NC State faculty members in the Department of Communication show leadership in their professional spheres that trickles down to the student level, spawning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students in the department.
Faculty regularly engage in communication research, often with a goal of being published in a journal. Many faculty members present their research at regional, national and international conferences. There are student opportunities intertwined throughout the research process ─ from the preliminary stages to the presentation, and even publication, of a paper.
Faculty, in fact, are eager to collaborate with students. For example, one third of Assistant Professor Dr. Ryan Hurley’s total publications have undergraduate authors listed.
“Students need to be graduating with more and more experience, and we are seeing far more undergraduates leave the department with publications,” said Dr. Hurley. “Faculty are actively trying to publish with undergraduate students so that the department can stay competitive with others on similar tracks.”
These opportunities, however, aren’t limited to just undergraduates. Associate Professor Dr. Jessica Jameson presented a paper with CRDM graduate Melinda Leonardo at the National Communication Association’s 101st Annual Convention in Las Vegas in November 2015. They won the Top Paper Award from the Training and Development Division for their paper “Using Training Participant Narratives to Explore Training Transfer Experiences.”
“Academic conferences are important venues for networking and research dissemination,” said Dr. Jameson. “Graduate students, especially doctoral students, are encouraged to submit papers and attend conferences and this enables their faculty mentors to introduce them to scholars in their field.”
With CRDM graduate Valeska Redmond and Associate Professor Dr. Andy Binder, Dr. Jameson also presented a paper at the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM) conference in the summer of 2015. The paper has since been accepted into that organization’s journal, Negotiation and Conflict Management Quarterly.
“Often graduate students co-author their first conference paper with faculty, and the connection to a known scholar may draw more attendees to their presentations,” said Dr. Jameson
Dr. Jameson is no stranger to the importance of connections in the field. She is now serving as President of IACM and running a conference this summer in New York City, due in part to the connections she made when presenting at earlier IACM conferences.
The presence of faculty members on national and international stages undoubtedly brings acclaim to the department. Engaging at a high level in the field allows faculty and students to network with like-minded professionals, make meaningful connections that can open doors, and join together to advance research and knowledge within the discipline.