LAMBDA PI ETA CHAPTER OF THE YEAR SUBMISSION

From the Alpha Chi Chapter at The College of New Jersey

To be submitted in fall, 2003

Advisor: Dr. John C. Pollock

SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT:

  • Members are inducted into the honor society at a special annual ceremony, tailored specifically to recognizing scholastic achievement; parents and friends are invited.
  • The ceremony also features a special awards ceremony for the new members holding the highest grade point averages.
  • Special Awards at Graduation: Senior LPE members are recognized at graduation for their continued hard work with a special awards ceremony.
  • Scholarship Brunch Once a Semester: Lambda Pi Eta members also recognize the scholastic achievement of each other, by attending a scholarship brunch, held once a semester.
  • The College of New Jersey’s chapter of Lambda Pi Eta has presented numerous papers at many prestigious communication conferences, including National Communication Association (NCA), International Communication Association (ICA), Eastern Communication Association (ECA), Central States Communication Association (CSCA), and DepauwUniversity.
  • These papers are not simply accepted in the student divisions, but rather often compete with papers written by graduate students, doctoral candidates, and other accomplished professors in the field.
  • Since 1994, over 45 papers have been presented at both national and international conferences, numerous records have been set, and a multitude of awards have been presented to our top students.
  • At the 2001 NCA Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, students from our chapter presented a total of 11 papers.
  • In 2000 at the Seattle NCA Conference, Adrian Castillo won the Stephen Smith Award for best co-authored student paper in the nation.
  • In 2002 at the Central States Communication Association in Milwaukee, one paper was voted “best student paper in mass communication”.
  • In 2002 at the Eastern Communication Association annual conference in New York City, two student papers won “top four” awards in applied communication.
  • For the 2003 Eastern Communication Association conference in Washington, D.C., a paper has been voted “best student paper in health communication”.
  • Our students were by consensus the first undergraduates to present papers at a conference of the International Communication Association The first were TCNJ’s Elvin Montero at ICA Montreal in 1997 and Spiro Yulis at ICA San Francisco in 1999.

INTEREST IN THE FIELD OF COMMUNICATION:

  • The Alpha Chi chapter is active in spreading interest in the communication studies field through annual events, as well as ongoing programs. These programs provide students of all majors with a perspective of the field, the major, and the opportunities available to them.
  • One successful ongoing event is the Lambda Pi Eta mentoring program.
  • This program is designed to put students, generally starting while they are freshmen, directly in touch with upperclassmen seasoned by the major.
  • At an event held annually, students meet their designated mentor and get a chance to ask questions, get advice, learn of opportunities and experiences, and trade contact information.
  • Mentors are associated with students based on their interests and goals in the field of communication studies.
  • Through out the year and years to come, these students maintain contact with their mentors as they enter different stages of their college career, everything from choosing classes, to obtaining internship and job information.
  • In addition to Lambda Pi Eta, The College of New Jersey has a junior club designed to accommodate students who are interested in their major and field, but have yet to fulfill the requirements to become a Lambda Pi Eta member.
  • This club, simply named the communication studies club, works closely with Lambda Pi Eta to put together co-sponsored events.
  • Since the club does not require students to be in the major, this allows students of all majors to participate in communication studies-related events and work closely with experienced upperclassmen.
  • This helps attract students of other majors or undecided students to the COMM-field as well as provides students with the opportunity to learn about Lambda Pi Eta.
  • This way, when they are eligible to become a member, they can start out in full-swing, rather than having to become acquainted with Lambda Pi Eta’s missions and goals.
  • From years of doing events, the Alpha Chi chapter has noticed that joining a club or attending a formal event may be too much of an intimidating commitment for some students, especially freshmen, who just want a taste of what the communication studies field can offer.
  • To compensate for this possibility, Lambda Pi Eta holds social events and fundraisers for students of all majors.
  • The most popular and successful have been trips to local restaurants who participate in donating proceeds from the bill back to the attending organization.
  • Students especially enjoy these events because they can interact with communication studies majors in an informal setting.
  • They can learn just by listening over dinner or ask questions one-on-one with their fellow patrons and students.
  • The event also allows students to bring their friends, who may not even be interested in the field, so they are not eating with a group of strangers and can feel even more comfortable.
  • The Alpha Chi chapter realizes the importance of recruitment and reaching out to younger students.
  • Some students come to college without knowing what they want to concentrate their studies on.
  • Others are interested in the field of communication studies but are not certain what specific area to pursue.
  • Events like these attempt to alleviate those circumstances by providing venues where information about the communication studies field can be found.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Alpha Xi is dedicated to helping its members develop strong professional skills. Our hope is that students will gain a better understanding of the professional world, in regard to both internships and careers after graduation, and that any assistance we provide increases their chances of obtaining an excellent position.

