Swiftly evolving technology and media are changing communication careers, expectations and opportunities just as quickly. ETSU’s annual Communication Day is focused this year on increasing students’ awareness on the changing trends in media. On Friday, high school teachers will bring their students to ETSU’s D.P. Culp University Center from 8 a.m. to noon for a communication star-studded event that will spotlight new and traditional possibilities the field offers.

“Communication Day is a great way for us to introduce the breadth of communication fields to future college students so that they know that there are exciting and cutting edge areas of study in their own back yard,” said Dr. Amber Kinser, chair of Department of Communication.

The department has played host to Communication Day for more than 30 years, educating high school students on the many options of careers in communication. Students will get the chance to attend sessions on radio/TV/film, speech/human interaction studies, theater and dance, yearbook, advertising, multimedia, journalism and public relations.

Each year, there are several first-timers who attend the event along with some students and teachers who have participated for several years. “I have been in a TV broadcasting class since my freshman year of high school,” said Sabrina Morris, the Broadcasting Club president at Tennessee High School. “Broadcasting started out as something I just had fun with here and there, but when I visited ETSU on Communication Day it became clear to me that I had a career opportunity that I would love. Communication Day has been something I have enjoyed going to for the past three years, and I am excited to attend it again this year.”

Teachers who have attended Communication Day say the event benefits their students in many ways. “They gain knowledge and an understanding for possible careers in the session topics they choose as well as steps to take to get there,” said Chuck Hale, marketing education teacher at David Crockett High School, who has brought students to Communication Day for three years.

Another teacher who has taken advantage of the benefits of the event is Sonya McMakin, who teaches in the TV Broadcasting Department at Tennessee High School. McMakin has brought students to Communication Day for 10 years and continues to enjoy the results from the event.

“When students attend this event, they have a chance to get a feel for the campus and meet the faculty and students in their program of interest,” McMakin said. “It makes students feel more at ease about the decision-making process when they see how friendly and helpful the students and staff are. They start to think, ‘Wow, this isn’t too much for me to handle! I think I could learn a lot here, have fun, and start building a future.’ “

Communication Day is enjoyed not only by the students but also the teachers who attend. “The event is well planned and organized so there is not much for the teacher to worry about other than just signing up the students,” McMakin said. “Everything else is handled. After you participate one year, you will be sold on the event.”

Hale encourages teachers to “give the event a shot” and bring their students to Communication Day. “I am positive you will come year after year and your students will learn, grow and have fun in the process,” said Hale.

Speakers for Communication Day 2010 are: Dr. Carrie Oliveira, ETSU assistant professor in speech; Patrick Cronin, Theatre and Dance Division head and director in the ETSU Honors College; Wynne Tyree, founder and president of Smarty Pants, a youth and family research and strategic consulting firm; Becky Hilbert, Johnson City’s community relations director; Danny Boring, Josten’s representative; Cara Harker, ETSU assistant professor in dance; Sheridan Crockett, television news professional; David Grace, photo chief at the Kingsport Times-News; and Dr. Andrew Dunn, assistant professor in journalism. Registration will take place Friday from 8-9 a.m.

For more information on Communication Day registration or the department, e-mail zlad17@goldmail.etsu.edu; call 423-439-4491; or visit www.etsu.edu/cas/comm/.

Author