Communication Studies Newsletter—Nov. 2005
Ph.D.: Signed, Sealed, and Delivered
“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.” ~ Robert A. Heinlein
“I think I could, if I only knew how to begin. For, you see, so many out-of-the-way things had happened lately that Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.” ~ Lewis Carroll
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” ~ Walt Disney
“Some day.” “Maybe next year.” “Soon.” In the past, those are a few of the answers to a question that has been asked many, many times, “When will the Department of Communication Studies at WVU have a Ph.D. program?” Earlier this fall, that question was finally answered definitively.
On September 30, 2005, the West Virginia University Board of Governors met in Morgantown and unanimously approved the proposal by the Department of Communication Studies to offer a Ph.D. program. As noted by Dr. Cheryl Torsney, the Associate Provost for Academic Programs, “With today’s approval by the WVU BOG, the Ph.D. in Communication Studies has been passed by all required bodies.”
“It really is unbelievable. I thought this day would never come,” exclaimed Dr. Matthew Martin, Chair of the Department. “I have this ongoing feeling of having just heard President Reagan’s 1984 Republican Convention Address, wearing a straw hat, falling balloons bouncing around, the band playing ‘Happy Days are Here Again.’ Even though I was told when I was hired that we would have a Ph.D. program in the near future, after 12 years, I had about given up on this happening during my lifetime.”
While recognized nationally and internationally for having an outstanding graduate program and graduate faculty, until the recent approval of the Ph.D. program, the Department has only been allowed to offer an M.A. degree at the graduate level. Students wishing additional work in the Communication discipline were forced to either attend another school for their degree or receive an alternative degree at WVU, such as an Ed.D. degree, while minoring in Communication Studies. Those days are now over.
“The Ph.D. in Communication Studies provides the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and West Virginia University with an opportunity to enhance its mission as a major research institution. Through this graduate study, our Ph.D. students will focus on areas of emphasis that are in market place demand,” said Dr. Mary Ellen Mazey, the newly appointed Dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Fred King, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies for the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, added, “The newly established Ph.D. program in Communication Studies responds to two clear needs. Frequently, prospective students contact WVU searching for a Ph.D. program with the same focus areas as our master’s program. Employers are also searching for those holding a Ph.D. from such a program, making for an excellent job market for our graduates.”
“The Dean’s office over the last three years, including Dean Nellis, Dean Almasy, and Dean Gorham were very supportive of our Department’s efforts in attaining the Ph.D. program,” said Dr. Martin. “I would like to extend special appreciation to Dean Fred King, who passionately argued for our proposal and worked closely with me on the numerous reports required. I believe I made more revisions on those reports than I did on my dissertation.”
“There is some bad news. Numerous alums have contacted me but unfortunately we will not be able to change their WVU Ed.D degrees into Ph.D. degrees,” said Dr. Martin, tongue in cheek.
For more information about the Ph.D. program, read the materials on the Department’s web page: http://www.wvu.edu/~comm/PhD.htm or contact Dr. Myers, the Director of Graduate Studies: smyers@mail.wvu.edu. Below is a picture of Dr. Booth-Butterfield and Dr. Myers at the Department?s display at the Graduate Student Open House at the National Communication Association Convention in Boston.
Cream Your Comm Professor
Students had the opportunity to ?cream? their Communication Studies instructors while at the same time raising money to help the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The WVU Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, National Communication Honor Society, organized and put on the event on Wednesday, October 12, across from the Mountainlair. Professors and instructors from the department volunteered to pose as a WVU football player or cheerleader behind the structure that was built and painted by Lambda Pi Eta members. Students then lined up, paying $1 per throw for a chance to cream their COMM instructor with a whipped cream pie. Some students said it was a “dream come true” to smear whipped cream in their instructors’ faces.
“I saw one of my current students coming toward me with a big grin on his face,” said Dr. Maria Brann, the faculty advisor for Lambda Pi Eta. “He immediately dropped five bucks for five pies – all for me! Then, he came back later and paid $10 to throw pies at Alan Goodboy (a doctoral student instructor) and another few dollars for more pies for me.”
Lambda Pi Eta members wanted to do something to raise money for the victims of the hurricanes while also having a good time and promoting the Department of Communication Studies.
“Everyone who participated in ‘Cream your COMM Instructor’ had a blast, from the faculty to the students,” said Linsey Marshall, Lambda Pi Eta president. “The members of Lambda Pi Eta really did a great job throughout the event with decorating, setting up, everything, and we really exceeded our expectations. What a great way to raise money for a good cause.”
The organization raised money for the hurricane victims and everyone had a good time participating in the light-hearted fundraising event. As Dr. Keith Weber, one of the ‘cheerleaders’ of the event who received a face full of whipped cream, said, “As everybody knows, I like pie. I also like helping others; I like to do good things. Overall, it was a rich and filling experience.”
Group Socialization: A Relational Aspect of Group Communication
“Socialization in groups is a reciprocal process of social influence and change in which both newcomers and/or established members and the group adjust and adapt to one another through verbal and nonverbal communication as they create and recreate a unique culture and group structures, engage in relevant processes and activities, and pursue individual and group goals.” – Anderson, Riddle, & Martin (1999)
On October 7, 2005, Dr. Carolyn M. Anderson, a Professor at the University of Akron, gave a guest lecture. Her topic for the day was Group Socialization. Dr. Anderson’s presentation was based on her research on small groups and included information from a book chapter she co-authored with Dr. Bruce Riddle and Dr. Matthew Martin titled Socialization Processes in Groups that was in the edited text, The Handbook of Group Communication Theory and Research.
Anderson talked about how there are five phases of group socialization: antecedent, anticipatory, encounter, assimilation, and exit. Additionally, she noted that group member often might be in different phases of socialization and that individuals often are members of more than one group at time, complicating the overall socialization process.
“Before Dr. Anderson’s presentation, I did not know of the complexity of the socialization process, or of her substantial amount of research in this area,” said Dr. Scott Myers, himself a noted group communication scholar. “Given that our Master’s students are basically a small group for their time at WVU, I thought it would be interesting to have Dr. Anderson share her experience and insights. I believe that our students had a new appreciation for their WVU education and professors after her presentation. For that alone, it was worth it to have Dr. Anderson as a guest lecturer.”
