WESTFIELD–For Westfield State University’s communications program, it was a meek beginning.
“The first year they had the program it was one room, one typewriter, one major,” Dr. Madeleine Cahill, chairperson of the department, said.
A collection of antique media equipment in Westfield State University’s communications department
However, from those meager beginnings it has grown to be one of the school’s largest programs, and this year is its 35th anniversary. Graduates from the program work in large media companies, education and nonprofit companies, providing their employers and those they serve with a unique approach to work that has been cultivated from a unique program.
Members of the communications program at Westfield State University gather for the 35th anniversary celebration that was held this past October.
The origins of the program tie back to Dr. Ed Abar. Abar, who received his undergraduate and masters degrees at then-Westfield State College before receiving his Ph.D. from University of Massachusetts, was teaching at Westfield State beginning in the 1970s. While teaching, he realized that there was a growing need to properly study the ever-burgeoning media scene.
So, in 1981 Abar created the communications program. From there though, the focus of the program has grown from beyond just studying media.
“What makes the program unique is that we focus on the ethics,” Cahill said. “We want graduates with a strong sense of ethics.”
This focus on ethics, Cahill said, has prompted many majors to work in non-profit and humanitarian-based fields, utilizing the skills that a communications degree education provides to interact and understand those that they serve. Additionally, students said that the program has also given them a taste of multiple disciplines, which helps cross various boundaries in the professional world.
“For me I felt that the classes I took and the opportunities I had, it really let me get well-versed in all aspects versus just one discipline,” David Langlois said.
Langlois graduated from the program in 2015, and used his experiences to first earn a temporary position with Camp Broader Way, a summer camp created by Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs for urban girls to help find ways to self-express through the arts. From there, Langlois then took his skills to Holyoke High School, and just months after graduating was named a video production teacher at the school.
“Working with the professors and the classes I did get a good grip on what I was working on,” Langlois said. “Being able to focus on multiple portions of communication was a great experience.”
And this knowledge hasn’t just helped with employment. Langlois took what he learned and applied it to the work that two students of his had done to try and combat violence. They wrote a rap song, recorded it and Langlois helped them make a video for it. Since it was released the video had over 7,000 shares on Facebook and over 80,000 views between Facebook and YouTube.
A microphone and audio mixer inside WSKB studios
The program has also benefited Westfield, too. For Westfield, in addition to the alumni in positions at places like Boys and Girls Club of Westfield, the program also runs the community television and radio stations. When you turn on channel 15, what you’re seeing is video work most often done by students or faculty in the department, including the public meetings that are streamed and shot live, and when you turn on 89.5 FM you are often hearing students who are broadening their skills and providing residents with quality entertainment.
“We owe the residents a lot,” Cahill said. “And we try to provide them with ethical, educated and conscientious members of the Commonwealth.”
