Communication

In 2018, under the guidance of retired Professor of Communication Ed Schwarz, the Communication Department instituted COMM Day, an annual celebration of the Communication discipline. COMM Day honors the hard work of both past and present students while also welcoming our alumni and the entirety of the PSC community to join us in celebrating COMM.

Informative Speech Contest Winners:

2018 – 1st Place = Kristine Witte; 2nd Place = Anthony Miller; 3rd Place = Julia Porco

2019 – 1st Place = Alicia Love; 2nd Place = Diamond Hines; 3rd Place = Luke Angelus

2020 – Contest canceled due to COVID-19

2021 – Contest canceled due to COVID-19

2022 - 1st Place = Seneca Farabaugh; 2nd Place = Kelcee Berkeley; 3rd Place = Julia Cockrum

2023 - Joseph Green – 1st Place; Carli Martinez – 2nd Place

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The Communication Department at Prairie State College seeks to recognize excellence in the Communication discipline. In April 2018, Communication Faculty established two awards to recognize students, faculty, administrators, and other contributors to the Communication program at PSC.

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The award is named after retired Professor Ed Schwarz who taught communication classes full time at Prairie State for 23 years before his retirement in 2018. In addition to teaching, Professor Schwarz also served as long-time Coordinator of Communication and Chair of the Department of Humanities, Communication, Fine & Performing Arts. He also coached the Forensics Team at PSC and was an active member of the International Committee, the Sustainability Committee, and the College-Wide General Education Learning Outcomes Committee.

The Ed Schwarz Outstanding Communication Student award is awarded during the Communication Department’s Communication Day, which is held annually during the Spring semester to celebrate the field of Communication. The award recognizes one or two outstanding second-year students who have excelled in Communication courses and activities on the PSC campus.

Students are nominated and voted on by the Communication faculty during the Spring semester. The Communication Department will send a letter announcing the award to that year’s winning student(s) along with an invitation to attend the Communication Day festivities to receive their award during the closing ceremony.

Past Winners:

• 2018-2019 – Tiffini Harrison Chism and Julia Porco.
• 2019-2020 – No award given
• 2020-2021 – Andrew Malone
• 2021-2022 – Lillie Futrell and Suzanne Parker
• 2022-2023 – Jalen Pia and Carrington Valentine

Qualifications:

• Second year student majoring in Communication, who has taken two or more Communication classes at Prairie State
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Nomination by one or more of the Communication faculty
• Selection by vote of the Communication faculty

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The Elighie Wilson, III Forensics Hall of Fame aims to recognize outstanding former members, coaches, or other individuals who have significantly contributed to the success of the Forensics Team. The Hall of Fame also seeks to recognize those who have used the skills developed during their tenure on the team to significantly contribute to their communities.

Hall of Fame members are nominated and voted on by the Forensics coaches during the spring semester. New members will receive a notice announcing their selection to the Hall of Fame along with an invitation to attend the Communication Day festivities where they will be 

recognized for their selection during the closing ceremony.

Hall of Fame members are nominated and voted on by the Forensics coaches during the spring semester. New members will receive a notice announcing their selection to the Hall of Fame along with an invitation to attend the Communication Day festivities where they will be recognized for their selection during the closing ceremony.

In 2019, the Communication Faculty elected to rename the award after Elighie Wilson, III because of Elighie’s storied history as a coach of the PSC Forensics team, a mentor to other coaches at Prairie State and in high schools and colleges nationwide, and continued support and leadership as Vice President of Academic Affairs were deserving of naming rights.

Hall of Fame Selectees:
2019 – Felicia Ditmars Swanson (Team Member, 2006-2008)
2019 – Dave Naze (Coach, 2006-2015)
2020 – No new inductees
2021 – Kerry Luckett (Team Member, 2002-2004)
2021 – Nicholas Williams (Team Member, 2011-2013)
2021 – Suzann (Leonard) Williams (Team Member, 2003-2005
2022 – A.J. Hall (Team Member, 2002-2004)
2022 – Margaret “Peggy” Jones (LASS Administrative Assistant, For Supporting Forensics)
2022 – Ed Schwarz (Coach, 1996-2018)
2023 – Thomas Sweeney (Speech Camp Founder & Coach, 1998-2005)
Matt Churilla (Team Member, 2002-2003)

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