October 2, 2026
Providence College's Student-Run Newspaper Since 1935
On Aug. 31, the 2026-27 academic year officially kicked off with an early start. A week before Labor Day and…
Paw Pals: Animal Welfare Awareness for College Students Anna Gardiner ’28, along with Kaley DeGennaro ’28, Hollis Humphries ’28, Gabriella…
On Friday, April 24, Dr. Thomas Smith, Providence College’s provost, announced that Dr. Ronald Dufresne will be the next dean…
by Dr. Andrea McDonnell & Dr. Rana Hassan on September 24, 2026
Providence College’s School of Arts & Sciences has officially launched its Communication Department and Communication major, expanding a program that began as a minor in 2021 into a growing academic department with new partnerships, more courses, and a dedicated media and learning space on campus.
The department now offers both a major and minor in Communication. The major provides an interdisciplinary structure for students, grounded in the liberal arts and sciences. For PC, the COM major represents an expansion of the humanities and social sciences into new areas of inquiry and a reaffirmation of the value of the liberal arts in our contemporary, media-driven information environment. This expansion gives students interested in media and communication-related fields a direct academic path at PC while responding to a rapidly changing media shaped by digital platforms, emerging technologies, and consumption and creation of media content.
According to Dr. Andrea McDonnell, Chair and Professor of Communication, students are the inspiration for the program’s growth. “The development of Communication from a minor to a department and major was truly driven by student interest,” McDonnell said. “Over the first five years when the program was a minor, we regularly had students express a desire for a major, and a significant number of students were developing creative, independent degrees in communication and media-related areas on their own.”
The department has grown considerably since Communication was first introduced at PC in 2021. More than 200 students have graduated with a degree in Communication to date, and more than 100 current Friars are pursuing the major.
The major combines the study of communication with practical experience. Students examine the history and development of the field, technological and cultural changes in media, and methods for analyzing how media creates and communicates meaning. Courses include Media Mirrors, Media Industries, Visual Communication, Feminist Studies, Media, Culture and Aesthetics, and Communication Research, along with opportunities for independent study and capstone work, which are part of the major study plan. This range of offerings reflects the department’s interdisciplinary approach and its emphasis on contemporary topics for both Communication majors and minors.
Dr. Zackariah Wheeler, Assistant Instructional Professor of Communication and Political Science, who teaches Video Games: Artform and Industry and Media and Society, described the growth of the Communication Program as “rewarding to watch,” since he joined PC in 2022, emphasizing the increasing importance of communication education in today’s rapidly evolving media environment.
“Given the rise of networked digital platforms, AI, interactive media, and the adaptation of legacy media forms to these new tools, media literacy is in greater demand than ever. What COM can do is offer broad, adaptable tools for interpreting media texts and trends, wherever the future takes us,” Dr. Wheeler said.
With these courses, students develop oral, written, and visual communication skills and gain hands-on experience designing and producing content for different audiences. Upper-level students can choose from a variety of electives and conduct research on topics in contemporary media culture.
One of the courses introduced for the first time this semester is Media and Crime, where students have the opportunity to examine and analyze media content and connect it to broader social issues.
“I mostly teach courses that concern questions of representation and how media images shape our reality and knowledge, consciously or unconsciously,” said Dacia Paje, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Communication.
For students beginning the program, introductory courses provide a broad look at the media industries and topics they may eventually pursue in greater depth.
“Teaching a gateway course such as Introduction to Mass Communication provides students with insight into various media practices, from journalism, broadcast, and strategic communication to new media and digital storytelling,” said Dr. Rana Hassan, Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication. “Students get a glimpse of different media careers and practices while engaging with current issues and interdisciplinary topics related to social, political, and emerging technologies.” On the other hand, Dr. Wheeler teaches the fundamentals of game design and the recent history of the industry, considering the impact of games on culture and society and applying principles of game design to students’ projects.
The department is also building opportunities for students to move beyond the classroom. One of its established partnerships is with Providence College Athletics through the Big East Sports Media Internship. Junior Communication students can apply for the program to gain experience in broadcast production. “Students who complete the internship go on to produce on-air content for ESPN during our Fall Men’s Basketball season each year,” Dr. McDonnell said.
Faculty members seize the opportunity for collaboration and engagement in their courses. Each course is designed to provide students with hands-on experience through partnership with programs and offices across campus. “Introduction to Mass Communication collaborates with The Cowl, Library Media Support, the Office of Media Relations and Engagement, and Athletics Communications to provide students with a range of opportunities and resources, from guest speakers and fieldwork to technical support,” Dr. Hassan said.
The department is also developing partnerships with Health Sciences, Art History, Political Science, and Public and Community Service, among other areas of the College. Those collaborations could become increasingly important as the department develops. The current major supports students interested in Media Studies, Political Communication, and Public Communication, while additional pathways are being considered.
