Events & Newsmakers

The Department of Communication offers a stunning array of guest speakers and special programs during each academic year. Listed below are brief descriptions of selected departmental events.

The Department of Communication Advisory Council, with over 20 nationally prominent leaders in the communication professions, sponsors one or more events each year on such topics as political communication, crisis communication, new media, and finding the first job after graduation. See the Advisory Council web page on this site for more information. Council members have worked in three different presidential administrations and some of the nation’s leading corporations and news organizations. Chairs of the Advisory Council have included David Webster (Centex), Michael Fanning (Michelin North America), and Thomas R. Martin (formerly ITT; Executive-in-Residence, College of Charleston).

With the Department of Communication Advisory Council, the Department of Communication hosted the Bully Pulpit Series: Reflections on Presidential Communication during the months immediately prior to the 2008 South Carolina presidential primaries. Presidential candidates John Edwards, John McCain, Barack Obama and Ron Paul appeared at the College of Charleston at different times as part of the Bully Pulpit Series and spoke about several topics, including the importance of effective presidential communication. Over 6,000 students, faculty, staff, and community members attended the four Bully Pulpit events.

A fascinating group of guest speakers and presenters has come to the Department of Communication. A partial list of our guests includes Peter Applebome (New York Times), Robert Ariail (The State), Lee Bandy (The State), Clay Bennett (Christian Science Monitor), Carey Crantford (Principal, Crantford and Associates Marketing), Jeff Eller (Public Strategies, Inc.), Al Franken (Air America), Vicki Freimuth (University of Georgia), Ronald Jackson (Penn State), Dave Johnson (WTOP Radio Washington), Garrison Keillor (Prairie Home Companion), Phil Kornblut (South Carolina Sports Network), Doug Marlette (Newsday), Steve McGookin (Forbes.com), Joel Pett (Louisville Courier-Journal), Samantha Power (Harvard University, Pulitzer Prize Winner), Peter Vecsey (New York Post), and Roger Wilkins (George Mason University, Pulitzer Prize Winner).

In 2000, the Networking and Internship Fair was introduced as an opportunity for communication majors to meet informally with area organizations looking for interns and/or volunteers. Dozens of organizations, ranging from media outlets to nonprofits, and corporations to campus offices, register (free of charge) and meet with both students and faculty. The fair is one of the only departmental event of its kind on campus, and regularly attracts almost 200 students, who attend free of charge. Held each fall, the event assists current majors in seeking out spring internships and making valuable professional contacts.

In 2001, the Senior Banquet debuted and became one of the department’s signature events. At the conclusion of the spring semester, all senior communication majors and communication graduate students are invited free of charge to attend the awards banquet. More than $2,000 annually is generated to support this event through the generous donations of area communication-related organizations. Each year, a number of graduate students and seniors are recognized for achievements in academics, leadership, and service, while several underclassmen receive prestigious departmental scholarships. Also, one or more graduates are selected each year as Distinguished Alumni recipients.

In 2003, the department launched the Distinguished Communicators Series. Each year, a nationally prominent person is invited to deliver a keynote speech and receive the Distinguished Communicator Award from the department. Past award-winners in this series include John Palmer (formerly NBC, now Retirement Living Television), Marva Smalls (Nickelodeon), U.S. Senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, Gary Smith (Sports Illustrated), Kathleen Parker (Washington Post Writers Group), Marilyn Laurie (Laurie Consulting), and novelist and satirist Christopher Buckley.

In 2008, the department initiated its Executive Speaker Series. This series features leaders in the communication professions and related professions and gives students the opportunity to learn from leaders about such topics as the future of the communication industries and opportunities for career progression in communication. The inaugural speaker for the Executive Speaker Series was Merrie Spaeth, former White House Director of Media Relations and Principal, Spaeth Communications. Other speakers in this series have included Roger Bolton (APCO Worldwide; Past President, Arthur W. Page Society), Peter Debreceny (Allstate), Bobby Harrell (Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives), Brad Shaw (Home Depot), and Hugh Weathers (South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture).

Bobby Harrell, Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, with Dr. Brian McGee