formerly the Speech Communication Interaction Learning Lab (SCIL Lab), celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The CSC is the oldest continually operating communication center in the nation. It offered services virtually during the pandemic and moved into its new location in the Learning Commons in the Spring of 2022. Located on the renovated first floor of the Ottenheimer Library, the CSC shares an open, collaborative learning space with other key student support centers that make up the Learning Commons: The Math Assistance Center (MAC), Trojan Tutoring (TT), and the University Writing Center (UWC).

In the new location, the CSC has a dedicated rehearsal space with technology that allows not only speakers and listeners to be recorded during a presentation but also makes possible observations of group meetings, mock interviews, and other communication-skillbuilding activities. Transitioning into the Learning Commons means the CSC has changed, but some things are still the same. Specifically, the space is still student-managed. Graduate Assistants serve as Assistant Directors and handle the management, training, and professional development of CSC staff.

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Dr. Kristen McIntyre has served as the CSC Director since 2006 and expanded CSC services to all campus students, faculty, and staff, both in person and virtually. Perhaps the most important thing that hasn’t changed in 50 years is our unwavering dedication to supporting students in their communication journeys.

While the ways we’ve offered that support have looked radically different over the years, the mission has remained steady–-to foster the co-creation of better social worlds through positive communication. Here’s to 50 more years of being the difference that makes the difference!

PG 4

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FEATURES

CSC Celebrates 50th Anniversary (Continued) Pouring in from the River Market on May 7, 2024, graduating students, current students, faculty, friends, family, alumni, and other community members met at UA Little Rock Downtown to celebrate fifty years of the Communication Skills Center (CSC) and student achievements.

Before the program, the audience enjoyed refreshments and milled around the space, renewing old friendships and meeting faculty who had gathered for the evening’s festivities. We heard opening remarks from our Dean, Dr. Sarah Beth Estes. We were privileged to review a year of excellence, congratulating graduates and award winners. Each award honoree received a hand-made glass heart crafted by Alumna and former faculty member Dr. Linda Pledger. In a letter Dr. Pledger wrote to the recipients of the hearts, she mentioned that “positive communication begins with one’s heart and spreads to others from there.” This phrase beautifully matches the unique mission statement developed by the department, reminding us “to foster the co-creation of better social worlds through positive communication.”

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We had the honor of hearing from Dr. Jerry Butler and Dr. Christy Standerfer about the early years, whose vision and dedication laid the foundation for the CSC. Then we heard from Dr. Mike Hemphill and Dr. Linda Pledger, who were involved in the mid-90s to the mid2000s, and finally to Dr. Kristen McIntyre, current director of the CSC, who continues to lead us towards new horizons. Their stories and insights inspire us to carry forward the CSC's mission with renewed vigor and commitment.

Dr. Butler and Dr. Hemphill discussed the beginning of the CSC. Fifty years ago, the university began requiring classes to admit 50 or more students. The thennamed Speech Department’s solution was to develop the CSC as a place to send half of a class to read texts, take quizzes, and practice speeches while the other half gave speeches in the classroom. Christy Standerfer then described when the CSC began computer-assisted learning. From there, it was constant growth until now, and we have the current CSC serving the entire campus and housed in the library for the whole campus to access.

PG 5

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FACULTY NEWS & STORIES

New Grad Coordinator By: Dr. Bailey Blackburn

During a busy morning on campus in the Spring of 2023, Dr. Gerald Driskill and Dr. April walked into my office. As they sat, I could see they had both sorrow and excitement in their demeanors. This emotional contradiction was soon understood, as Dr. Driskill told me the time had come to pass on the torch of being the graduate coordinator.

Dr. Driskill has led our graduate program so beautifully for over 20 years. He has inspired an entire generation of students and communication practitioners, who are now out in the world and living out our mission to cultivate positive communication across their organizations and communities.

To say I had big shoes to fill would be an understatement. Ironically, when these discussions began, the university underwent considerable changes in fielding applications and onboarding new students, including new and required online databases and website tools. Dr. Driskill and I hit the ground running by getting me updated, trained, and prepared for this new role. I accredit my success in this new role to his diligent and helpful guidance and training.

