In 1896, the State Normal and Industrial College (now UNCG) established the Department of Reading and Elocution which later was renamed the Department of Expression in 1907. The department changed names again in 1918 to become the Department of Elocution and Public Speaking. From 1919 to 1947, courses on public speaking were offered through the Department of English and in 1947, a concentration in speech was added to the curriculum. In 1959, the concentration in speech moved to the Department of Drama and Speech, which later was retitled the Department of Communication and Theater in 1977. The department split in 1994, resulting in the Department of Communication which changed its name to the Department of Communication Studies in 2005. Currently, the department offers Bachelors of Arts and Masters of Arts degrees in communication studies with a mission on teaching and researching communication to connect people, create change, and work toward a just world.
Department Heads:
Mary Sharpe (1896-1919)
William Smith (1919-1944)
Winfield Rogers (1944-1945)
Leonard Hurley (1945-1965)
Herman Middleton (1965-1974)
John Jellicorse (1974-1989)
Robert Hansen (1989-1994)
Craig Smith (1994-1995)
L. Goodall Jr. (1995-2003)
P.M. Kellett (2003-2011)
Christopher Poulos (2011-2019)
Roy Schwartzman (2019-present)
Department Names:
Department of Reading and Elocution (1896-1907)
Department of Expression (1907-1918)
Department of Elocution and Public Speaking (1918-1919)
Public speaking courses in the English Department (1919-1947)
Speech concentration in the Department of English (1947-1959)
Department of Drama and Speech (1959-1977)
Department of Communication and Theatre (1977-1994)
Department of Communication (1994-2005)
Department of Communication Studies (2005-current)