Looking Back on 2022

As the Chico State community slowly started to return to campus in 2022, each of our departments under the College of Communication and Education set to work creating a holistic learning environment for students. Through hands-on experiences and traditional curriculum, faculty and staff helped guide students towards becoming competent communicators and lifelong learners.

The past year was full of exciting opportunities and meaningful connections within CME. 

The Kinesiology department stood out as a hub for community service through numerous clubs and programs dedicated to helping others. ParadiseU, which began in 2019 in response to the Butte County Camp Fire, continued to partner with local schools to teach children the power of movement. Another elementary school outreach, Adapted Physical Education Sports Day, was once again hosted by Chico State’s Kinesiology department. 

CME’s School of Education, another department dedicated to the broader community, celebrated an impactful milestone in the fall. The school took the lead with the Northern California (NorCal) Growing Responsive, Equitable, Adaptable and Transformative (GREAT) Teachers Pipeline project that provides support and guidance to future teachers and educators. In October, the U.S. Department of Education announced it was allocating $13.4 million, over three years, to the project. The grant will help support high school students by providing a college-level “Introduction to Education” course and will offer stipends to undergraduate students, credential candidates, and master’s students to support them on the path to becoming teachers in our North State region.

The fall was a season of celebration as Journalism & Public Relations was also rewarded for their hard work. The department’s student-run newspaper, The Orion, was “recognized as one of the top 100 student publications in the nation” by the Associated Collegiate Press during their yearly conference at The Washington Post. The newspaper was also given a Pacemaker 100 award.

On top of the many awards and achievements some of our CME departments received, our departments continued to provide unique learning experiences, professional preparation and networking opportunities to our students. 

Communication Sciences and Disorders continued to improve their Clinic for Communications Disorders. The clinic allows students to work with real clients, under faculty supervision, offering services that target communication disorders that involve hearing loss, speech, cognition, and more. 

Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management provided numerous chances for students to get out of the classroom and engage in hands-on experiences. RHPMstudents, depending on their degree focus, were able to attend local events, travel to Sacramento to learn about hotel management, campin national forests to volunteer with park rangers, and take day trips to Butte Creek Ecological Reserve.

The Media Arts, Design and Technology department presented students with another annual Professional Series event where entertainment industry professionals discuss their craft. Last year, Andrew Eisen presented on his process as an editor and his experience working on The Mandalorian. As part of his presentation, students were able to look over an original copy of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained script. 

The end of the year concluded with the Communication Studies Chico State Forensics (speech and debate) team hosting the annual Rookie Tournament held at Chico State. The tournament counted as a 1-unit course where students taking Speech Communication Fundamentals, Small Group Communication, and Argumentation and Debate could compete against one another. Students competed in informative speaking, persuasive speaking, or debate. 

A short summary doesn’t do justice to just how much happened within the College of Communication and Education last year. With 2023 just beginning, our faculty and staff are already working hard to make the new year even brighter and full of even more opportunities than the last.