About Us

The School of Communication's legacy is more than 150 years old, originating in the Forensics Union that was established two days after ISU's founding. Over its history, the School of Communication has built a tradition of excellence in teaching, research and service.

Our mission is to enhance the State of Illinois' societal and economic conditions by providing comprehensive undergraduate and graduate degrees, research, and service initiatives that are at the cutting edge of theory and translate into viable applications.

We achieve our mission by maintaining a dynamic integration of teaching, research, service, and leadership that stimulates innovative and effective teaching environments to produce graduates who have mastered fundamental competencies and acquired intellectual rigor, possess the ability to apply creativity to problem solving, and welcome responsibility in business, government, education, and community service. The School provides leadership in intellectual, cultural, social, economic, and technological development dealing with issues of human symbolic interface for the state, the nation, and the world.

"It’s an exciting time to be a Redbird in the School of Communication at Illinois State University. We have instructors who are recognized across campus and in the communication field with regional, national, and international awards in teaching, research, and service. Beyond the outstanding classroom instruction our students receive, students also have amazing opportunities to get involved in our award-winning student-run TV and radio stations, forensics program, social media analytics lab, and student-produced local film festival. Students can participate in collaborative research with peers and faculty, community engagement projects, social justice efforts, internships, our new career development program, and study abroad. Our alumni are actively engaged in supporting our students’ successes in and out of the classroom. Overall we are committed to working diligently to help students gain knowledge and experiences and develop the transferrable skills they need to succeed in an ever changing, global world."

Dr. Aimee Miller-Ott, Director