Communication Studies News
February 2, 2005


Panel to encourage students to ‘Find Passion’ in life and work

Living a fulfilling, enriching life is more important than what your diploma says or what’s in your job title. That’s the message of a panel presentation and discussion co-sponsored by the CST Department on February 15. 

The Passion-Driven Life: How to Live and Work with GUSTO!

UW-La Crosse, Cartwright Center Room 339

Tues., Feb. 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

One of the panel members will be Betsy Francoeur, recent CST graduate and Alice in Dairyland of Wisconsin. Earlier in the afternoon of Feb. 15, Betsy will speak to CST students in Dr. Kurt Billmeyer’s 2:15 p.m. CST 190 class. [Other CST students who would like to sit in on this classroom visit should contact Dr. Billmeyer, 785-6711.]

The evening presentation, produced by the UW-L Academic Advising Center, will include a panel of “amazing” guests – all of whom are finding their passion for life in different ways. The guests will include: 

All of the panelists will reinforce for students the importance of looking for life’s rewards in ways other than through a job title or a paycheck. They will also address the critical work / life balance issues that are rarely talked about in the college environment that tends to be almost exclusively focused on earning a degree and building a resume to land a successful job. 


PRSSA chapter is chartered

The UW-La Crosse Department of Communication Studies received word on Mon., Jan. 24 that our chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America has been chartered. Noel Lee, Sarah Nohr, and Kelanie Simonsen have spent the past year or so making this chapter become a reality – thank you! We will have organizational meetings soon, so stay tuned. 


Undergrad research news 

Our department is increasingly recognized as an undergraduate research powerhouse. Recent evidence:

We have several students who will be presenting their undergraduate research at the annual convention of the Central States Communication Association in Kansas City in April. 

Erin Bong and Sara Weisenbeck both had their senior projects accepted as competitive papers in the Undergraduate Honors Research Division. 

A panel of student papers submitted from Dr. Scott Dickmeyer’s CST 452 class (Contemporary Approaches in Organizational Communication) was accepted in the Public Relations Division. The papers analyze socialization communication found on websites of organizations that rank as "best companies to work for in America"