Career Night:

  • The goal of the annual Career Night is to give students a look at the range of options they have open to them with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, so we invite people from a wide variety of fields anywhere from TV production to non-profit work.
  • In preparation for the evening, we invite a number of professionals from the surrounding area to discuss their careers and experiences with us.
  • The night is designed as an open-panel, in which students are free to ask questions and converse with the participants.
  • After the panel, refreshments are served, and students and panelists are free to mingle to further discuss individual future plans and any possible internship opportunities.
  • In addition, this evening further assists our members by developing their networking skills, a key benefit when heading out into the ‘real world’.

Resume Workshop:

  • Students are welcome to come visit with both faculty members and Career Services personnel who offer advice on how to improve the students’ resumes.
  • Also included in the workshop is a discussion of basic interviewing skills and job/internship search advice.

Internship Binder:

  • This year, we have implemented an Internship Binder for the entire department.
  • Each member of Alpha Xi fills out a form regarding any internship they’ve held over their time at TCNJ.
  • Included on this form is the contact information for the company/organization, that company/organizations specialty, a detailed discussion of the students’ responsibilities, and whether or not the student deemed it a positive experience.
  • Also, the student includes his/her own contact information so another interested student could contact him/her and ask questions.
  • The forms are then divided by field and placed alphabetically in a large binder that’s left in the department office for all Communication Studies students to refer to.
  • The binder is a centralized database that provides a brief overview of internship options within the surrounding area that both saves our students time searching and helps them weed out the experiences that would be less than beneficial to their professional development.

EXCHANGE IDEAS IN THE COMMUNICATIONS FIELD:

Alumni Database:

  • TCNJ graduates can be found at the top universities, research programs, and working in the field.
  • Their real world experiences are often times invaluable to undergraduates.
  • Having contacts with alumni can open doors to new experiences and networking with them can be as important as any class.
  • And the diversity of the alumni insures that no matter what someone’s interest, there is someone out there who can help you.

CLOSER RELATIONS BETWEEN FACULTY AND STUDENTS

A characteristic of a successful Communications Department is an established relationship between faculty members and the student body. The Alpha Xi chapter of Lambda Pi Eta has taken an active role in creating ways to allow this relationship foster.

Freshman/Transfer Student Gathering:

  • This year we instituted a night in the beginning of the school year for freshman and transfer Communication Majors to meet and talk with the faculty.
  • Feedback from both the professors and the students was very positive. The Alpha Xi chapter plans on keeping this a tradition.

Department Social Gathering:

  • One Lambda Pi Eta activity that is successful every year is the social gathering night for everyone related to the Communication Department.
  • Invitations are sent to all faculty members, support personnel, and both majors and minors in Communication.
  • This gathering usually takes place at one of the faculty members’ homes, which allows the relationship grow outside of the academic community.
  • The hospitality of our faculty is a direct result of the relationship created by the Alpha Xi chapter, and the department.

EXPLORE OPTIONS FOR GRADUATE EDUCATION:

Our chapter of Lambda Pi Eta also extends the opportunity to explore graduate school options.

GraduateSchool Night:

  • During the academic year, L.P.E. hosts a grad school night, in which various alumni return to the college, speak on their experiences and offer advice to those who might be considering furthering their education after graduation.
  • Utilizing a database of alumni who attended graduate school, L.P.E. attempts to bring a wide-variety of individuals to the table, in order to provide potential grad school students with a thorough understanding of what options are available to them.
  • This event has been extremely rewarding, for both students and alumni.

Advanced Research Seminar Discussions:

  • Graduate school opportunities are also discussed, at length, in an advanced research seminar held every semester.
  • The class gives students the chance to discuss their thoughts and plans, in a small close-knit environment of peers and colleagues.
  • In addition, this course allows students to fine tune their research papers, and pursue any other research options that intrigue them.

Conference Networking Opportunities:

  • Students whose papers have been accepted for presentation at various conferences have been afforded the opportunity to network with individuals in the field, and receive valuable input regarding graduate school options and possibilities.