The University of North Dakota Department of Communication is celebrating 100 years on Thursday, April 25 for their annual Communication Appreciation Day with an opening lecture, networking social, scholarship ceremony, dinner reception, and more. This centennial celebration is going down in the books as the UND Department of Communication has been working tirelessly to make it all happen. The event is being hosted in the Memorial Union Ballrooms all day where students can network with communication professionals, peers, colleagues, and faculty.
The kickoff to the day will be held with opening remarks from President Andrew Armacost, VPPA Eric Link, the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Brad Rundquist, Sarah Prout of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, and the Department of Communication Chair Soojung Kim. Following the opening remarks will be a class showcase and photo exhibition where students can display projects, posters, and photos.
The Hagerty Lecture, “Just the Facts: Observations from the “dark side” on the demise of objectivity in journalism,” presented by Mike Nowatzki will start at 2 p.m. covering contemporary media issues. The Hagerty Lecture, in honor of Jack Hagerty’s retirement, has been host to many lectures over the years. Nowatzki is the communications director for the Office of the Governor since Doug Burgum took office in 2016, and he is a UND alum and worked in the newspaper industry for 18 years.
After Nowatzki’s lecture, the networking social and scholarship ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. This is a time to visit with colleagues, alumni, and peers and celebrate this year’s scholarship recipients. There will be a tour of the UND Department of Communication at 5 p.m. before the reception at 7 p.m.
The dinner reception wraps up the day where friends can enjoy a meal together and applaud the Department and its students for their achievement this past year. Finally, the perfect ending to a perfect day is the evening party with music from the Greater Grand Forks String Quartet, a cash bar, several display tables for the Dakota Student, Future of the Department, 1997 Flood, Studio One, and Communication Club, and a photo booth.
After 100 years, there is a lot to celebrate from history to memories, and the UND Department of Communication has been planning this momentous occasion for you. For more information, visit UND’s website featuring “A Century of Communication.”
Kelsie Hildebrand is the Dakota Student Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at [email protected].
