The Tom and Anne Pearce Communication Center was established in 1998 with a gift to Columbia College from Roy and Marnie Pearce of Columbia. Mr. Pearce was an executive with PYA Monarch food brokers. The Center is named in honor of his parents.

The Pearce Center is dedicated to advancing written and oral communication skills among students and faculty. Activities of the Center address three significant areas: communication across the curriculum, communication in business and industry, and communication skills among students in grades K-12.

The Center works primarily toward the goal of ensuring that Columbia College students graduate with the written and oral communication skills necessary to contribute meaningfully to their chosen fields of employment.

In addition, the Center encourages faculty to include written and oral components in all courses, trains faculty to develop and evaluate effective oral and written communication assignments, and provides support to students as they complete those assignments. The Center also plans to expand its mission to the community, reaching out to local school systems and developing ties with area businesses.

Dr. Nancy Tuten, professor of English, is director of written communication, and Kyle Love, associate professor of communication, is director of oral communication.

The Pearce Communication Lab

The Pearce Communication Lab opened in January 2001as part of the Pearce Communication Center. Located in Cottingham Theatre, the lab provides Columbia College students the opportunity to develop and refine their public speaking skills.

The lab is overseen by Kyle B. Love, director of oral communication for the Pearce Communication Center and senior lecturer in the Communication Program. She has staffed the lab with nine Communication Assistants: upper class Columbia College students trained to provide one-on-one tutoring to those requesting assistance with the development and delivery of oral presentations. Assistants provide a wide variety of assistance including brainstorming topics, refining the thesis, developing concise main points and substantive support, crafting strong introductions and conclusions and the inclusion of transitions and source citation, as well as feedback on delivery. The lab serves 500-600 students per year.

The Pearce Communication Lab also sponsors an annual Speak Up! Week. This week features numerous events designed to encourage Columbia College students to use their voices for the betterment of their personal and professional lives, as well as that of their college, communities and world. The centerpiece of the week is the annual Pearce Speech Contest. Topics have encompassed issues of importance to the college, state and country. Speeches must be well researched, and are delivered to crowds of college faculty and staff as well as members of the greater community.

Love also works one-on-one with Columbia College faculty as part of the Pearce Speaking Fellows program. This program encourages faculty from all disciplines to incorporate more formal and informal speaking opportunities for their students into their courses. Assistance includes the crafting of speaking assignments, development of grading rubrics, guest lectures on topics such as small group delivery skills, and suggestions for informal exercises for developing students’ oral communication skills.

Love can be reached via phone (803.786.3941) or email: klove@columbiasc.edu

Pearce Writing Fellow Program

Through the Pearce Writing Fellow Program, selected Columbia College faculty from all academic disciplines are encouraged to incorporate written and oral assignments into their teaching.

The Pearce Writing Fellows work collaboratively with Dr. Nancy Tuten, professor of English and Pearce Center director for written communication, to design and implement writing assignments in selected courses.