All undergraduate students who have an interest in Communication Studies can join the Undergraduate Student Association (UCA), Lambda Pi Eta (LPH), and COMMbassadors. Dr. Scott A. Myers is the current advisor of UCA and COMMbassadors, Mr. John Cole is the Lambda Pi Eta advisor.
Students also have the opportunity to serve as Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in our undergraduate courses or as Undergraduate Research Assistants for faculty members who are working on research projects.
Undergraduate Communication Association
The Undergraduate Communication Association (UCA) is an organization comprised of students who have chosen Communication Studies as either their major or minor. The UCA has three primary goals—community engagement, career development, and network development—and provides members with the opportunity to engage in activities and events where they can grow as professionals and community members while connecting with other Communication Studies students. The UCA meets monthly during the Fall and Spring semesters.
Dr. Scott A. Myers (scmyers@mail.wvu.edu) is the faculty advisor.
The 2025-2026 officers are :
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President Heidi Kunz is a junior double major in both Communication Studies and Political Science. She has a minor in Spanish. Heidi is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Heidi plans to attend law school after graduation.
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Vice-President Avery Powell is a sophomore double major in Communication Studies and Political Science from Herndon, Virginia. Additionally, Avery is pursuing a minor in Spanish. This is Avery's second year serving on the UCA Executive Board.
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Secretary Katherine Skinner is a junior Communication Studies major from Charleston, West Virginia, with double minors in Law and Legal Studies and Women and Gender Studies. She plans to attend law school after graduation, driven by a passion for social justice and advocacy.
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Treasurer Madison Chapman is a Junior majoring in Philosophy and Political Science with an Area of Emphasis in Pre-Law. She has a minor in Communication Studies. Madison is from Easton, Pennsylvania.
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Social Media Specialist Rowan Facciani is a junior Communication Studies major with minors in Marketing and Public Relations. Rowan is from Hershey, Pennsylvania, and currently serves as a social media manager for both her sorority and the MMAE program at WVU. She enjoys creating engaging digital content, building online communities, and exploring brand development strategies.
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Social Media Specialist Chloe Kuntz is a double major in Communication Studies and Journalism. She originally is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Chloe plans to go into television broadcasting after graduation.
Lambda Pi Eta (Xi Nu Chapter)
Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) is a national honor society for undergraduate students interested in Communication Studies as an academic area of study. To be eligible for membership, students must, at the time of application:
- be a declared Communication Studies major,
- have completed 60 credit hours with a cumulative 3.0 or higher GPA, and
- have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours in COMM courses (excluding COMM 191, COMM 490, and COMM 491), with a cumulative 3.25 or higher GPA in those courses.
Students can apply for membership in Lambda Pi Eta at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester.
Mr. John Cole (john.cole@mail.wvu.edu) is the faculty advisor.
The 2025-2026 President is Maria Amores.
COMMbassadors
The COMMbassadors is a competitively-selected group of Communication Studies majors who represent the Department of Communication Studies at various recruitment, retention, and promotion events during the school year. They serve as a point of contact for prospective and current students, parents, department faculty and graduate students, and the WVU community at large. COMMbassadors represent the undergraduate experience at several events, including Welcome Week’s Academic Day, COMM 191 Orientation Course, Discover and Decide Open Houses, Major Match and Tour WVU Days, and COMM Course Registration Drives.
Students who are selected as COMMbassadors receive three credit hours of COMM 491: Professional Field Experience for their service.
Undergraduate Teaching Assistants
COMM majors have the opportunity to serve as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) in one of the Department's large lecture courses (i.e., COMM 104, 105, 112, 305, 306, 308). To serve as a UTA in one of these courses, student must have completed the course with a grade of B or higher. Students must enroll in COMM 490: Teaching Practicum for three credit hours during the semester in which they serve as a UTA.
To inquire about serving as an UTA, students should contact the instructor of the COMM course prior to the next semester's registration period.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
COMM majors who are interested in the communication research process may consider serving as an Undergraduate Research Assistant (URA) for a faculty member. To serve as a URA, students must secure the permission of a faculty member, who then will supervise them working on a particular research project. URAs may be assigned various tasks, such as locating, reading, and summarizing journal articles; writing portions of a research manuscript; soliciting research participants; or collecting research data. Students must enroll in COMM 491: Professional Field Experience for three credit hours during the semester in which they serve as a URA.
To inquire about serving as a URA, students should contact the faculty member with whom they would like to work.