Date of Award

1-1-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Carolyn Cunningham

Second Advisor

Dr. Pavel Shlossberg

Abstract

This study examines the communication divides that exist between faculty and staff at a rural community college in Texas. Through the use of survey data, personal interviews and ethnographic observation, the researcher gained significant insight into the communication culture of one institution. The theoretical framework for this study is built largely upon the group communication concepts of Bormann (1983) and Taylor and Altman (1975). Specifically, the study looks for evidence of Bormann’s (1983) symbolic convergence theory and Taylor and Altman’s (1975) social penetration theory. The philosophical framework for this thesis is grounded in Benhabib’s (1993) idea of the generalized versus concrete other, which considers the way people view people who belong to groups other than their own. The researcher, a longstanding employee of the organization being studied, conducted the study over a period of one month during the spring 2013 semester. A significant communication divide was discovered between administrators (and administrative support staff) and those who work in other areas of the campus. The results suggest that this divide is built around the administration building as a negative cultural symbol. Non-administrative employees appear to have created a group fantasy that views “administration” as a group to be avoided (Bormann, 1983). The study also indicated that there is a lack of communication between adjunct (or part time) faculty members and others at the college. These findings, which are expository in nature, serve to provide a foundation for further critical research within the institution to determine a course of action to improve communication processes between faculty and staff.

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