Since assuming this role in July of 2023, I have also taken on the responsibility of the Conflict Management Graduate Certificate program. My mission is to streamline and enhance the program experience for our graduate students, making it more inclusive and clear. I have found immense joy in working with the graduate faculty, leading faculty retreats and meetings, and engaging in recruitment practices. I am deeply grateful to the faculty, and especially to Dr. Driskill, for their guidance and support on this new journey. I am filled with hope and excitement for the future of our graduate programs, and I am eager to witness their growth in the years to come!

If you are interested in our graduate program or our Conflict Management Graduate Certificate, please contact Dr. Blackburn at boblackburn@ualr.edu!

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PG 6

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FACULTY NEWS & STORIES

Embracing Compassionate Curiosity: Building Bridges Across Political Divides By: Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter I am a common-sense builder and communicator who works on building connections, one relationship at a time. My strengths of harmony, relator, arranger, empathy, and consistency play a role in how I do this. I see this in my service roles in the bridge-building national non-profit Braver Angels. When I joined the national non-profit organization Braver Angels in 2020, amid a global pandemic, I had no idea how to do this across the political divide.

As I hung out with people nationwide in Zoom meetings (since we were in COVID lockdown), I learned more about the importance of depolarizing work. I got involved in doing the job by moderating both national and local skill-building workshops, co-facilitating a podcast called On the Other Hand, and developing and teaching a class for the department called Listening and Civil Dialogue, which looks at how we can improve intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, and public communication to build bridges across our differences, as we communicate in relationships with people we consider to be “other” than us. I also began developing research related to conflict resilience and conversational receptiveness and brought several Braver Angel depolarization workshops to campus and the local community. I have recently continued this work as a member of Cohort 4 of the National Civility Leadership Institute, sponsored by Renew America Together.

In line with the work done by others in the bridge-building space (cf. https://buildersmovement.org/), I see my role as someone who empowers builders, people who embrace and rely on the 4C’s of curiosity, compassion, creativity, and courage (cf. this link), or as some would call “compassionate curiosity.” This is how I act out the mission of our department daily, “to foster the co-creation of better social worlds through positive communication.”

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PG 7

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FACULTY NEWS & STORIES

Driskill and Little Rock Congregational Study By: Dr. Gerald Driskill

Tears fell. Tears that spelled h-o-p-e. I had not realized I had given up hope. It was 2001. I will explain those tears of hope at the end of this story. First, though, let me state the three goals of the Little Rock Congregation Study (LRCS) that is all about my cocreating hope: To improve our understanding of the impacts of faith-based community engagement To get students out of the classroom and into the community to learn and give back To provide relevant and meaningful findings to the community These goals, developed by Dr. Rebecca Glazier, the LRCS founder, continue to inspire me. Our Clergy Advisory Board guides our community-engaged research. One major highlight: after working for two years with UA Little Rock and Clinton School of Public Service students, and after a series of community dialogues, we developed and hosted the 2022 Little Rock Race and Faith Summit, which provided resources for congregations doing faith-based race relations work.

We continue to move forward in the following ways: Making the LRCS congregational survey available for free Developing a survey tool that can aid congregations seeking to be multiethnic Dreaming with our students and advisory board about the next steps.

Dreaming with Dr. Glazier our students, and the advisory board on the best ways to serve Collaborating with my department's mission to foster the co-creation of better social worlds through positive communication Conspiring with my wife and family on ways to better serve locally and internationally Preparing for twins due to my son and daughter-inlaw this summer!

The above steps are woven into my current professional development and overlap my life personally. Hope is contagious. Tears of hope continue to refresh and grow the work I am honored to engage in with others.

So, what about my tears of hope in 2001?

These collaborative practices continue to shape the lives of countless individuals, families, and faith communities engaged in a level of collaboration that did not exist before. This relational network, known as the City Church Network, continues to create hope in areas ranging from foster care and literacy to prison recidivism rates to race relations. This relational network has been emulated in over 50 US Cities and beyond.

