Communication Day

The Department of Communication Studies hosts Communication Day during the Spring semester. While the content of this event shifts each year, the primary goals are to (1) spotlight faculty, graduate student and undergraduate research, and (2) offer insight into career opportunities for current communication studies majors.

Communication Day 2012 will be held Wednesday, April 4, 2012. For more information, contact T. M. Linda Scholz, Ph.D., at tscholz@eiu.edu.

Communication Day 2011

Communication Day 2011 was held on March 30, 2011.  The theme was "Student Research:  Put Your Learning to Work."  

Photo Gallery

Here was the schedule:

10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.:  EIU Broadcast Industry Fair 

Representatives from radio and TV stations will visit Eastern for a job fair for students interested in working in the broadcast industry.  (Photo Gallery)

10:00-10:50 a.m.  Choose from 5 Sessions:

  • Marketing Your Communication Degree (1895 Room)
  • Fan Blogs (Effingham Room)
  • Advantages of Study Abroad (Martinsville Room)
  • Public Speaking About Unique Topics with Strong Emotional Connections (Arcola-Tuscola Room)
  • Critical Analysis of Popular Culture Movies, Television Shows and Speech (Oakland Room)

11:00-11:50 a.m.  Choose from 6 Sessions:

  • Internships for the Communication Major (1895 Room)
  • The Benefits of a Graduate Degree in Communication Studies (Martinsville Room)
  • Up and Coming Video Makers and Television Critics (Effingham Room)
  • Religion in American Political and Popular Discourses (Oakland Room)
  • The Importance of Communication and a Communication Degree in Our Communities (Charleston-Mattoon Room)
  • Culture of Masculinity:  How Pop Culture Reinforces the "Manly Man Stereotype" (Arcola-Tuscola Room)

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.  Lunch Break

1:00 - 1:50 p.m.  Choose from 6 Sessions:

  • The Culture of Facebook (Arcola-Tuscola Room)
  • Audition Tape Critiques for Radio Students (Martinsville Room)
  • Audition Tape Critiques for TV Students (Oakland Room)
  • PR Media Rules (Charleston-Mattoon Room)
  • Marketing Your Communication Degree (1895 Room)
  • Social Marketing:  Campaigns and Internships (Effingham Room)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.  Guest Speaker

  • Kathleen Durkin-Russell, Health Communication Professional (Charleston-Mattoon Room)

Guest Speaker

The guest speaker for Communication Day will be Health Communication professional Kathleen Durkin-Russell.  She will speak at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30th, in the Charleston-Mattoon Room of the EIU Union.

Durkin-Russell has extensive experience in not-for-profit management, organization and program development, fundraising strategy, strategic planning, and board and staff training. She is the founder of KMD Consulting Services, a firm that specializes in not-for-profit and organization management. Prior to establishing KMD Consulting Services, Durkin-Russell was in the not-for-profit healthcare sector for more than 18 years including leadership roles at both the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, Inc. (CCFA).

As a Regional Executive Director for CCFA, Durkin-Russell had management responsibility for 7 Midwest chapters and a $4.5 million budget.  Under her leadership, the Illinois Chapter of CCFA received numerous awards including Chapter of the Year (CCFA’s highest honor) in 1999 and 2005.

In addition to her management roles, she established the Midwest’s first summer camp for children living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.  Durkin-Russell was a founding member of CCFA’s National Camp Task Force-an entity responsible for establishing policy and protocol for CCFA’s National Camp Program.  Kathleen currently serves as a board member of the American Camp Association.

 For more information about Communication Day, contact T. M. Linda Scholz, Ph.D., at tscholz@eiu.edu