Letter from our Chair

Greetings and welcome!

We live in a world that has undergone changes of such magnitude in the past few decades that only an outsider would be able to fathom the nature of those changes. While human beings are agile, nimble and adaptable we also do not know how the changes we have wrought are going to affect us down the road. One of the areas of study that may help us look back and look forward with clarity and foresight is Communication Studies.

The Essence of Communication Studies

Human beings are communicative beings, essentially. We thrive when we communicate well, and we starve ourselves of companionship, camaraderie and community when we fail to communicate effectively. We take communication for granted but we do know that most of the world's ills are because we have not really paid attention to communicating well. And as employers at all levels tell us, from CEOs of multinational corporations to the manager of the local McDonalds, a good employee is one who communicates well.

Communication Studies is an inter-disciplinary field that draws from the humanities, the social sciences, and science and technology. Think of your use of cell phones and text-messaging. What are the unique features of that communication context that demand some combined knowledge of sociology, social psychology, telecommunication, and linguistics? Come join us, and we will talk about it!

Communication Studies @ Longwood

At Longwood University we are embarked on a mission of adoption and adaptation as our students from the "millennium generation" enter our campus, interact with us, and demand from us training in knowledge areas and skills that will enable them to encounter their new world with ease. In Communication Studies we are on the cutting edge of that drive to adapt, and we have therefore introduced this year two concentrations in the major: Mass Media Concentration, and Organizational and Strategic Communication Concentration. These two areas of concentration will provide students a sharper focus of the field of communication studies, and prepare them for a clear set of career options.

In Spring 2008, Communication Studies moved into a spanking new building on our beautiful campus. My colleagues, our 200 plus majors, and the Longwood University and Farmville community therefore warmly welcome you to first visit us, and then join us on this journey of better communication for a better world.

Ramesh N. Rao, Ph.D.
Professor of Communication Studies
Chair, Communication Studies and Theatre Department