SUNY Brockport Department of Communication

02/19/2025

Congrats are in order for Dr. Droser who just published her article “Information Management in the Wake of Family Death: Exploring the Role of Relational Uncertainty in Information Management Decisions Following Family Death.”
We are proud of Dr. Droser for her hard work and so lucky to have such great scholars in our department!

Using data collected from 144 parent-child dyads who had experienced partner/parental death, this study explored how individuals make decisions to seek or avoid information about their family membe...

12/10/2024

Professor Alex Lyon was recently a guest speaker at Brockport High School teaching some communication skills and letting seniors know that communication is an actual college major.

The students worked on how to ask somebody for something (e.g., coach, teacher, parent, friend, supervisor, etc.) using a short persuasive speaking framework.

11/15/2024

Our very one Dr. Veronica Droser recently published an article titled "Whose Family Communication Counts? Investigating the Validity of the Revised Family Communication Patterns Scale Across Racial Groups" in the Journal of Family Communication. The study examined the validity of the Revised Family Communication Patterns Scale across different racial groups in the U.S. Her findings challenge the universal applicability of this widely used scale. Check out the article!

Using invariance testing techniques, this study investigated the validity of the Revised Family Communication Patterns (RFCP) scale across different racial groups in the United States. Data was col...

11/04/2024

📢 We're excited to share that our very own Dr. Alex Lyon from the was recently featured in Time Magazine! Dr. Lyon shared his insights on overcoming toxic communication habits in Angela Haupt's article, "How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits." Proud to see SUNY Brockport faculty making an impact in national conversations! 🌟

Plus, what to do if your friend monopolizes the conversation or constantly one-ups you.

05/10/2024

Students in Dr. Droser’s CMC 273: Interpersonal Communication class analyzed Taylor Swift’s entire discography. Their research was focused on identifying themes related to interpersonal communication and relational development. They presented their research findings this week during their very own take on the Era’s Tour!

05/02/2024

It has been a week since our Honors and Awards Ceremony, but we are still celebrating our Public Speaking Contest finalists - including this year's winner: Bailey Loomis!

This year, our Public Speaking Contest celebrated students enrolled in CMC 201, with each of the three sections having a repersentatives in the finals. From Andrea Newman's section we learned about safe and effective antibiotic use from Benjamin Baker. From Dr. Lynda Cochran's section we learned about the history of Rochester's deaf community from Emma Boyce. And, from Dr. Alex Lyon's section we learned about 9/11 from this year's winner Bailey Loomis.

Congrats to everyone who participated! We can't wait for next year!

04/26/2024

We are so lucky to have Dr. Thorpe in our department!

It's Feature Friday. Today we'll get to know Dr. Elizabeth Thorpe from the SUNY Brockport Department of Communication.

Did you know Dr. Thorpe was recently elected to chair the National Communication Association’s Freedom of Expression Division? Plus, she is the editor of the Communication Law Review Journal. And, she recently published an article about cancel culture: https://www.commlawreview.org/latest-issue

Keep up the great work!!!

03/13/2024

01/04/2024

With great sadness, the Department of Communication announces the passing of Professor Floyd D. Anderson on Wednesday, December 27. He was 83.

Between 1971 and his retirement in 2010, Professor Anderson was a force in the Department. Students experienced his penetrating, critical insights in classes like “Speakers, Campaigns, and Movements,” “Rhetorical Theory,” and “Propaganda and Persuasion.” For his efforts in the classroom, he won the Eastern Communication Association’s “Donald H. Ecroyd and Caroline Drummond Ecroyd Teaching Excellence Award” in 2001.

Given Professor Anderson’s prowess as a teacher, it is no surprise that he had a profound impact on the field of communication. An unmatched expositor of Kenneth Burke’s critical projects, Professor Anderson published dozens of relevant and highly influential journal articles and book chapters. Between 1983 and 1984, he served as President of the Eastern Communication Association.

Despite his many personal accomplishments, Professor Anderson was most proud of the achievements of his students. A significant number of them went on to teach in higher education and to mentor students of their own.

Currently, plans for a spring-time memorial service are being made. Details will be released when they are finalized.

11/17/2022

Hi everyone, this is Joe Chesebro, a faculty member in the Communication Department.

I’m writing in search of Communication Studies or PR alums (ideally, from before 2018) who would enjoy returning to campus to network with current students from Communication (and related fields) and share any advice you might have, based on your professional experiences.

Specifically, students in my professional communication course are planning an “Eagle Alum Meet Up” on Saturday, December 3, from 12-2 in the Eagles Lookout room in Tuttle.

My students are advertising this to their fellow students (in CMC, PR, Psychology, and Business) as an opportunity to network with alumni and enjoy some pizza and refreshments. In addition to having time to mingle, there will be an opportunity for you to introduce yourself to the group, and we likely will have a Q&A with the alumni who attend. We are hoping to welcome about 10-15 alums back to campus.

If you are interested in attending, below is a link to RSVP. If you have questions, you can contact me at [email protected]

Below is a pic of alums and students from last year’s event (even with the masks we had a great time!). If you’d like to be a part of this year’s event, we would love to hear from you!

RSVP Link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeY2Z7Ar9yc4XU5bdexfD1U1sRIiScbVRZLEiiHsZwB9oRtpg/viewform?usp=sf_link