Our History

What is now known as the Department of Communication has evolved from several other departments over the past three decades. In 1968, from programs administered by the English Department, the university created a Journalism Department and a Speech Department. Dr. Max Marshall headed Journalism. He received his doctorate in Journalism from the University of Missouri and designed ETSU’s journalism program to be similar to UM’s. Marshall taught most of the department’s academic courses in its early years.

Area professionals taught practical subjects such as newswriting, reporting, copyediting, and editorial writing. Students were required to work in local newsrooms during one term of their studies in order to get more hands-on experience. After Marshall left ETSU, Dr. Jack Mooney became acting chairman of the department for three years in the 1970’s.

Dr. Paul Walwick was head of the Speech Department from its creation until it merged with the Mass Communications Department. His department included speech, theatre, and, originally, broadcasting.

The broadcasting division had a radio station in two rooms of what was then the Student Center. The programs were broadcast only to Carter Hall. Eventually, the station was moved to the Carter House, which no longer exists. In the Carter House, the station was slightly more advanced and programs could be broadcast to the entire campus. When television became a part of the broadcasting division, the lab was at WCYB-TV in Bristol, VA. When WSJK-TV, a public broadcasting station, put its studio in Warf-Pickel Hall, students were allowed to use it as a lab instead of having to go off campus. When WSJK moved to other quarters, the broadcasting department moved into the vacated broadcasting studio. Later, a radio station, WETS-AM, was created on the fifth floor of Warf-Pickel.

The theatre division grew rapidly during the 1970’s. At one time, the division was producing five major productions per year. Gilbreath Hall was renovated and became the home of most of the productions, but some were performed in the amphitheater. The speech program continued to be popular with students planning careers in law, public relations and the ministry. The speech honor society traveled to Harvard University annually to attend Model U.N. Assembly.

In 1978, broadcasting and journalism were merged to form the Department of Mass Communications, headed for the first year by Dr. Mooney. Dr. Murvin Perry became the permanent chairman in 1979. This department turned out to be an interim step, as mass communications and speech were combined to become the Department of Communication in 1981. Perry also served as head of the new Department of Communication. He was chairman when the department sought accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. The mass communications programs have been nationally accredited since 1988, with the last accreditation visit taking place in 1995. After Perry retired in 1988, Tom Headley of the broadcasting division served as acting head of the department until the current chairman, Dr. Charles Roberts, came on board in 1990.

The department now encompasses broadcasting, speech, theatre, journalism, public relations, and advertising. All six of the curricula except for broadcasting have been revised and updated within the past four years and broadcasting currently is reviewing its curriculum. Fourteen tenure-track faculty and the equivalent of five full-time adjuncts teach approximately 1500 students each semester. Currently there are 354 majors in the department with 106 in broadcasting , 72 in public relations, 44 in speech, 33 in advertising, 28 in journalism, eight in theatre, and 63 undecided students.

Our Recent Accomplishments
1994 - 1996

Instruction

Maintain a strong commitment to general education: by continued review of the general education curriculum; by encouragement of instructional excellence in general education courses; and by course goals that include intellectual and communicative skills and social and ethical values.

• The department has had several of its courses accepted as oral intensive and will serve for many students outside the department as the "other" oral intensive courses to meet the across-the-curriculum oral requirement.

• The department has had a number of its courses accepted as writing intensive and still others accepted as using information technology intensive.

• Dr. William Kirkwood has headed up the Oral Intensive Program Committee since the 1995-96 academic year, helped plan for a Writing and Oral Communication Center, and served as one of two co-chairs of a search committee for the Writing and Oral Communication Center.

• One of the faculty served on the curriculum review committee of the Department of English.

• One of our faculty serves on the steering committee for the Teaching and Learning Center.

• One of our faculty did a presentation on accountability for the Teaching and Learning Center.

• Dr. Delbert Hall served as the Director of the ETSU’s Center for Multimedia Development.

Work with other colleges offering undergraduate degrees to ensure sound general and liberal education for all undergraduates at the university.

• The Department of Communication Disorders terminated its undergraduate major. The department worked with the Department of Communicative Disorders to develop a new concentration in speech communication that would accommodate the undergraduate students who would typically major in Communicative Disorders. The Department of Communication completed the curriculum change process that allowed for the accommodation of students interested in preparing for a graduate program in communicative disorders.

• The department wrote and co-sponsored a funded Instructional Development Grant with three other departments that will allow for increased access of both students and faculty to the most modern Macintosh computer hardware and software.

• The Journalism curriculum was altered to increase the emphasis on racial and cultural diversity.

Formalize methods of communicating to students and the university community at large the importance of general education.

• One of our faculty chaired the oral communication across-the-curriculum university committee and two others served on the search committee for the OCI director.

• One of our faculty served on the university general education committee.

Seek continuing accreditation in the five departments that have formal external program accreditation: Art, Chemistry, Communication, Music, and Social Work.

• The department received full re-accreditation by the ACEJMC.

• We had 100% compliance with the ACEJMC graduation guidelines.

• The department obtained in excess of $50,000 in ACEJMC (our accrediting unit) mandated equipment for our Broadcasting sequence.

• The theatre curriculum was suggested as an accreditable program to the administration.

Initiate new adult education activities in concert with a university-wide program of increasing adult enrollment. Expand educational opportunities and options by supporting Continuing Education’s new baccalaureate program for non-traditional students.

• Our department has had seven courses on cable and 40 percent of the communication faculty have offered courses through ITFS.