Three Business Communication professors and four Dynamic PR officers attended the 104th annual meeting of the Eastern Communication Association April 24-28 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Leeanne Bell McManus served as chair of two panels — one entitled “Communication Praxis as Confluence in Applied Contexts: Communication, Education, and Marketing;” and another involving the Top Competitive Papers in the Philosophy of Communication. She also presented a paper entitled “Attending to the ‘Confluence’ of Opinion in Conflict” with Dr. Ronald C. Arnett and Dr. Amanda G. McKendree, and will serve as next year’s James E. McCroskey and Virginia P. Richmond Undergraduate Scholars Conference Coordinator.
Professor Stephanie Verni presented a paper entitled “Writing Theory and Communication Theory Converge in Process Portfolios” as part of a panel on Applied Communication. Department chair Chip Rouse presented as part of the G.I.F.T.S. (Great Ideas for Teaching Students) segment of the convention, with a session called “Using Newsmap to Teach Critical Thinking Skills.”
Students Kristin Baione, Morgan Buckingham, Alexa Hiken, and Christina Kemp, officers in Dynamic PR, Stevenson’s public relations club, also attended the Undergraduate Student Conference sessions of the convention. Here, the group stops for a photo opportunity on one of the many bridges in downtown Pittsburgh. (Photo courtesy of Christina Kemp)