Note: This was the application submitted by 2003 Chapter of the Year winner, the College of New Jersey (Alpha Xi).

Lambda Pi Eta Chapter of the Year Nomination Form

Our LPE chapter has made contributions to all six goals of LPE during the 2002-2003 academic year, specifically:

The following information documents the concrete contributions of The College of New Jersey’s LPE Chapter.

SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT:

Induction (Annual)

·        In 2002-2003, as in previous years, members were inducted into the honor society at a special induction ceremony in the fall, tailored specifically to recognizing scholastic achievement.  Holding the event on a weekend ensured maximum attendance by parents and friends.

·        The ceremony also featured a special awards ceremony for the new members holding the highest grade point averages.

·        Special Awards at Graduation: Senior Lambda Pi Eta 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 recognized the scholastic achievement of one another by attending a scholarship brunch held once a semester. 

National Conferences and Paper Submissions

·        In recent years, students from The College of New Jersey’s chapter of Lambda Pi Eta have presented numerous papers at several prestigious communication conferences, including those hosted by the National Communication Association (NCA), International Communication Association (ICA), Eastern Communication Association (ECA), Central States Communication Association (CSCA), and Depauw University (national undergraduate honors conference).

·        These papers were not simply accepted for LPE student panels, but also competed against papers written by graduate students, and accomplished professors in the field.

·        Since 1994, over 45 student co-authored papers from the Communication Studies department at The College of New Jersey have been presented at both national and international conferences, numerous records have been set, and multiple awards have been given to some of our most accomplished students.

·        In 2000 at the Seattle NCA Conference, Adrian Castillo won the Stephen Smith Award for best co-authored student paper in the nation.  Adrian was also elected national president of LPE at the same conference.

·        At the 2001 NCA Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, students from our chapter presented a total of 11 papers. 

·        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.

·        At the November, 2002 NCA conference in New Orleans, students presented four papers: one LPE paper, one in health communication, one in mass communication, and one in applied communication.

·        At the 2003 Eastern Communication Association conference in Washington, D.C., four student papers were presented: one in applied communication and three in health communication.  All health communication papers were in the “top five” papers in that division.  In addition, one paper was voted “best student paper in health communication.”

·        TCNJ/LPE students were, by consensus, the first undergraduates to present papers at conferences 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.  Both students were national presidents of LPE at the time.

·        In May, 2003, two TCNJ student papers were presented at the annual ICA conference in San Diego.

INTEREST IN THE FIELD OF COMMUNICATION:

·        The Alpha Xi chapter continues to be active in nurturing interest in the communication studies field through annual events, as well as ongoing programs.  These programs provide students of all tracks (public/mass, corporate and organizational, and radio/tv) with a perspective on the field, the major and the opportunities available to communication majors.

Mentoring

·        One successful ongoing event is the Lambda Pi Eta “designated mentor” program. 

LPE Assistance with Communication Studies Club

·        In addition to Lambda Pi Eta, The College of New Jersey has a junior club designed to accommodate students who are interested in the major and field, but have yet to fulfill the requirements to become Lambda Pi Eta members. 

·        From years of organizing events, the LPE Alpha Xi chapter has noticed that joining a club or attending a formal event can be an intimidating commitment for some students, especially freshmen, who just want an initial taste of what the communication studies field can offer. 

National and International Stature of Lambda Pi Eta

·        Enthusiasm among Alpha Xi chapters for the work and stature of LPE as an organization with a special mission is so high that several of our members from The College of New Jersey have run for national office in the organization.  As of October, 2003, five of the last seven national presidents, including the current president of LPE, have been students from our chapter.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Alpha Xi is dedicated to helping its members develop strong professional skills.  Its hope is that students gain a better understanding of the professional world regarding both internships and careers after graduation, and that any assistance LPE members provide increases their opportunities for finding excellent positions. 

Career Night (Annual)

·        The goal of the annual Career Night is to increase awareness of  the range of options students enjoy with a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies, so Alpha Xi invites people from a wide variety of fields (anywhere from TV production to non-profit work) to discuss their work.

·        In preparation for the fall, 2002 evening, LPE invited a number of professionals from the surrounding area to discuss their careers and experiences. 

·        The event was designed as an open panel, in which students were free to ask questions and converse with participants. 

·        After the panel, refreshments were served, and students and panelists were free to mingle and further discuss individual future plans and any possible internship opportunities.

