UND celebrates Communication Appreciation Day

Event highlights student research and distinguished alumni, provides networking opportunities

Last month, UND’s Department of Communication held its annual Communication Appreciation Day — an event showcasing scholarship, storytelling and alumni in the field.

The event, held on April 23 in the Memorial Union Ballroom, featured student poster presentations, a networking social and scholarship ceremony, along with the University’s long-running Hagerty Lecture series.

Joonghwa Lee, department chair of Communication, said the event was conceived in 2019 at the behest of students, calling it “the spirit of our department.”

“That spirit is what makes this event so meaningful to us, and why we continue to celebrate it each year,” he said. “This event is more than a showcase of our department. It reflects our vision for the future of communication and journalism.”

Brad Rundquist, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, said the discipline of communication gives its graduates a skillset relevant to many career opportunities. Rundquist, who earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and previously worked as a reporter and editor, said he uses the skills and experience obtained in those roles every day.

“Communication is a great major – it opens up a world of employment possibilities,” he said. “I’ve always found that if you’re a good communicator, you’re going to be in high demand on the job market and highly valued within your position.”

Lee said the 2024 relaunch of UND’s Journalism program is helping train a new cohort of reporters in the state and added that he is seeing increased interest from prospective students.

“In North Dakota, we need reporters who get a good journalism education,” he said. “I think the curiosity from local journalists makes our program stronger and predicts a positive future within our department.”

Digital Storytelling

A highlight of the event was the presentations from participants of the department’s Digital Storytelling Summit – a week-long program that introduces area high school students to journalism and multi-media storytelling.

Students in the 2025 cohort reflected on their experiences, which included workshops with UND faculty members and a tour of the WDAY-TV studio in Fargo. For their final project, students partnered with area businesses and non-profits to produce a promotional video and article.

Emily Gibbens-Buteau, assistant professor of Communication and the summit’s co-organizer, said the event serves as an invaluable learning experience for everyone involved.

“Both years I’ve been involved with the summit, I have been beyond impressed with the students – our interns at UND and also the high school students who came to join us,” she said. “They’ve been impressive, dedicated and honestly so much fun. Oftentimes they come to camp shy, nervous and unsure of what the week will hold. But they leave campus with friendships, and full of excitement for storytelling and the potential of becoming UND students someday.”

Alivia Dendy, who participated in last year’s summit and is currently a freshman at UND majoring in English, said the experience instilled in her a passion for storytelling and journalism.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to attend the Digital Storytelling Summit,” she said.

The 2026 Digital Storytelling Summit will be held May 31-June 5.