Department of Speech Communication

Mankato State University

Annual Report

Covering the Academic Year July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2000

The Department of Speech Communication experienced an eventful year this past academic year, coping with the implementation of the new general education program, a faculty search, continuing compliance with NCATE and Minnesota Board of Teaching standards, assessment activities, and planning for the growth of the Department.

Department of Speech Communication Goals

In order to realize its Vision & Mission Statement, the Department of Speech Communication has set the following goals:

1. To offer quality undergraduate and graduate programs that require students to master the basic concepts and practices of the field, to begin to explore the many areas of study within the field, and to master a specialized area of study.

Activities Undertaken:

The department continued to offer educational opportunities for undergraduate speech communication majors and minors, and graduate students. This year saw the first offering of our new SPEE 485 Senior Seminar course. This course, part of a sequence with SPEE 190 Introduction to Communication Studies, offers a capstone experience for non-teaching speech communication majors. This course requires students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have developed through their course of study in Speech Communication. Additionally, tied to the 190/485 sequence, as well as interwoven throughout the curriculum, the Department began requiring speech communication majors to compile and maintain a portfolio of student work. This portfolio is at the same time an assessment tool, a learning experience for the students, and a means by which students can see the "big picture" of their speech communication education, realizing how the concepts and skills from separate courses really do fit together. At the graduate level, the Department continued to offer a specialized graduate program that prepares students for employment as a college instructor, continued study in a doctoral program, or employment as a communication professional. Two graduate students have successfully defended theses this year, and two other students may have successful defenses prior to June 30, 2000.

2. To offer general education courses that provide students with the knowledge and skills to be critical thinkers and effective communicators in both professional careers and advanced study.

Activities Undertaken:

Serving the needs of General Education students continued to be a priority with the Speech Communication Department. The redesigned SPEE 100 Fundamentals of Communication course was offered for the first time this year. Utilizing a combination of large lecture and smaller recitation sections, this course served approximately 1500 students this year. The new course requires students to demonstrate communication skills through public speaking, group presentation, and interpersonal activities. In addition to this course, the department also offered 5 sections of SPEE 102 Public Speaking, 5 sections of SPEE 101 Interpersonal Communication (a general education course under the old general education program), all of which filled to capacity (approximately 240 students), 2 sections of SPEE 203 Intercultural Communication (a Category 7 and 8 general education course--approximately 80 students), 1 section of SPEE 310 Performance of Literature (a category 6 and 11 general education course--approximately 30 students), and SPEE 220 Forensics (a Category 11 general education course, approximately 15 students), for a total of approximately 1865 general education students. Additionally, the department offered a number of extended campus general education courses, serving approximately 220 students, and 6 summer 1999 general education courses, serving approximately 220 students. Total general education students served in 1999-2000 approximately equaled 2,305 students.

3. To promote the performance of communication in both creative and scholarly venues.

Activities Undertaken:

The Department continued to promote communication performance in the 1999-2000 school year. Four speech communication students took part in the second annual undergraduate research conference at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Additionally, the department continued to both financially and personally support the Maverick Forensic Program. This program allows and encourages students to engage in communication performance of both scholarly and creative varieties. Over 30 students took part in some forensic-related activity this past year, culminating in another trip by the team to the National Individual Events Tournament. Two team members also represented MSU, M and the state of Minnesota at the Interstate Oratory Association national championship. The Maverick Forensics program staged a Forensic Showcase March 28, preceding the National Individual Events Tournament. Competitors who were scheduled to compete the national tournament took part in a very well attended public performance. Additionally, the Speech Communication Department and Maverick Forensic Program co-sponsored an international debate with a team from Great Britain. The debate was funded with a grant from the Cultural Diversity Office. The Department and Maverick Forensics are also working to schedule and conduct a live video debate with a team from Romania. This debate may be scheduled prior to the end of this academic year. The department also encouraged graduate students to take part in scholarly communication, with at three students presenting research results at the National Communication Association convention, November 1999 in Chicago. Graduate and undergraduate students were also kept informed about and encouraged to submit material to other professional communication outlets.

