The communication center at U.S. colleges and universities: a descriptive overview II

ABSTRACT

This study gathered data about communication centers and built on past investigations of how centers function across the United States. Communication center directors or individuals who oversee centers at two- and four-year institutions of higher education (N = 47) were surveyed. Participants responded to questions about center structure and configuration, logistics and operation, directorship, staff and training, and services. The findings highlight current and changing trends of centers. Overall, this study offers a summative discussion of how centers should be re-envisioned to provide broader impacts for institutions of higher education.

KEYWORDS:

• communication centers
• communication center trends
• communication center administration
• survey of communication centers

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the editor Jon Hess, Mike Allen, Sandra Pensoneau-Conway, and our anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on our article.

Notes

1. Baxter and Babbie (2004) indicated that a 50% response rate is adequate.

2. To obtain a complete copy of the survey (from the larger study), please contact the first author.

3. Texas Tech University has fully implemented a Graduate Certificate Program in Communication for Center Directors (CCD) at Institutions of Higher Education to begin Fall 2017. The CCD Graduate Certificate is intended to meet the needs of a currently growing, yet uncertified population that oversees and manages centers at institutions of higher education. Centers, a permanent fixture across landscapes of colleges and universities, provide important services for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty, and communication is crucial to the success of these centers. Directors must have the necessary communication skills to articulate their missions to stakeholders and work with diverse populations, both across and beyond the university. Moreover, the proposed program will serve a wide variety of graduate students from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, which provides a fertile ground for transdisciplinary research and collaboration. The CCD Certification is designed to be flexible and provides graduate students with an opportunity to improve communicative behaviors, study the historical roots and purposes of center missions, explore the richness and complexity of center functions, and partake in the impact of the services provided at centers for learners.