The UNCG Communication Studies Department has received a major grant from the National Communication Association (NCA) to host the inaugural Center for Communication, Community Collaboration, and Change (4C Center) for 2019-2021. This initiative, with the theme “Cultivate Resilient Communities,” will award a total of $100,000 in micro-grants to area community organizations focusing on social justice and marginalized populations. Communication Studies Department Head Dr. Roy Schwartzman will serve as the principal investigator and Dr. Spoma Jovanovic will assume the role of project coordinator.
In addition to the micro-grants, Communication Studies Department faculty and community partners will conduct a preconference on the C5 grant at the NCA convention to be held in Seattle in 2021. Researchers involved with the grant also will develop a major publication to be distributed by NCA. Founded in 1914, the National Communication Association is the oldest and largest academic professional organization in the field of communication studies.
“Cultivate Resilient Communities” highlights building the community’s capacity to proactively and productively respond address issues of inequity, prejudice, and intolerance. The 4C Center will connect community organizations with engaged communication scholars, further empowering communities to sustain their advocacy for positive change. PI Roy Schwartzman notes : “This is a singular honor for the Communication Studies department and for UNCG. Cultivate Resilient Communities arose as a positive way to engage with the many social challenges we face: xenophobia, identity-based intolerance, income inequalities, and many others. The 4C Center embodies UNCG’s motto: Service.”
Schwartzman notes that Communication Studies has a major role to play in building resilience. “Communication as a discipline can equip us to connect across differences. Through techniques such as dialogue, storytelling, critical consciousness, and public advocacy, we can team with our communities to enact our department’s mission, using communication ‘to connect people, create change, and work toward a just world.’”
