Mission

The Department of Communication Studies strives to:

Serve student populations with diverse career goals which include both further graduate study and professional employment. In order to achieve this goal the department will regularly examine the needs of our student population; develop educational outcomes goals based on those needs; and continue to build an engaged and diverse faculty to fulfill student needs.

Foster a student centered research environment by increasing the quality and quantity of research by faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students. In order to achieve this goal the department will increase opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to engage in research independently and in collaboration with faculty through use of internal and external grant opportunities; will incorporate research projects into class assignments; and will expand the department's student research conference to prepare undergraduate and graduate students to submit their research to regional, national, and international conferences.

Engage with broader communities to understand problems through community based service learning experiences that forge collaborative partnerships to foster an understanding of the interdependence of academic and public communities and to affect change that benefits both. In order to achieve this goal the department will enhance community engagement and service learning experiences in our undergraduate and graduate classes; increase participation in community based research which fulfills the needs of the collaborative partners; and seek internal and external funding to support these endeavors.

Commit to decrease of department's dependence on nonrenewable resources. In order to achieve this goal the department will develop an electronic records system; establish guidelines for faculty and staff regarding information flow through use of electronic sources; and increase use of web based technologies in classroom instruction in order to become better stewards of the department, college, and university's resources.

Combined these four goals connect well to the UNT's strategic commitment to collaboration, interdisciplinarity, diversity, and sustainability.

Vision

We cultivate communication scholarship and practice from diverse perspectives to foster creative, self-reflexive, and engaged leaders in their personal, professional, and civic lives.