4. To encourage students to explore and take part in the vocational and scholarly practice of communication.

Activities Undertaken:

As noted above, the department continued to encourage students to take part in a variety of communication activities. In addition to those noted above, more than 40 students took part in communication-related internships during the 1999-2000 school year, ranging from off-campus internships to on-campus teaching internships. Qualified students were also encouraged to become a member of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society, of which the MSU, M speech communication department is an affiliated member.

5. To encourage students, graduate students, and faculty to take part in scholarship, research, and creative activity that will contribute to the personal and professional development of all involved.

Activities Undertaken:

As noted above, a number of speech communication undergraduate and graduate students were encouraged to take part in research activities, and took advantage of that encouragement to engage in and present scholarship. Speech Communication faculty were also active in scholarly and professional activity. All seven faculty members attended the National Communication Association annual convention in Chicago in November of 1999. Two faculty members attended the 1999 Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota convention, one faculty member attended the Central States Communication Association annual convention, and one faculty member attended the International Listening Association convention. Faculty also took part in faculty development activities both on- and off-campus, with faculty members taking part in workshops offered by the Secondary Education Coalition, the Center for Faculty Development, Computer Training through the Electronic Academy and the Academic Computer Center. Faculty members also remained engaged in other professional activities, as the department remained home to both a national (Speaker and Gavel) and a regional (Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal) communication journal. Faculty members also submitted material for publication, and for future conference presentations, and one faculty member, Dr. Daniel Cronn-Mills, published a book, based on his thesis, with Edwin Mellen Press.

6. To work with speech communication majors, minors and other interested students in developing an academic program that will lead to vocational and academic success.

Activities Undertaken:

Faculty members continued their work advising speech communication majors and minors, and other students interested in speech courses. Students worked with faculty to develop programs of study that will prepare the students for work or additional study. Much work was undertaken to help students understand the new semester system and the new general education program, with a great deal of time devoted to individual and group meetings concerning semester conversion and graduation requirements. Students were also informed concerning the new required courses in the Speech Communication major.

7. To encourage students to view education as a lifelong process and to remain aware of the relationship between communication, technology and society.

Activities Undertaken:

The department continued its efforts to remind students that education is not solely a vocational endeavor, and that much of their education will take place after they graduate from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Students were made aware of the many resources, both electronic and other, that are available both during and after an MSU, M education. The introduction of the electronic portfolio requirement for both teaching and non-teaching majors made it essential that students begin to comprehend the technological element of communication. The continuing development of assessment practices, especially the introduction of the Senior Seminar capstone course, requires that students demonstrate their knowledge and ability to use communication in the larger society as well as the academic society. And as always, students in all communication courses are either introduced or reminded of the principle that people understand and make sense of the world through the symbols that they use, and that symbol-making and symbol-interpretation is at the heart of the communication process.

Challenges for the 2000-2001 academic year:

The new general education program will continue to be a major challenge for the 2000-2001 academic year. The department will continue to face difficulties staffing all the sections needed for general education courses and still serving majors, minors, and other MSU, M students requiring specific speech communication programs. A related challenge lies in the recruitment and retention of graduate students. The increase in graduate stipend will help the recruitment efforts, but the continued strong economy offers potential graduate students ample reason to stay in the work force. Fewer graduate students makes staffing the general education courses more difficult and makes it more difficult to offer a full range of courses for graduate students. Another related and continued challenge lies in a planned revamping of the graduate program itself, as the department struggles to develop a program that meets the needs of traditional graduate students and those students who wish to use a graduate degree in communication for more vocational purposes. Much was accomplished in this area this past year, but more work lies ahead. The department will be undergoing an internal review as it prepares for a scheduled program review in the 2001-2002 academic year. This review process, while needed, will certainly take much time and effort. The department will also continue to struggle with ongoing changes to the teacher licensure component of our course offerings. MnSCU has approved a redesigned licensure program, but approval from the Minnesota Board of Teaching has not yet been granted. A final continuing challenge for the next academic year will be the need to institute and utilize a more comprehensive assessment program for all students. The new course arrangements, both for major and general education, should allow the department to continue to develop a better assessment plan.