NE North Dakota News

The annual Communication Appreciation Day was held on April 24 in the Memorial Union Ballroom, marking the 101st year of the department. The event included student poster presentations, a networking and scholarship award ceremony, and the traditional Hagerty Lecture. This year introduced new elements to connect students with communication professionals for career advice.

Soojung Kim, chair of the Communication Department, expressed enthusiasm for the day's events: “We have lot of events packed into this afternoon, and we’re very excited.” Bradley Rundquist, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, opened with remarks highlighting the value of communication education. He shared his experience: “Not a minute of my time was wasted learning about communication, communication theory and journalism.”

The Hagerty Lecture featured Mike Burbach from St. Paul Pioneer Press. Students showcased research projects through over 20 poster presentations. Laura Sorenson presented her project on Hyslop Sports Center's history: “I had a lot of fun researching this.”

Two presentations were commissioned by UND LEADS Implementation Committee to engage students with UND’s strategic plan. Emily Gibbens-Buteau noted: “The students are coming up with real content; they are doing a lot of cool, hands-on work.” Speakers like Meloney Linder and David Dodds advised students on outreach strategies.

A new feature was the Communication Career Roundtable, where alumni shared career insights in a "speed dating" format. Delaney Otto participated: “I said, ‘Yeah, if I can get more people interested in (journalism).”

Kim reported growth in the Journalism program with 20 majors and 15 minors enrolled: “I think that’s a pretty significant number of students.” The day concluded with a networking event and scholarship ceremony distributing over $40,000 to about 30 students.