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PG 8

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FACULTY NEWS & STORIES

By: Dr. Julien Mirivel In 2023, Dr. Mirivel founded the Positive Communication Network. The group, which includes scholars and teachers from around the nation, includes Drs. Thomas Socha (Old Dominion University), Ryan Fuller (Sacramento State University), Amy Young (University of Michigan), Margaret Pitts (University of Arizona), Kristen Christman (UNC Greensboro), and Phil Glenn (Emerson College). It was brought together to foster a community dedicated to creating better social worlds for all through positive communication research, education, and practice. The nonprofit organization has taken the mission of the department and taken it worldwide.

Since 2023, the Positive Communication Network has organized a number of free virtual events, including an annual conference dedicated to positive communication scholarship, teaching, and practice. In 2024, in fact, the annual conference was organized to respond to the loneliness epidemic and celebrate the power of human connection.

At the very same time, our capstone students explored loneliness in Fall 2023 and connection in Spring 2024.

Recent events include the popular Positive Communication Book Parties, a one- hour event designed to celebrate great books that inspire better social worlds. In one year, the Positive Communication Network has brought together over 1500 people across the globe. Learn more here.

Click the photo below to watch the zoom recording of the 2023 Positive Communication Conference!

Get Dr. Mirivel’s book here!

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PG 9

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FACULTY NEWS & STORIES

Lambda Pi Eta: Honoring Our Student Scholars By: Mrs. Katie Halford

Our department has a rich history of academic excellence in research and creative works. From class-related research to professional consultations in our community, the applied nature of our program has always been easy to see. We celebrate the excellence of our students in a variety of ways, and Lambda Pi Eta has become one way we can honor the accomplishment of our students on a larger scale.

About Lambda Pi Eta: Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) is the National Communication Association’s official honor society at four-year colleges and universities. LPH has more than 500 active chapters at four-year colleges and universities nationwide and is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS). LPH represents what Aristotle described in Rhetoric as three ingredients of persuasion: logos (Lambda), meaning logic; pathos (Pi), relating to emotion; and ethos (Eta), defined as character credibility and ethics (Lambda Pi Eta National Communication Association, n.d.).

Lambda Pi Eta at UA Little Rock: Then and Now The founding chapter of LPH was established at UA Little Rock in 2011 by faculty advisor Ms. Melissa Johnston.

Ms. Johnston was an exemplary faculty advisor serving as a full-time faculty member and professional consultant in our community. Upon induction, students were given the opportunity to tour and network with several local organizations in Little Rock. As Ms. Johnston transitioned into a new role, the faculty advisor role became vacant for a few years.

In 2017, Dr. April was approached by a few students that were interested in renewing the chapter membership and making it a success. Dr. April took the request to the faculty, and Ms. Katie Halford volunteered to be the new faculty advisor. When asked about why she volunteered, she answered, “I volunteered to be the faculty advisor of Lambda Pi Eta because I thought our students deserved the opportunity to be honored and recognized for their academic achievements. Most of our students are balancing multiple challenging responsibilities, and I want them to know their achievements are worthy of celebration.”

Undergraduate students, Tiffanie Nelson and Emily “Addie” McClenny, played an essential role in getting our chapter ready for relaunch, recruiting new members, and serving as leaders in the organization. Because of their efforts, we’ve been able to induct and honor over 50 students in the past eight years.

If you are interested in being a part of Lambda Pi Eta, please email Mrs. Halford at akhalford@ualr.edu!

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PG 10

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FACULTY NEWS & STORIES

What ARE Your Professors up to When They Are Not Teaching or Doing Research?

By: Drs. Carol Thompson and Avinash Thombre

Thompson’s Gardening Practice as a Part of the Wholeness of Everything From the time I was a little thing, and we lived in Hawaii, I have loved living things. Our neighbor, a Chinese woman who grew gorgeous Canna lilies, would work the soil while I squatted in the dirt beside her wearing a little pink and white pinafore, watching. Every place we lived, I planted something and watched it grow. I have intuitively recognized that what physics tells us is true. Infinite Potential suggests there is a wholeness to the universe, and “all things and living things are connected” (Schäfer, p. 165). So now I am on my 30th or so garden. Fun for me is sitting in my old Adirondack chair and sensing I am a part of the breeze, the earth, and the plants. Closing my eyes and blending into the world around me is peace.

