I hope everyone is a having a great semester so far. Our first Department of Communication Research Colloquium was held on Sept. 17. I would like to recognize Dr. Stephanie Norander, Assistant Professor of Communication, for coordinating the department research colloquium series this year. Our first research presentation featured Dr. Nick Carcioppolo, Assistant Professor of Communication. His research presentation focused on entertainment narratives and media influence. In addition to the colloquium series, there are a number of student and faculty events taking place in the Department of Communication that I would like to highlight in this post.

COM Week 2012

We are kicking off COM Week 2012 on Sept. 27 in Craig Hall Room 203 with a keynote presentation from one of the Department of Communication’s alumni. Meredith Cantrell, Director of Marketing for Saint Luke’s Hospital East, will present on the topic of building/maintaining relationships and audience specific marketing in the communication field.

Meredith Cantrell currently serves as Director of Marketing for Saint Luke’s East Hospital, a member of Saint Luke’s Health System, in Lee’s Summit, Mo. She is responsible for the hospital’s strategic marketing plan, advertising, public relations and media relations, internal and external communications, and community relations. She also provides strategic marketing support for surgical services and primary care at the health system level. Prior to assuming her current role, she worked as Saint Luke’s Health System’s manager of web and digital marketing, providing oversight of the system’s website, employee intranet, social media and digital marketing.

Cantrell is a graduate of Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. She completed her master’s degree in health communications at Purdue University. She has previously worked at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, Shawnee Mission, Kan., and the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service Partnership Program, based out of The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan.

Our second COM week featured event is a free Networking Luncheon. The Luncheon is on Sept. 28 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Plaster Student Union East Ballroom. The luncheon features networking activity and presentations from the department’s student organizations, PRSSA and Lambda Pi Eta. This is an opportunity for students and alumni to network learning about opportunities and internships in the field of communication.

Fostering Community Engagement with Debate Watch 2012

The College of Arts and Letters and Department of Communication invite the community to participate in an audience debate forum during the first presidential debate at the Gillioz Theatre on Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. Debate Watch 2012 is organized by Dr. Liz Dudash, Assistant Professor of Communication and Dr. Eric Morris, Director of our debate team and Assistant Professor of Communication. A panel of experts on media, politics, and presidential campaigns will be available after the debate for discussion with the community members. This is a FREE event to the community.

The debate starts promptly at 8 p.m. and discussion will immediately follow the viewing. Everyone from the community is welcome to watch the debate at the Gillioz and participate in the discussion with the panel. On behalf of the Department of Communication and the College of Arts and Letters, we look forward to sharing this opportunity with the citizens of Springfield.

COM faculty research presentations, COM Week, and Debate Watch 2012 are just three examples of faculty and student excellence in the Department of Communication at Missouri State University. Stay tuned for more information about future department events and accomplishments.

Shawn Wahl