Communication and Development Studies program celebrates 35 years

The Communication and Development Studies program (CommDev) is marking its 35th anniversary this fall with a two-day conference and celebration on Nov. 14-15 on Ohio University’s Athens campus.

“We’re thrilled to be celebrating this milestone for CommDev,” said Saumya Pant, director of the Communication and Development Studies program in Center for International Studies. “Our alumni are making important change around the world and we look forward to gathering to reminisce and look forward together.”

Offering a master of arts degree, CommDev is an interdisciplinary program within the Center for International Studies. For more than 35 years, this unique program has focused on using communication to promote social change by addressing how strategic communication can be used for social change. Areas that the students work in range from equal and equitable access to health, global impact of environment and climate change, gender disparity in access to resources such as public health, education, sanitation and safe living, impact of digital communication on social change processes and many more.

During the 35th anniversary celebration, a series of distinguished scholars will be addressing the audience. Ruma Sen, ’95, a professor of communication at Ramapo College in New Jersey, will be participating in a round-table discussion during the anniversary conference. She said the value of her CommDev degree goes beyond the academic credential. 

“CommDev has given me a lifetime of memories,” she said. “My experience in the program is incomparable not just because of what I learned in and out of the classrooms; it has also been unparalleled in what I have gained for life - a global tribe of my contemporaries, as well as past and future compatriots.”

CommDev alumni go on to careers in academia, international organizations, policymaking and beyond. Mary Magdalene Ngum Chumbow, ’19, is the manager of public relations and communications at MindSpark Learning in Colorado. She will participate in the alumni roundtable at the conference, and said she is thankful for the opportunities and community she gained in CommDev.

“My time in the Communication and Development Studies program not only led me to meet and work with professionals from different parts of the world, but it also opened up doors to possibilities,” she said. “I walked into the CommDev program not imagining that it would be the beginning of me scaling greater heights, with the support of scholars such as Saumya, who have now become family. If communication for social change is a true passion of yours, the CommDev program is sure to propel you in using communication in effective ways for sustainable solutions in society.”

The conference, held at the start of International Education Week, will consist of two days of sessions, including keynote addresses and roundtable discussions with alumni and current students. On Nov. 14 , the cultural evening will captivate the participants with international performances and international cuisine. On Nov. 15, the Gala will recognize eminent guest with awards and recognitions and entertain the audience with a performance by the Ohio University African Ensemble.  

All programming will be free and open to the public. 

For more information about the CommDev anniversary celebration, visit the calendar of University events. You can RSVP for the CommDev anniversary celebration at this website.