Thombre’s Practice of Yoga for Self Communication and Personal Transformation

In my spare time, I have been practicing yoga on and off for the past several years. However, it was during Covid that I really got seriously into it. Also, during this time, I proposed to teach a special topic class in mindbody communication for the department. The class delved into issues of intrapersonal communication and the immense body of research into mind-body communication. Students responded well to the class, and that is when I formally enrolled in a yoga course.

After two years of intense study and practice, last year, I completed the course and now am a certified yoga instructor.

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I particularly like the backward and forward-bending stretching yoga postures, which allow me to be flexible while achieving a sense of calm and peaceful transformation. The best part of yoga for me personally is Breathing. It's the most important thing we do every single day, and most people give it very little thought.

But, when it comes to a productive yoga routine, settling your mind, relaxing, and centering yourself, breathing is one of the most important steps to master. I call it a dialogue with myself -- the most satisfying aspect of communication.

PG 11

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FACULTY NEWS & STORIES

Heifer International and Personal Transformation Research The way in which individuals transform themselves has been a matter of interest for the communication discipline.

Since 2019, Dr. Mirivel has led an interdisciplinary research team, with Drs. Avinash Thombre, Tusty ten Bensel, and Kirk Leach to discover the nature of personal transformation in women and men who partnered with Heifer International. Heifer International is a nonprofit humanitarian organization whose mission is to end hunger and poverty around the world. Over the course of 80 years, Heifer International has helped over 41 million families do so. Heifer International funded this project to develop a metric that would enable them to measure their impact on human personal transformation.

With this goal, the research team collected data around the globe. In 2019, Drs. Mirivel and Thombre traveled to Nepal to interview women who had formed unique support groups to improve their lives. Then, the research team developed a model of personal transformation to outline the key elements of personal change. Those include self-identity, perception of others, state of leadership, but also our favorite of all: communication skills!

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After completing the Nepal project and developing the model, the researchers prepared a survey and an interview guide. Starting in 2020, they collected threeyear longitudinal data in Bihar, India – one of the poorest states in the country. In 2022, they gathered data in Uganda, Africa. In 2023, they completed research in Honduras. Overall, the team collected 2500+ surveys and over 350 hours of audio-recorded interviews around the globe.

One of the major findings from this research is that building communicating competency is crucial for deep personal change. At any point, we all have in us the capacity to actualize our potentialities and we can do so by developing our communication skills.

Speaking your mind, expressing your views, advocating for your perspective, and aspiring toward greater virtues all lead to more happiness and a better life.

To learn more about this project, contact Dr. Mirivel at jcmirivel@ualr.edu.

PG 12

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FACULTY NEWS & STORIES

Research Excellence of Faculty Our seven tenured/tenure-track faculty have published two books, 12 book chapters, 20 journal articles, and multiple research-based technical reports in the past five years. They continue to present at regional, national, and international communication conferences and give research presentations to community groups and classes across the state and country. Sometimes, they write about our departmental culture, such as the piece coauthored by Gerald Driskill, April Chatham-Carpenter, and Kristen McIntyre, which is accessible here.

Below, we highlight each of the tenured faculty members’ research.

Dr. Bailey Oliver Blackburn Dr. Blackburn’s work spans topics related to stepfamily communication, fatherhood discourse, turning points in relationships, positive communication & peak communication moments, and resilience. Her work has appeared in journals such as Family Relations, The Journal of Family Communication, and the Journal of Applied Communication, as well as books published by Oxford Press. If you’re interested in her work, one article you might wish to read can be found here.

Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter Dr. Chatham-Carpenter researches issues such as the use of communication to manage difficult dialogues, the impact of community listening on politically polarized environments, transformations in online teaching, pedagogical choices affecting teaching immediacy, and challenges in the higher education landscape. Two articles you might wish to read if you’re interested in her work can be found at these links: (a) Pandemic Teacher Immediacy (co-authored with a program alumna) and (b) Conversational Receptiveness in Political Polarization (co-authored with Dr. Blackburn).

