Chair's Message

Thank you to all the alumni who responded to our call for updates and feedback in last month’s newsletter. We truly appreciated hearing from you and look forward to featuring you in future issues. The number one question we get from potential students and their parents is “what can you do with the communication major?” Your answers confirmed what we tell them every time – “Almost anything!” We have alumni working for sports teams, non-profit organizations, advertising agencies, law firms, hospitals, universities, and for themselves as entrepreneurs. In this issue we are focusing on the alumni who were also able to join us on October 30th for our Student-Alumni Networking Night. The event connected current communication majors with alumni in a variety of careers and industries. Check out their profiles and watch for more to come in future newsletters!

Shari R. Veil, MBA, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Communication
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs,
College of Communication and Information

Advertising and PR

Regan Nichols, Casey Smith, and Austin Wicker talked to students about what it is like to work on advertising, public relations, and political campaigns. When asked how having a degree in communication has helped her in the advertising industry, Nichols responded, “Having a communication degree helped me learn the importance of reading people. I probably engage with 75+ people a day so being open to their perspective and motivators is key."

Development and Fundraising

Heather Shaw, Laura Coleman Pritchard, and Townsend Miller discussed what it is like to work in development for community agencies and academic institutions. Shaw explained, “My degree in communication has helped me be able to relate to and engage with more people. The degree has helped with writing grants (especially when data is involved), newsletters, marketing material and so much more.”

Graduate School

Our alumni who talked about how to prepare for graduate school included Dr. Schyler Simpson who is a three time communication graduate and current Director of Recruiting and Retention for the College, Joshua Santiago who is a current communication doctoral student, and Kristina Alexander who is now studying human resources at Ohio State and already has a job lined up at Marathon after she graduates in May. Alexander said, "My organizational communication degree gave me the tools I needed to pursue a career in the business world. Without those building blocks I wouldn’t have been as equipped for graduate school."

Entrepreneurs

Nigel Taylor, who currently works as a trainer for UK's Unconscious Bias Initiative while developing the online environment Find Your Comfort, talked to students about how to manage setbacks and learn to fail. He advised students to make sure they have a strong support network if they are going into business for themselves. He said, "You need them to be there when you fail, because you will fail, but you can't succeed if you don't."

Whitney Martin credited Interim Dean Derek Lane with inspiring her career choice, "Dr. Lane’s research methods class was the fuse that lit my passion for statistics and research methods! I ended up getting a master's degree in human resources measurement and evaluation, but I am certain that I would not be where I am today had it not been for my communication undergrad degree from UK!"

Healthcare
Maggie Owens and Laura Moore gave students insight on the array of career opportunities in health communication. Owens said, "I found that my degree really set me apart in my master’s program. While receiving my MHA, we discussed many scenarios around patient-provider communication and interpersonal skills in the hospital with patients and employees. I already had a “leg-up” in this area. I also felt that I excelled in interview season for the fellowship and in my leadership skills."

Law
John Norman and Hammad Khan represented the communication alumni who have gone on to law school after completing their communication degree. Khan reported, "Having a solid foundation in communication that I obtained from UK assists me in countless ways at work. From communicating with survivors of violent crimes in a compassionate manner to being persuasive in court and in plea negotiations, my communication plays a role every day."

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