Although this campaign has ended, you can still make a gift to the Communication and Development Studies Enhancement Fund by using the Give to Ohio University donation page. Thank you, and Go Bobcats!
The M.A. degree offered through the Communication & Development Studies program is one of only a limited few like it in the world. And it’s here in Athens, at Ohio University.
For over 35 years, this unique program has focused on using communication to promote social change by addressing how strategic communication can be used for social change. Few areas that the students work range from: equal and equitable access to health, global impact of environment and climate change, gender disparity in access to resources such as public health, education and sanitation and safe living, impact of digital communication on social change processes.
Our graduates are often at the epicenter of social change seeking professional careers working for international NGOs, non-profit organizations in the U.S., government agencies, and as consultants. Some have risen to astounding heights working at UNICEF, the United Nations, and many international agencies.
With annual cohorts averaging between 15-20 students, with approximately three-quarters of them coming from outside the United States, Communication & Development Studies students often face profound pressures as they pursue life and education across the globe away from family and familiar support – all with the end goal to enact change in an unforgiving world. It’s a tall order and we need your help for the program to continue to prosper and thrive and give our students the support they need, and deserve.
Despite the uniqueness of the program, the importance of their work, and the future impact these students may drive, the program has no dedicated financial support to expand student stipends, finance professional development, support research and conference attendance or other bottom-line expenses that are essential to the program and student success.
Your support now will help grow the new Communication & Development Studies Enhancement Fund: to build momentum, ensure the legacy of the program, and support our students immediately.
This fund will provide students with essential funding for their research, and professional development. It will allow us to expand our GA stipends, which keeps us competitive, attract talent and continue to grow the program and reputation.
Ultimately, our ability to support our students, enriches their experience, builds our reputation, ensures programs success, and in the end, drives social change.
In over the 35 years of our program, we have graduated 400 students. We’d love to use these two numbers as our guiding light to realize $10K in total contributions. And it’s within reach. If every graduate pledged $35, we’d meet our goal! In late 2022, we were able to secure $5K to establish the fund. We’re hoping you can build on this momentum, help us recognize our 35 years of achievements to date and commit to support those that will follow.
Your contribution to The Communication & Development Studies Enhancement Fund builds impact in order to:
Richard Quarshie, '19, Senior Academic Advisor for the Interdisciplinary Studies Program, Virginia Commonwealth University — "The CommDev program did not only open my mind to think outside the box; more crucially, it taught me to think as if the box did not even exist. The Interdisciplinary nature of the program created opportunities for me where I consistently use my participatory communication to address issues surrounding education and student success."
Ruma Sen, '95, Professor of Communication, School of Contemporary Arts Ramapo College of New Jersey — "CommDev has given me a lifetime of memories... my experience in the program is incomparable not just because of what I learned in and out of the classrooms, it has also been unparalleled in what I have gained for life - a global tribe of my contemporaries, as well as past and future compatriots."
Mary Magdalene Ngum Chumbow, '19, Manager of Public Relations & Communications MindSpark Learning, Colarado — My time in the Communication and Development program not only led me to meet and work with professionals from different parts of the world, but it also opened me up to doors of possibilities. I walked into the program not able to envision I’d scale to even greater heights, with the support of scholars such as Dr. Pant, who have now become family. If communication for social change is a true passion, the program is sure to propel you in using communication in effective ways for sustainable solutions in society.
Hannah Wintucky, '21, Government Affairs Policy Fellow at the Outdoor Industry Association, Washington D.C. — The program allowed me to pursue my individual passions within communication and development; namely sustainable development through outdoor recreation with a focus on equity and inclusion. Now I am working in the field, advocating for policy that promotes equity and inclusion in outdoor recreation. No other program of this kind exists; where you can take your passions, make them your focus of study, and then have faculty and advisors that are engaged at a very high level and help you achieve your goals. Now, because of CommDev, I am working in my dream job and making real social change happen at the federal, state, and local levels in the US.
CommDev alumni quoted above, left to right, Richard Quarshie, Ruma Sen, Mary Magdalene Ngum Chumbow & Hannah Wintucky