Dr. Gerald Driskill Dr. Driskill’s work encompasses collaboration addressing community issues such as race, faith, and foster care, organizational cultural analyses, and non-profit work within multiple faith communities. Along with a third edition of his Organizational Culture in Action book, you can find Dr. Driskill very active with the Little Rock Congregations Study, in which he has co-authored multiple articles. If you’re interested in his work, one article you might wish to read can be found here.

Dr. Kristen McIntyre Dr. McIntyre is a recognized expert in the arenas of academic assessment and communication skills centers and experiential learning training. She serves as a model of the scholarship of teaching and learning and regularly writes pieces focusing on classroom practice and assessment issues. You might wish to read one publication (co-authored with two alumni of the program) if you’re interested in her work, which can be found here.

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PG 13

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

FACULTY NEWS & STORIES

Research Excellence of Faculty (Continued) Dr. Julien Mirivel Dr. Mirivel’s work focuses on the impact of positive communication in various environments (cf. Positive Communication Network) and on building transformational learning environments in global settings. His coauthored Positive Communication for Leaders book came out this past year. His work with Heifer International, on an interdisciplinary team that includes Dr. Avinash Thombre, has led to several publications. If you’re interested in his work, you might pick a copy of his recent book here.

Dr. Avinash Thombre Dr. Thombre’s work focuses on creating transformational environments in health, culture, social media, and sustainable practices. He recently reflected on the art and practice of teaching and learning, published in The Teaching Scholar. An example of this work is the work that he has done with Dr. Mirivel and others, studying the nature of personal transformation within community development efforts in multiple international locations where Heifer International has taken their work. In addition, if you’re interested in his work, one article you might wish to read can be found here.

Dr. Carol Thompson Dr. Thompson analyzes the work of past writers and thinkers like Paulo Freire, Martin Buber, and Julien of Norwich, exploring how they maintained positive perspectives during difficult times. She also explores pedagogical practices and interdisciplinarity dialog that lead to deep learning in communication classrooms. She investigates liberatory pedagogy as it applies to communication and the relationship between mind-body communication in learning and spirituality practices. If you’re interested in her work, one article you might wish to read can be found here.

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PG 14

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

STUDENTS

Senior Capstoners Making Human Connections Senior Capstone Day has been an important tradition in the Department going back over 30 years. On this day, our seniors proudly present their qualitative research projects in front of our faculty, fellow students, family, and friends. It is also a tradition to invite our program alums and campus and community partners to participate in this special day by serving as guest evaluators.

In 2023-24, we tried a new approach to our undergraduate senior capstone course, focusing on the topic of “Making Human Connections.” In the Fall semester, students focused on understanding what factors contributed to feelings of loneliness and social isolation in college students. In the Spring semester, students focused on better understanding communication behaviors used to navigate social isolation.

Example project titles from both semesters show the range of projects the students did, such as: Disconnected in a Connected World: Navigating the Web of Loneliness Beyond the Echo Chamber: Unraveling the Loneliness of Political Polarization Media Ecology: Understanding The Rhythms of Social Media Communication and Its Impact on Collegiate Connection Resilience Through Connection: The Power of Peak Communication Experiences During Social Isolation Listening and Encouraging: Building Bridges in Social Isolation Making Sense and Silver Linings: Creating Positive Experiences Through Storytelling During Social Isolation What was learned overall by students? See these sample reflections.

I gained a deeper insight on the emotional impact political differences can have on others. This project has allowed me to better navigate these types of subject matter.

I have learned that we all go through difficult times such as times of isolation, but it is important to have a good understanding of communication so we can continue to build relationships. It is amazing how a greeting or a simple compliment helps us change our social world.

While doing my capstone project, I learned how online communication can assist in forming and maintaining relationships. This experience heightened my awareness and mindfulness of integrating the various online media forms into my relationships.

Students also reflected on what they learned from doing this type of research.

I learned about how to use the research I am doing and apply it to my everyday life to create a better social world for me and the people around me.

I learned about the importance of implementing communication theories in real-life experiences in order to communicate ethically to make positive connections.

