With COM Week over, I hope to go to a more regular Monday post to the InCommon blog, so here it is. My plan is to update you weekly on departmental events and things you need to know.

Consultant to review COM programs this week

Every 5 years, each department at the university undergoes a “program review.” This consists of identifying the department’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in order to develop a comprehensive plan to improve on and grow the areas that are strong.  Part of that process is to bring a consultant to campus who is a communication scholar in the field.  Our consultant is here this week and I’ve planned numerous evenst for him to get to know us.  He is meeting with faculty, students, administrators, alums, and others on campus to hear about their experiences about our programs/majors.

I’ve set up two opportunities for students to meet with our consultant, Dr. Jim Applegate.  Tuesday, 2-3:00 in Craig 323 and Wednesday from 2-3:00 in Craig 323. No need to RSVP for this one. If you have time, I’d encourage you to drop by and say hello and offer your thoughts about our programs.  It’s really simple—share what you’ve experienced as a student, what you like, what you’d change, and how you’ve benefited by being a grad student (now and future).  If you can come for a few minutes you too can be a part of shaping our future strength as a department.

About our consultant.  Dr. Jim Applegate is the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. He received his Ph.D. in communication and was named of distinguished alumni of his program at the U. of Illinois. He also elected President of the National Communication Association, the world’s largest association of communication scholars. Jim was a Professor of Communication, Department Chair, and University Senate Chair at the University of Kentucky prior to coming to the Council.

COM Week wrap up

Last weeks’ activities were a huge success, thanks to all of you who attended master classses and took part in our networking luncheon Friday. I’ve heard great feedback from you about the event, AND, I’d like to hear more. Please email me with your thoughts and feedback about the event. We’d like to know what worked and what didn’t for you. You may post your comments on the blog or email me direclty at kellymcneilis@missouristate.edu.   We’re already planning next year’s event and so any comments you can provide would be most appreciated. You can still buy one of the cool t-shirts too.  A BIG THANKS to Rachel Bachus for her excellent planning and coordination of the week’s events!

Important Spring 2008 Registration Information
Spring 2008 registration information will be available here by October 1.    * Sequenced registration for Spring 2008 begins November 1, 2007. Check the Sequenced Registration Schedule (PDF format) for your scheduled date and time to register or check MY INFORMATION.

I would encourage you, if you’ve not done so already, to meet with your academic advisor NOW to begin planning for your spring 2008 schedule! The faculty already have a draft of the spring 2008 COM classes and they are here to help you develop your schedule around those classes first.

That’s it for now. Talk to you next week!  As always, I appreciate your comments  and feedback on this blog!

Kelly