On Friday, April 28th, 2023, Villanova University’s Department of Communication hosted their first ever Communication Capstone Conference, a single-day event created to showcase the work of graduating seniors and to provide students and faculty with an opportunity to come together in support of the department. Held in West Campus’ Garey Hall, the conference was designed to revitalize the senior capstone presentations through community involvement and engagement. 

The Communication Capstone Conference, or “C3” as coined by Public Relations Program Advisor and proponent of the conference, Dr. Bill Cowen, marked the department’s first time adopting a single-day event format for the senior capstone presentations, which had traditionally been held on a weekly basis throughout the last few weeks of the semester. Inspired by the Honors Department’s single-day approach, the Department of Communication created C3 in an attempt to “re-energize” the senior capstone presentations, according to Communication Department Chair Dr. Thomas Ksiazek.  

After noticing a decline in attendance and general interest in the weekly capstone presentations, Dr. Ksiazek said that the department was eager to experiment with new alternatives that would encourage more involvement from the student body and more enthusiasm surrounding senior projects. What used to be an exciting time for students to share their work with an engaged audience had fallen short of expectations over the last few semesters, leaving many seniors to present their semester-long efforts to nearly empty audiences. The department wanted the presenters to get the recognition they deserved and to have a wider audience to showcase their accomplishments to. C3 was designed with these goals in mind, serving as a new opportunity for the department to reinvent the capstone presentations.

The set up of the conference held two group presentations at a time in slots throughout the day, with the schedule made to intentionally pair presentations that were similar. Students and faculty were welcome to stop by throughout the event to watch the presentations and connect with others in the department while enjoying the food and beverages provided during breaks. Dr. Ksiazek described the day as having “great energy” and embodying the department’s vision of a new and improved “community building event” that highlighted each presenters’ efforts and promoted connectivity within the department.   

This new event format proved to be successful, with over 250 people attending the conference; seniors who would have previously been presenting to just a few people now saw a crowded room of attendees who were interested and engaged in their work. Not only did the department see an increase in attendance, but they also reported a newfound appreciation for the capstone presentations from students and faculty. In a survey conducted after the event, attendees were eager to share their positive feedback, with many responses crediting C3 with creating a strong sense of community and excitement around the senior capstones. 

As they prepare for the next cycle of senior presentations at the end of this semester, the Department of Communication has been reflecting on the results of C3. While they are proud of the success that last year's capstone conference had, the department is also looking to make improvements where they can in order to make this semester’s conference even better. In particular, Dr. Ksiazek noted that space was an issue during the first capstone conference. While the department tried their best to have two similar presentations happening at once, this was not always possible. Having one presentation at a time was not ideal as it forced an audience that had previously been split up across two different rooms to crowd into one. In preparation for the upcoming capstone conference this fall, the department is hoping to utilize space as best as they can to ensure that the conference runs smoothly and is accommodating for larger audiences.

As far as marketing efforts go, the department plans to promote C3 on the student-focused Wildcat Newswire and faculty newsletters to make sure that there is a successful turnout this year as well. Communication professors will also be encouraged to promote C3 in their classes, as many professors had even required their students to attend one of the presentations last semester in an effort to build engagement. 

This semester’s Communication Capstone Conference will be held on Friday, December 8th in Garey Hall. The department is hoping for another great turnout of students and faculty to celebrate the time and effort that the graduating seniors have put into both their capstone projects and their entire four years at Villanova University.