Once again, Senior Capstone provided a transformative experience for students this past year, as one student concluded: “I think completing my capstone project was the crown achievement of my whole education.”

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PG 15

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

STUDENTS

MA Alumni Making Waves The ACOM graduate program has fostered a diverse range of talented students who have gone on to lead agencies, establish businesses, serve as department chairs at other institutions, and excel in various fields.

Nathan Jeffers (MA alum), Director of Marketing And Public Relations at CARTI hospital Sajni Kumpuris (BA; MA alum), Director of Education at Arkansas PBS Iaja Rogers (BA, MA alum), Producer at Arkansas PBS Marquese McFerguson, Ph.D. (MA alum), Assistant Professor of Intercultural Communication within the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies at Florida Atlantic University Travis Weigel (MA alum), Veteran Service Representative (Rating) at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Shalonda Michelle Nelson (MA alum), Communication Specialist at Lennox International Robert Mock, Jr., Ph.D. (MA alum) Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Kentucky Marceline Hayes, Ph.D. (BA. MA alum), Professor at Arkansas State University and former department chair of Communication Studies for 15 years Melissa Johnston (BA, MA alum), Director of Learning and Development with First Orion in Little Rock, Arkansas Brandon Sollars (MA alum), UA Little Rock’s Ottenheimer library’s Learning Commons Coordinator Adena White (MA Alum), Founder and chief story teller of BlackBelt Media These graduate students are living proof of the incredible potential our graduates possess. Their success stories are just the tip of the iceberg. The excellence continues!

Below are a few notable MA graduates making waves (L to R): Robert Mock, Ph.D., Melissa Johnston, Marquese MeFerguson, Adena White, and Sajni Kumpuris

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PG 16

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS

Excellence Recognized: Student, Alumni, and Community Awards As Spring approaches, we eagerly anticipate the Department of Applied Communication's prestigious Celebration of Communication Communities awards ceremony. This annual event is a testament to our commitment to excellence as we recognize and honor outstanding achievements in student work, alumni contributions, and community partnerships. Regarding student work, the department awards deserving undergraduate and graduate students the Distinguished Student Scholar and the Students Making a Difference awards each year.

The Distinguished Student Scholar Award honors a graduating senior and a graduating master’s student majoring in the department who have reached the level of distinguished student scholar in applied communication by participating in applied scholarship or creative work and sharing such scholarship/work with external audiences. The Students Making a Difference Award recognizes students who have made a difference in their community. The award winners for the last four years are listed below.

Distinguished Student Scholar Award Undergraduate students: Valerie Garcia (2024), Susie [수지] Reece (2023), Lorien Dahl (2021) Graduate students: Shalonda Michelle Nelson (2024), Chantel Moore (2023), Michelle Malone (2022), Robin Freeman (2021) Students Making a Difference Award Undergraduate students: Tristyn Perrin (2024), James Phillips (2023), Susie [수지] Reece (2022), Jodie Hamilton (2021) Graduate students: Livia Kimura (2024), Ebené Givan (2023), Veronica Tess Myers (2022), Sajni Kumpuris (2021) In addition to those awards, the Community Partner Award was established to recognize active partnerships between community organizations and the department's faculty and students. Past award winners include UAMS, Bridgeway Hospital, Immerse Arkansas, The CALL, and Heifer International. These organizations have partnered with the department to offer student and faculty research and learning opportunities. Nominees are selected who best represent the transformative work such partnerships can provide, as the partners work with both students and faculty to support our departmental mission "to foster the co-creation of better social worlds through positive communication."

The Alumni Making a Difference Award was established to recognize alumni who were living out our departmental mission in meaningful ways in their communities. Past award winners include Bruce Trimble (Bridgeway Hospital), Christy Standerfer (work with community capacity-building and the Clinton School of Public Service), Melissa Stiles (foundation & fund-raising work), Adena White (Blackbelt Media & Voices), JJ Pitman (Arkansas 4-H), & Sajni Kumpuris (Arkansas PBS).

