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Mission Statement

The Department of Speech Communication and Theatre has as its primary mission the responsibility to provide educational, cultural, and training experiences that enable students to fulfill their potential to become educated and refined individuals. Secondly, the department seeks to promote the acquisition of new knowledge through scholarly activity and scientific research. Thirdly, the department is concerned with dissemination and use of knowledge. The primary roles of the Department of Speech are teaching, research, and service. The teaching role is fulfilled by promoting scholarship and creative works through its undergraduate degree programs Departmental faculty is committed to preparing students to be knowledgeable citizens in the 21st century and to integrate life-long learning into their professional experiences. Research is an integral part of the instructional programs allowing opportunities for faculty and students to discover and disseminate critical knowledge relative to their fields of study and fostering critical thinking in student-centered programs of study. Service to the university and the community is woven into the student’s academic experience to ensure practical training experiences as well as instill a sense of civic responsibility and satisfaction in enhancing the quality of life in the community and state. The Department of Speech Communication and Theatre offers education, concentration, and training experiences in speech communication, and theatre.

Speech Communication

In addition to providing support for the university, college, and department’s mission, theSpeech Communication concentration of the Department of Speech has as its primary mission the responsibility to provide a high quality education for students to prepare them for employment in fields in which communication competency is valued. To fulfill this mission, the curriculum is designed to give students the academic knowledge and practical experience that will prepare them to function as communication specialists in a variety of organizational and interpersonal contexts. A second mission of the concentration is to contribute to the successful implementation of the core curriculum by preparing non-majors to use public speaking skills in the community and the workplace. To fulfill this mission, the department offers two presentation courses available to all university students: Speech 201 (Speech Arts) and Speech 216 (Public Speaking).

Theatre

The Theatre concentration prepares the student for a career in the theatre and encourages personal and creative growth.  It provides a comprehensive humanistic education, supplemented by intensive craft-training, in which classroom study and practical experience are of equal and complementary value.  The concentration promotes excellence in education, research, and service; explores new questions, techniques, and practices in the theatre; and inspires students to become life-long learners who contribute to their respective discipline and profession while enhancing the cultural life of their community.