Communication Center Journal - Vol. 7 - No. 1 - Building a Successful Communication Center at a STEM Institution through Multidisciplinary Leadership, Programming, and Strategic Partnerships

Oct 15, 2026

Article presents how a STEM-focused institution planned and launched a communication center by combining multidisciplinary leadership, targeted programming, and strategic partnerships. It explains the institutional needs driving the work—limited existing resources for digital literacy and communication support beyond general education—and the three program priorities: student support, faculty support, and communication research production. It also argues that external perspectives and collaborative governance help position the center as a campus-wide hub aligned with institutional mission and student success initiatives.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Strategic Decisions

Co-Director model and shared leadership

Cross-campus partnerships for launch and administration

Context and Mission Formation

College strategic priorities for communication

Institutional constraints and student/faculty needs

Programming Focus Areas

Student support

Faculty support

Communication research production

Communication Center Journal 14 Vol. 7, No. 1, 2021 Building a Successful Communication Center at a STEM Institution through Multidisciplinary Leadership, Programming, and Strategic Partnerships Meghan Velez Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Alex Rister Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University In their most recent survey of communication centers, LeFebvre et al.(2017) expressed concern that “few, if any, communication centers have attempted to meet wider institutional impacts beyond serving the introductory course” (p. 441) and suggested that this lack of broader institutional presence may lead to the decline of communication centers writ large. While originally tied to introductory public speaking courses (Turner & Sheckels, 2015a; Von Till, 2012), communication centers have much to offer higher education institutions on a wider scale and, if successful, they can contribute to an institutional culture of communication that spans disciplines. In the same year that LeFebvre et al. published their survey, our university’s College of Arts and Sciences identified strategic priorities and initiatives for the college. Among these priorities was communication: administrators and faculty across the many disciplines of the college agreed that communication is vital to student success in both classroom and industry contexts, noting that “since the 21stcentury workplace constantly changes due to advances in technology, a strong foundation in communication skills allows for adaptation in those everchanging environments”(“Strategic,” 2017) . Out of this college-wide priority emerged an idea for a communication center that would serve the needs of students at a private, STEM-focused institution serving approximately 22,000 students across the globe in a predominantly online format. The communication center would help prepare students to communicate effectively in a variety of contexts. In March 2019, the authors were tasked with building the communication center with three areas of focus: student support, support for faculty, and communication research production. The authors represent distinct fields of communication. Rister has a background in communication and social science research, as well as nonprofit leadership experience. Velez brings a background in rhetoric, as well as writing center and writing across the curriculum (WAC) leadership experiences, to the center. The distinct disciplinary backgrounds of the two center leaders, as well as the needs, opportunities, and constraints of our institutional context, led us to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to establishing the communication center’s mission and programming. We knew, for instance, that our center would need to reach students and faculty in an online format and that it should emphasize communication in 21st-century contexts in keeping with the strategic priorities of the College of Arts and Sciences. Likewise, we knew that support for any form of communication (outside of general education courses) was scarce at our Communication Center Journal 15 Vol. 7, No. 1, 2021 institution. The campus has no writing center or WAC program, and there are few to no resources to enhance digital literacy skills despite the institution’sonline presence. Moreover, the majority of the institution’s degree programs are STEM-related, with an emphasis on aviation and aerospace fields (e.g. , aeronautical engineering, applied meteorology, and aviation business administration) . Though the university offers a B.S. in Communication, this program comprises less than three percent of the student population. Taking these factors into consideration, the authors determined that the center would emphasize communication in abroad sense, supporting students and faculty in written, spoken, visual, and digital communication. Given these institutional context factors, we also knew that we would need to establish partnerships with faculty across disciplines to make a meaningful

FAQs

Why did the authors emphasize building the communication center beyond introductory courses?

They cite concerns that many communication centers do not address broader institutional impacts beyond introductory coursework, and argue that successful centers can shape an institution-wide communication culture across disciplines.

What were the three main areas of focus for building the communication center?

The authors were tasked with three focus areas: student support, support for faculty, and communication research production.

How did the institution’s STEM context shape the communication center’s approach?

With limited communication-related resources, scarce writing/WAC support, and many STEM degree programs, the center needed an online-accessible, broad definition of communication to support students and faculty in written, spoken, visual, and digital contexts.

Oct 15, 2026

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