Communication Studies, University of Minnesota

05/18/2026

Congratulations to all of our majors and minors! 🎓

Today is a special day. Today is your day.

We are so proud of who you have become. It has been a privilege to witness your growth and to celebrate this milestone with you and your loved ones.

We cannot wait to join you in building our communities, society, and democracy. Your hard work, resilience, curiosity, and care for others will guide you through the journeys ahead.

You did it.

Congratulations, graduates! 👏✨

05/14/2026

Wonderful news from the Department of Communication Studies! 🎉

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Atilla Hallsby, Dr. Zornitsa Keremidchieva, and Dr. Emily Winderman on their promotions to Associate Professor with tenure, effective Fall 2026!

Dr. Hallsby examines rhetoric, surveillance, and AI in public culture. Dr. Keremidchieva studies democracy, citizenship, and public discourse. Dr. Winderman’s work explores health, medicine, and reproductive justice.

Together, their scholarship reflects the intellectual curiosity, critical insight, and public engagement that make our department so vibrant.

Congratulations, Atilla, Z, and Emily on this well-deserved achievement! 👏

05/06/2026

Today, we celebrated Dr. Tucker Marks as he prepares for his next chapter at the University of Minnesota! 🎉

Since joining the Department of Communication Studies in 2023 as Graduate Program Coordinator, Tucker has been an incredible source of support, professionalism, humor, and care for our students, faculty, and staff. He has made a lasting impact on our department, and he will be greatly missed.

Thank you, Tucker, for everything you have done for our community. We wish you all the best in your new role! 💛❤️

04/28/2026

We are proud to highlight undergraduate research in the Department of Communication! 🎉

This spring, Grace Eng presented her work at the Central States Communication Association (CSCA) 2026 Convention in Minneapolis. Developed in Dr. Wendy Anderson’s COMM 3625W Communication Ethics course, her project examines how AI-generated search summaries shape user trust and influence what people believe. 🤖📊

Congratulations to Grace, and thank you to Dr. Anderson for her mentorship! 👏

As I wrap up my final year of college, it has been filled with unexpected blessings and opportunities, and I am incredibly grateful for experiences like this one from mid-April 2026. I had the opportunity to speak at the Central States Communication Association (CSCA) 2026 Convention in Minneapolis,...

04/22/2026

🎬✨ You’re Invited! COMM Student Media Showcase ✨🎬

Join us for an evening of creativity, storytelling, and fresh perspectives at our Student Media Showcase!

📅 Monday, May 18
🕓 4:00–8:00 PM (Main Program starts at 5:00 PM)
📍 10 Church Street Auditorium
🚗 Parking: $1/hr at 4th Street Garage

Come see an exciting lineup of media projects created by our Communication Studies students from Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. From thought-provoking pieces to creative experiments, you’ll get a glimpse into the ideas and voices shaping the next generation of media makers.

✨ Free & open to the public
🥤 Refreshments provided

Bring a friend, stay for a while, and celebrate student creativity with us. We’d love to see you there!

04/15/2026

🌎♻️ Reduce. Recycle. Reuse with CSA! ♻️🌎

Join us this Earth Day (April 22) for a community donation + swap event!

Bring items you no longer need—clothes, kitchenware, small household items, and more—and swap for something new to you. Not looking to take anything? No problem—your donations will go to those in need across the Twin Cities ❤️

🕒 3:00–6:00 PM
📍 Near the corner of Pleasant St & Pillsbury Dr

This is a great chance to give back, connect, and support sustainable living 🌱
Everyone is welcome—bring a friend!

04/09/2026

🎓✨ Congratulations to our Communication Studies Class of 2026!

This moment marks more than finishing a degree. It reflects years of learning how to analyze, interpret, and shape the world through communication—how to engage complex ideas, navigate different perspectives, and make meaning in ways that truly matter.

We are so proud of you and excited to see how you will use your voice, your insight, and your training to make an impact.

📅 Graduates: stop by next Monday (4/13/2026) to pick up your graduation mug and celebrate with us!
🎁 The first 30 grads will also receive a Class of 2026 M&M treat

Go Gophers! 🎉

04/09/2026

🎬 Big thanks to Jackson Allen, Communication Studies media production alum (Class of 2020), for hosting our students at Red Star Pictures in North Minneapolis!

👏 Jackson is now a Camera Department Manager—congrats!!

Our students toured the rental facility and stepped into a VR studio (think The Mandalorian 👀, a large LED screen, virtual set).
Seeing professional gear and real production spaces up close = a game changer.

🚀 This is what learning looks like in Communication Studies.

Thank you Red Star Pictures (https://www.redstarpictures.com/about-us/), for the incredible experience!

03/19/2026

In 1971, the Department of Speech, Communication and Theatre Arts split into two, creating separate departments: Dr. Robert L. Scott became Chair of Speech Communication and Dr. Kenneth L. Graham became Chair of the Department of University of Minnesota Theatre Arts.

Dr. Scott served as Chair for nearly twenty years (1971–1989). His most influential idea, “rhetoric is epistemic,” reframes knowledge as something we do together as we engage one another. Classrooms are not places to absorb knowledge, but spaces where we evaluate, contest, and refine it.

For Robert Scott, rhetoric wasn’t mere expression—it was the very process through which knowledge takes shape. We don’t discover truth and then talk about it. We argue, and in doing so, we come to understand what counts as truth.

Rather than avoiding disagreement, Scott saw conflict as essential. It is through argument that we clarify what is at stake, confront underlying tensions, and work toward more just and thoughtful positions.

If "rhetoric is epistemic," what happens if AI starts doing the arguing for us? At a moment when AI can synthesize information and offer instant answers, Scott’s insight is worth remembering: knowledge is not something we simply find. Knowledge, truth, and ethics come into existence when we engage, question, and communicate with one another.

To learn more about Dr. Scott’s scholarship, see Karlyn Kohrs Campbell’s tribute:
https://primo.lib.umn.edu/permalink/01UMN_INST/19mkh54/cdi_crossref_primary_10_14321_rhetpublaffa_22_4_0651