One of the university's most inspiring features is the loyalty that alumni feel toward the university and their dedication to reaching out to currently enrolled students and recent graduates to help them make the transition from college to work. Communication Studies graduates find alumni contacts and networks of support all over the country, and this makes a huge difference to them as they seek to find their way in the world.  Dedicated alumni have endowed the department with scholarships, prizes and internship grants that enable the achievements of our hard-working, talented students. 

To help strengthen these ties between alumni and current students, we have instituted the Alumni Connection and the Entertainment Media Career Forum, both of which bring alumni back to campus to advise current students about job hunting and careers in the field.  Our students are grateful for these opportunities to connect with and learn from alumni.

Some alumni, especially those who were enrolled when we were the Speech Department, or Speech Communications (which included theater), or when there was a Journalism degree, now wonder what their connection is to a department called "Communication Studies." While it is true that the department no longer offers courses of study in rhetoric and public address, or journalism, or radio and television production, the spirit of studying the absolute centrality of communication to the life of everyday people and the nation remains constant between the previous incarnations of the department and who we are today.  Our faculty emphasize studies of the news and teach about and study the role of the press in maintaining democratic institutions.  Some faculty study the rhetoric and images used in the news, entertainment programming and, now, new media, and others are deeply engaged with the history, practices, and impact of radio and television.  Our students do internships at newspapers, radio and television stations, PR and marketing firms, and advertising agencies.

So while there have been changes in the department's name and curriculum over the years, we want to emphasize the continuities between past and present.  We also want to hear from you, learn what you're doing and hear about recent accomplishments.  So, whenever you graduated from this department, let us hear from you and let's continue to build bridges between the past, the present and the future to continue to enhance the Michigan Difference.

QUICK LINKS

UM Alumni Association

Alumni Association Career Center

Office of the Registrar

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