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PG 17

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

LEADERSHIP LECTURE SERIES

The Leadership Lecture Series with Applied Communication In the mid-2000s, ACOM sought ways to honor our graduate students and faculty and bring communication topics of substantive interest to the community. Many denizens of Little Rock knew little about Applied Communication, and many could not imagine how it would fit into commerce, healthcare, social services, interpersonal, and management procedures. The Leadership Lecture Series was designed to answer those questions and advertise the department's excellence of its graduates and faculty. Below are a few of our presenters, beginning in 2019, the years they presented, and the topics they shared with our audiences.

2019-2020

Christina Standerfer, Ph.D. “Listening to the People: Assessing Community Readiness for Collective Action.”

Marquese McFerguson, Ph.D. “Between Hip Hop, Communication and Community Building.”

2020-2021

Bailey Oliver, Ph.D. “From Bonus Moms to Half Siblings: Best Practices to Promote Positive and Resilient Stepfamily Relationships.”

Myleea Hill, Ph.D. & Marceline Hayes, Ph.D. “The Awareness Myth: From Awareness to Commitment in Public Health Campaigns.”

2021-2022

April Chatham-Carpenter, Ph.D. ‘But I Don’t Know If I Want To Talk to You’: Strategies for Increasing Conversational Receptiveness in Divided Political Times.”

Melissa Stiles, M.A. “When to Speak and When to Listen: Lessons from a Development Professional.”

2022-2023

Adena White, M.A. “How to Tell Authentic Stories that Shift the Narrative.”

J.J. Pitman, M.A.“Motivation/Engagement in Today’s Organizational Environment.”

2023-2024

Julien Mirivel, Ph.D. & Avinash Thombre, Ph.D. “The 7 Elements of Personal Transformation: Key Lessons from Global Research in Nepal, India, Uganda, and Honduras.”

Sajni Kumpuris, M.A. “Reach Out and Touch: Connecting High-Quality Educational and Storytelling Audiences Through Video Based Content.”

right: Left to vinash, A d n a pril Julien ailey, A B , a n e d a, Sajni, A Christin , e n i l e rc J.J., Ma rquese and Ma

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PG 18

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

STUDENT SUCCESS

Our Focus Always: Student Success Over the years, the department has worked to support our students. When the department won awards, for example, we invested those funds into improved learning experiences for students, new computers, and new classroom furniture. We are working on scholarships for students and have two presently endowed.

1. We are happy to offer the Angela Laird Brenton Memorial Scholarship, a scholarship developed in 2013 in memory of Dr. Angie Laid Brenton who was a faculty member in the department for many years and became Dean of the then College of Professional Studies. She died in 2013 and is sorely missed.

2. We also offer the Allan Ward Endowment for Student Success. Dr. Ward was a member of the department for over 30 years after achieving notable success in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Current Department chair, April Chatham Carpenter, said of him, “What a remarkable human being Allan Ward was--a gentle, intelligent, giant of a man.”

Other Opportunities: ACOM also offers other opportunities to assist students working toward their degrees.

We have limited assistantships for graduate students: part-time, 10 hours, or full-time, 20 hours. These assistantships provide a small stipend and tuition assistance.

We often offer internships on campus in the Communication Skills Center (CSC) or at various local organizations so students can apply their communication skills in practical situations.

ACOM also has a chapter of the national communication honor society, Lambda Pi Eta, whose name incorporates the classical elements associated with communication, logos (logic), pathos (connecting to emotion), ethos (character).

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PG 19

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

STUDENT SUCCESS

Student success comes in all ways, shapes, and sizes: in awards, in completing a hardearned degree, in making friends, and in having amazing experiences by learning about your world. It comes in working to craft positive social experiences and strong, enduring relationships. It comes in having people care about you and creating beautiful spaces with those you love, and all of it is accomplished through communication. @ualrappliedcomm

PG 20

CREDITS

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Applied Communication 2801 S. University - Ross Hall 120 Little Rock, AR 72204 Phone: 501-916-3158 Email: appliedcomm@ualr.edu

Social Media: WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

LINKED-IN

Credits: All professors contributed to the newsletter.

Compiled and Edited by: Drs. Avinash Thombre and Carol Thompson Design: Alexa Kincade

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PG 21