Bryant Communication faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and alumni, contributed leadership, expertise, and scholarly works at the 110th annual Eastern Communication Association Convention, held at the Omni Hotel in Providence April 10-14. Assistant Communication Professor Julie Volkman served as the Second Vice President of the prestigious academic conference, which attracted nearly 700 attendees.
“The success of ECA is due to the amazing and dedicated faculty and students who represented the university. Bryant shined in every aspect of the conference.” -Assistant Communication Professor Julie Volkman.
“The success of ECA is due to the amazing and dedicated faculty and students who represented the university,” said Volkman. “Bryant shined in every aspect of the conference.”
Bryant’s contributions to the program included:
- Kristen Berkos, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Communication: "Incorporating Communication Competencies and Learning Outcomes in Communication: Identifying, Articulating and Assesing Outcomes in the Basic Course.
- Courtney Gale ’19: “Diabetes in the Media: How Hollywood is Causing Miseducation.”
- Meaghan Angers ’20 and Mitch Anderson '20: “The Likelihood to Share Stigmatized Health Topics on Social Media.”
- George Eglesfield, M.A. Candidate: “The Effects of Coach Confirmation on Athlete Motivation.”
- Allison Miller, M.A. in Communication: “Trends in American Newspaper Coverage of Autism.”
- Briana Trifiro, M.A. in Communication: “Instagram Use and Its Effects on Well-Being and Self-Esteem.”
Faculty-Student mentorship
Faculty from the department engaged with students from the beginning, encouraging them to submit their research to the conference. Department Chair Kevin Pearce, Professor Stanley Baran, Associate Professor Chris Morse, Susan Baran, Mary Robins, and Thomas Zammarelli advised students through the entire process: from reviewing applications, to mentoring, to attending the conference to show their support.
Established in 1910, the Eastern Communication Association (ECA) Convention is the oldest professional communication association in the United States. This year’s event was built around the idea of “Creating Our Future” through research and scholarly activities to transforms lives, communities, and organizations.
Winning the bid for local host university
The Department of Communication at Bryant University won the bid once again to be the local university host, the third time Bryant received the honor. “It’s really a team effort,” said Volkman. “This gave everyone a chance to be integrated into the pulse of what the field of Communications is doing, studying, applying, and practicing.”
“It's really a team effort. This gave everyone a chance to be integrated into the pulse of what the field of Communications is doing, studying, applying, and practicing,” added Volkman.
“Being a local host allows our students to understand what communication is, outside of the classroom,” added Volkman. “For them to see the communication research, hear the scholars that they learn about in the classroom, and absorb how people are applying communications and knowledge to different situations, is an amazing opportunity for them.”
The Department of Communication is ranked No. 3 on College Magazine’s 2017 list of top 10 broadcast journalist programs. It’s also ranked among the top 15% in the nation, according to College Factual/USA Today.
