DEPARTMENT HISTORY
Communication Studies @ Canisius:
A Brief History
Background: The study of human communication is as old as formal education itself, stemming, as it does, from Rhetoric -- regarded by Plato as one of three original, essential academic disciplines (along with Logic and Mathematics). Teaching how to construct and deliver an oral address in public is at the heart of rhetoric, and has always been part of the Jesuit curricular canon. Canisius College has had various courses in communication for many years. In the 1960s, the Department of Rhetoric and Speech was only a service component offering courses in debate and public speaking, as required then by the Core Curriculum. In 1968, its name was shortened to the Department of Speech; Dr. Bruce Hammond was hired, and additional courses were added in the areas of mass media, communication theory and oral interpretation. When the College reorganized the Core Curriculum in 1972, it was renamed the Department of Communication. Several years later, the College received a federal Advanced Institutional Development Program grant, a portion of which was earmarked to fund a new major in Communication. Dr. David Fendrick was brought on board as Department Chair in 1974 to formulate the new major and hire new faculty. The Canisius Communication Major was accredited by the State of New York and approved by the College administration in the spring of 1975.
The Communication Major Begins: The Seventies:
The AIDP grant funded the development of the new Communication Major, and resulted in the following goals being reached between 1975 and 1979:
The full-time faculty doubles with the recruitment of Dr. Marilyn Watt and Dr. Howell; 447 students enroll in our first courses; Dr. Barry Berlin is hired to create and teach journalism courses; Dr. Howell becomes the new Department Chair and Coordinator of the Communication part of the AIDP grant project; Communication becomes the third largest major in Arts & Sciences; Dr. Fendrick resigns and leaves the college; the Department is mainstreamed into the College's budget; Communication becomes a permanent Major on July 1, 1979.
The Eighties:
Dr. Howell decides not to serve another term as Department Chair so that he can pursue research interests. He is succeeded by Dr. Watt, and she serves for 12 years. A campus chapter of Women in Communication, Inc. is chartered. A Writing Lab is set up in Old Main; enrollments reach 610. Dr. Hammond resigns; he is replaced by Dr. Charles Wigley. Dr. George Gerbner, Dean of Penn's Annenberg School, is commissioned to evaluate our program and recommend strategies of growth into the future. Terry Fisher is hired as Director of the Media Center and half-time adjunct instructor of television production courses.
The Nineties:
This is clearly a decade of change -- a new name, a new address, new faculty, new courses, a new graduate program, and a celebration of our 20th Anniversary as a major at Canisius.
The Department moves to a nicely renovated Old Main Fourth floor and changes its name to Communication Studies. Dr. Barbara Irwin joins our full-time faculty. Our Chair and respected colleague, Dr. Marilyn Watt, passes away. Dr. Wigley serves out her term as Department Chair and is succeeded by Dr. Berlin. Three new faculty are hired -- Stanton Hudson, Dr. Melissa Wanzer, and Dr. John Dahlberg. Dr. Howell becomes the first of our ranks to announce his semi-retirement. As the 1997-98 year begins, Communication Studies has 497 students enrolled, over 200 majors, and is still the third largest major in Arts and Sciences and the seventh largest program overall at Canisius. A graduate program in Organizational Communication and Development (MSOCD) is launched.
2000 to present:
In March 2000, the first Marilyn G. S. Watt Scholarship is awarded to an incoming freshman interested in pursuing a career in the communications field. In May 2000, Dr. Howell retires and is granted emeritus status by the College. He continues to teach jazz and film courses in spring semesters. The department moves to newly renovated facilities across Main Street in Lyons Hall. A second degree, in Digital Media Arts, begins in September 2000. Three new faculty members who specialize in digital media, Ben Dunkle, Jamie O’Neil, and Erik Day join the department. Labs are expanded to include an audio/music production studio and a print production studio. The department adds a part time multimedia specialist to assist in classes and work with students in the labs. After nine years as Chair, Dr. Berlin steps down and is succeeded by Dr. Irwin. Professors Ben Dunkle and Jamie O’Neil take over as co-directors of the DMA program. Dr. Rosanne Hartman joins our ranks as Director of the graduate program. The graduate curriculum is expanded and the program is renamed “Communication and Leadership.” Dr. Irwin is awarded a Peter Canisius Distinguished Teaching Professorship and establishes the Canisius College Video Institute. Both majors continue to grow. Undergraduate enrollment reaches 685 in the fall of 2006.
Dr. Catherine Foster joined the department in the Fall 2007. She teaches public-relations courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs.