LAUREN MORTON-FARMER
Staff Writer
With as many stories as there are people to tell them, it seems this year’s Comm Connection theme is right on the mark. As the event celebrates its fourth year with the theme “What’s Your Story,” members from all regions of the Communication Division are coming together to welcome students as well as industry professionals, including author of the Narrative Paradigm, Walter Fisher, to discuss their own personal stories.
Dr. Juanie Walker, professor of communication, has been on the faculty committee for Comm Connection since it began in 2003 and said is optimistic about the turnout.
“The idea [this year] is really connecting vocation and the idea of how we each have our individual story,” she said. “In particular, how the communication people are responsible for shaping the stories and the ethical responsibility there.”
A major goal of the conference is to bring together the various areas of communication. Graduate assistant Kevin Rinker has been working closely with the organization and promotion of this year’s event.
“They really would like students to know that comm is multifaceted and there a lots of different things you can do with your degree.” Rinker said. “We want them to find inspiration in the people that come and find what they can do with their vocation or who they want to model their careers after.”
Pepperdine will host many prominent guest speakers this year including Lester Holt, co-anchor of NBC’s “‘Today’ Show Weekend Edition” and author Ed Klodt who wrote “The Jonah Factor: 13 Spiritual Steps to Finding the Job of a Lifetime.”
Dr. Ginger Rosenkrans, professor of communication, has also been on the committee since its inception and is excited about this year’s speakers.
“We tried to find speakers who would fit with the themes and the overarching theme of character, calling and careers,” she said. “And many [people] are so generous and speak without an honorarium.”
Each day of the conference will focus on a different aspect of the industry. Wednesday will provide the platform to discuss vocation, a popular subject at Pepperdine.
“We want it to be about vocation but we also want it to be about careers,” Walker said. “When students think about their personal lives they think about the ethical imperatives and their personal gifts and how that comes together as they write and read stories… and ultimately how that connects to the Biblical story.”
Following that, Thursday and Friday will be focused on meeting with professionals.
“We want students to come and meet people who have been out there in the world—allow students to network,” Walker said. “Mass comm, human comm, people interested in practice but also research as well as people outside the Comm Division— humanities and econ and the community at large.”
The event would not be possible without funding from the Center for Faith and Learning and the Interclub Council. Additionally, major funds were contributed by an anonymous individual donor. According to Walker, this year has the largest budget ever.
“We’re really blessed, and I really want to see [Comm Connection] continue through the years,” Rosenkrans said. “It’s a great platform to equip students and prepare them for what they can expect when they graduate. Equipping really comes from the classrooms but I think Comm Connection is the springboard [for bigger things]. It compliments the coursework.”
With most sessions already filled to capacity, this year’s turnout should help get word out about the event and hopefully create enough awareness to continue in the years to come.
“The main thing it that as humans we make sense of our lives through story, we create meaning through story, we receive divine understanding through story and we hope that that resonates through students,” Walker said.
Comm Connection will run from Feb. 14 through 17. For more information contact Kevin Rinker, event coordinator, at kevin.rinker@pepperdine.edu.
02-08-2007
