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Once the calendar turns to August in Blacksburg, a lot of transitions occur as students return to campus, the liveliness of the town receives an uptick, and the semester is set to begin. The School of Communication experienced a number of transitions of its own this summer. They begin with Dr. Robert E. Denton’s retirement after the 2021-2022 academic year. We’re sad to see Dr. Denton leave, but we know his retirement is well-deserved because of his many contributions.
As a result, I was appointed director of the School of Communication, effective July 1. It’s truly an honor to assume this position in the school where I’ve been a faculty member since 1999. It’s been a whirlwind the last month and a half, but I’m excited to continue building and strengthening the reputation of our school. There’s great work to be done, and I am looking forward to keeping everyone informed of our progress throughout the academic year.
Here’s an update on all the exciting news from the summer as we head into the fall semester. Shortly after the spring semester ended in May, two of our sports media and analytics students were recognized by the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America (STAA), a nationally recognized organization that hosts the Jim Nantz Award to honor outstanding collegiate radio and TV sports broadcasters.
Kevin DiDomenico was named a first team All-American. He is one of the top five collegiate sportscasters in the country. It’s the third year in a row that Virginia Tech has had a student named an All-American in the program. Giovanni Heater was recognized as an honorable mention — the first freshman from the school to ever be honored by STAA. We’re incredibly proud of the accomplishments by Kevin, Giovanni, and everyone in our sports media and analytics major.
It’s been a time of growth for our faculty this summer. We’ve brought four new faculty to our team. Charmayne Brown and Anthony Amey bring rich media experience as professors of practice while Ancheska Parchman and Katie Thomas bring a wealth of knowledge as new communication skills instructors. Three current faculty received promotions this summer. Syrenthia Robinson achieved the title of senior instructor while Zack Sowder and Dorothy Conner were promoted to advanced instructor.
Classes officially begin Monday, Aug. 22, and we will welcome 160 first year students and 35 transfer students to the School of Communication. Our application numbers continue to hit record highs. In 2022, we received more than 1,000 applications, a jump from 817 in 2021. Our graduate degrees in communication and reputation management continue to grow. We have our highest graduate student enrollments to date and expanded our offerings to include a graduate certificate in organizational communication management.
There’s so much happening in our community. All these developments create an optimism for the return to a full in-person experience for our students. They bring an energy to our classrooms. Please enjoy the sights, stories, and sounds below. They capture a portion of what makes the School of Communication family so special.
John Tedesco
Director, School of Communication
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