The College of New Jersey

February 1, 2002

TCNJ Sets National Record for Undergraduate Research at
National Communication Association Conference

Ewing, NJ…With the acceptance of nearly a dozen academic papers, students from The College of New Jersey made a lasting impression on professors, graduate and undergraduate students who recently attended the National Communication Association (NCA) annual conference by setting a national record.

Although hundreds of papers from around the country were submitted, 11 communication studies papers written by six students and recent graduates of The College were presented at the conference, making it the largest number of undergraduate papers ever accepted by the NCA from a single college or university.

Dan O’Hair, a University of Oklahoma professor and chair of the applied communication division of the NCA, said, "No other undergraduates from any other institution have accomplished anything remotely close to what TCNJ students have achieved."

The NCA is the oldest and largest national organization to promote communication scholarship and education, consisting of approximately 7,100 educators, practitioners and students from around the country and from over 20 foreign countries. The purpose of the NCA is to promote study, criticism, research, teaching and application of the artistic, humanistic and scientific principles of communication (www.natcom.org/).

The NCA conference allows students to gain experience working in the communication field and it offers the presenters networking opportunities with graduate schools and scholars. After a paper is presented at the conference, it is considered a serious scholarly work in that it can be cited and used in any publication written by students and scholars.

"To be accepted to present at the conference is a huge honor," said Dr. John Pollock, an associate communication studies professor and faculty research advisor to several of the students at TCNJ. "Student presentations have helped establish our reputation as perhaps one of the most productive college in the nation for undergraduate national research in the communications field."

The following TCNJ students wrote papers:

Jamie Bartletta, Secaucus
Amie Huebner, Clementon
Stefanie Loh, Hamilton Square
Heather Tringali, Palisades Park
Antonia Caamano, Bayonne
Adam Ehrenworth, Wayne

Their papers focused on investigating media coverage of various topics such as gun control, the death penalty and tobacco regulation. The papers were co-authored and co-presented by two or three students and almost all of them were written and developed in research methods courses taught by Dr. Pollock.

Papers are submitted for conference consideration according to division. Each NCA division has a distinct area of focus and had different presentation schedules at the conference. TCNJ’s papers were accepted for presentation in the divisions of health communications, mass communication, applied communication and Lambda Pi Eta, the student national honor society of the organization.

The College of New Jersey provides talented students with a challenging undergraduate education, a rewarding residential experience, small classes and a prestigious faculty. A highly competitive institution, TCNJ has been recognized nationally for its excellence by U.S. News and World Report, The Fiske Guide to Colleges, Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges, Peterson’s Competitive Colleges and has been considered a "Top Ten Buy" in Money magazine’s annual survey. The College of New Jersey is located on 289 tree-lined acres in suburban Ewing, NJ.

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