“We look forward to developing additional pathways in Sports Communication, Media Production, and Digital Storytelling,” Dr. McDonnell said.
Additionally, the department has expanded its presence on campus with a dedicated media and learning space on campus by moving into a new space on the lower level of the library. The area now includes faculty offices alongside a student study space and, soon, editing studios and a recording and podcasting studio, giving students access to spaces where they can communicate, collaborate, and produce media.
The major is also designed to prepare students for a range of possibilities after graduation. Recent alumni have gone on to work with organizations including the Boston Celtics, TJX Companies, and Paragon Publishing, while others have pursued graduate education at George Washington University and Brown University. Preparing students for professional life is also a pillar of the department’s mission, with an emphasis on connecting classroom learning to real-world experience through internships and community engagement.
For students interested in understanding how media works and in becoming part of the rapidly changing media landscape, the launch of the Communication Department provides a new place to begin and various professional opportunities.
by Chris Sama ’27 on February 12, 2026
The athlete of the week is Jason Edwards ’G26, who made his return against DePaul University on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Friars desperately needed a true point guard to run the offense and struggled without Edwards’ presence. It was unclear whether he would return at all for the rest of the Friars’ season, but fortunately, he is back and playing extremely well. He scored 25 points on efficient shooting, going five for eight from three and eight for13 from the field overall. He also had two assists and four rebounds, which is especially impressive considering his role as a guard.
On the season, Edwards is averaging 17.6 points, three rebounds and 3.2 assists on 43.9 field goal percentage, showing his efficiency. He has an extremely quick release that, despite his size, allows him to get shots up from anywhere, even with defenders closing him out. He is also extremely quick and drives to the basket well. The Friars need him if they want any chance at winning the Big East Tournament, let alone making it to March Madness, as he is their only true point guard. Before joining the Friars in the Big East, Edwards played at Vanderbilt University, where he averaged 17.0 points, 1.3 assists, and two rebounds. He made the All-SEC Third team and scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games. He has shown significant improvement in his passing game from his time at North Texas University to Providence College, going from a 1.4 assist average to 3.2.
Without Edwards’ impact, PCwas playing noticeably worse; it felt like something was missing. While the Friars have a great back court consisting of talented players like Stefan Vaaks ’29, Jaylin Sellers ’26G, and Jamier Jones ’29, none of them fit the point guard role; they function better as shooting guards or small forwards. It’s clear from the games where he was present that Edwards was recruited by coach Kim English to run the offense and be a leader on the court.
by Magdalena Sisto ’29 on September 24, 2026
Felicia Megginson’s art exhibit, “Re-Framing Nature,” focuses on the ways the human form can inhabit and coexist with nature. The most powerful aspect of this exhibit is its existence on Providence College’s campus. It’s located within a small corner of campus that is seldom visited by the larger PC student body, the Reilly Gallery, but its presence is an act of resistance in and of itself. Last year, several emails from prominent figures in the Providence College community, such as Dean Sears, Father Justin Brophy O.P., and Father Kenneth Sicard, O.P. ’78, ’82G’, were sent out to the student body, briefly addressing the racism that has become synonymous with PC’s culture. Such messages spoke to how dire the situation was and still is. This show lived on campus throughout this. Art creates culture, and PC is in desperate need of a cultural shift.
Megginson works with multiple exposure photography; there is no clear line where the images of her own body and the images of the places she is inhabiting begin or end. Her limbs become one with the ground beneath her feet, her hair curls and twists alongside the branches and leaves of a tree. Double consciousness underscores the entirety of this exhibit. Megginson speaks of how, as a Black woman, she is aware of the version of herself that she knows, and the version that other people project onto her. “Re-Framing Nature” explores her intertwinement with nature, where none of that matters. Nature cannot find itself conforming to or projecting societal norms and expectations, and it doesn’t expect that of her.
As with any artwork, there are many ways to interpret Megginson’s work. Her images are certainly thought-provoking and address a subject that too few PC students regularly sit with. More often than not, however, visitors found themselves longing to reconnect with nature more than anything else. At each event, meeting, and workshop, there were visitors reminiscing. Nature invites us, in our ever-so-busy and oversaturated lives, to slow down and return to our simpler roots.
The show also featured an interactive aspect that invited viewers to interpret how they may come to find themselves within imagery of nature. Small photocards of images that Megginson took on her iPhone were available for visitors to look through and respond to on the back of the card. This exercise begs a larger question: how does the way we remember and perceive the natural world and the systems within it shape who we understand ourselves to be?
The exhibition has since ended, but you can find information and photographs of the exhibit online at pcgalleries.providence.edu. Keep an eye out for future exhibitions at both the Reilly Gallery at the Smith Center for the Arts and the Hunt-Cavanagh Gallery at Hunt-Cavanagh Hall.
Providence College’s Student-Run Newspaper Since 1935