·        In addition, this evening further assisted LPE members by developing their networking skills, a key benefit after graduation.

Resume Workshop (Annual)

·        In spring, 2003, students visited with both faculty members and TCNJ Career Services personnel who offered advice on how to improve students’ resumes.  

·        Also included in the workshop was a discussion of basic interviewing skills and job/internship search advice.

Internship Binder

·        In fall, 2002, LPE implemented an Internship Binder for the entire department. 

·        Each member of Alpha Xi filled out a form regarding any internship held during his/her years at TCNJ. 

·        Included on this form were contact information for the company/organization, the company/organization’s specialty, a detailed discussion of the student responsibilities, and whether or not the student deemed it a positive experience. 

·        Also, students included personal contact information so other interested students could contact him/her and ask questions. 

·        The forms were then divided by specific career fields and placed alphabetically in a large binder and left in the department office for all communication studies students to use.

·         The binder is a centralized data source that provides a brief overview of internship options within the surrounding area, yielding two benefits: a) saving our students’ time searching; and b) helping students avoid experiences that would be less than beneficial to their professional development and specific career interests.

EXCHANGE IDEAS IN THE COMMUNICATIONS FIELD:

Alumni Database:  In 2002 LPE initiated and updated an alumni database.

·        TCNJ Communication graduates can be found in the graduate programs of top universities in research programs as well as working in the communication field.

·        Real world experiences are often invaluable to undergraduates.

·        Having contacts with alumni can open doors to new opportunities; networking with graduates can be as important as any other course of action in seeking advice and employment.

·        The diversity of alumni occupations insures that a student in several fields can find an alum who can be of assistance.

·        A list of fields and organizations employing alumni, as well as graduate programs attended, was compiled by LPE and can be found on the communication department’s website: http://www.tcnj.edu/%7Estudcomm/alumni.htm

CLOSER RELATIONS BETWEEN FACULTY AND STUDENTS

 One characteristic of a successful communication studies department is close relationships between faculty members and students. The Alpha Xi chapter of Lambda Pi Eta has taken an active role in fostering student-faculty engagement.

Freshman/Transfer Student Gathering: “Meet the Faculty”  (Annual)

·        In 2002-2003, LPE instituted a “Meet the Faculty Night” in the beginning of the school year for freshman and transfer communication majors to meet and talk with individual faculty.

·        Feedback from both professors and students was very positive. The Alpha Xi chapter plans on keeping this a tradition.

Department Social Gathering (Annual)

·        One Lambda Pi Eta activity that is successful every year is the social gathering night for everyone connected to the Communication Studies 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 relationships to grow outside of the confines of formal institutions.

·        The hospitality of our faculty is closely connected to relationships encouraged both by the Alpha Xi chapter and individual faculty themselves.

EXPLORE OPTIONS FOR GRADUATE EDUCATION

Our chapter of Lambda Pi Eta also extends the opportunity to explore graduate school options, encouraging students to discuss graduate school possibilities with faculty regarding a wide range of graduate opportunities in communication.  Partly as a result of these discussions, LPE students from our chapter have enrolled in communication programs at the Annenberg School at U Penn (both MA and Ph.D. programs); advertising at Boston University, Illinois and Texas; organizational communication at Rutgers; public affairs communication at Georgetown; public relations at Syracuse (Newhouse School), Emerson, and Georgia; interpersonal communication at Delaware; and public health communication at Penn State and Johns Hopkins.  In addition, LPE chapter members have pursed graduate work in law (NYU, Columbia), social work (Columbia) and public administration at Syracuse (the Maxwell School).  Indeed, one of our LPE officers won a Marshall Scholarship (one of forty awarded in the US) for graduate study at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.  The Marshall is a companion to the Rhodes Scholarship, administered by the British government, and the Marshall program confirmed that our student was the first ever in the history of the Marshall program (in existence since the early 50s) to pursue graduate work in communication studies.

Graduate School Night

·        During the 2002-2003 academic year, Lambda Pi Eta hosts a graduate school night, in which various alumni return to the college, speak on their experiences and offer advice to those who might consider furthering their educations after graduation.

·        Utilizing a database of alumni who attended graduate school, LPE attempts to bring a wide variety of fields to the attention of potential graduate school students to help them understand available options.

·        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” research papers completed in the required Methods of Research and Analysis course as well as pursue any other research options that intrigue them.