In politics and national defense, recent department alumnae are making their mark in the nation's capital.

In one week this fall, Associate Professor Marifran Mattson's picture stared out at readers from the front pages of two local newspapers.

Each year, Department of Communication professors are quoted in hundreds of articles worldwide, garnering positive attention not only for their own projects but also for the department and university.

Coach Sharon Versyp's job may, on paper, be about offenses and defenses. But, on a more tangible level, she says it's all about communication.

Department faculty played a significant role in China's first public health conference in October.

Department head Howard Sypher said Purdue and the department are in the forefront of U.S. universities in leading such efforts to develop global connections.