Open for Business: UC Communication Department Offers Expertise to Community

The University of Cincinnati’s Department of Communication recently launched a new research unit called UCommunicate in partnership with the University of Cincinnati Research Institute (UCRI).

UCRI is a university-wide research institute designed to connect UC faculty, staff, alumni and students with industry partners.

UCommunicate is comprised of knowledge experts including faculty members, staff members, current communication students and alumni. The unit will be working with a variety of clients on communication projects that will help effectively and purposefully connect area businesses and other organizations with their target audiences.

“Businesses can turn to us for one-time projects that they don’t have the resources to complete, and I can envision non-profits using us as a cost-effective way to execute communications plans,” says Department Head Dr. Steve Depoe. “Our faculty, as knowledge experts, have deep experience across a variety of communication disciplines and are ready to use that experience to provide innovative and rich solutions for communication challenges in the marketplace.”

Services of UCommunicate exist in four knowledge groups coined as Uengage, Uimpress, Ueducate, Uenhance. Each group focuses on a specific area of knowledge expertise, which includes but is not limited to content marketing, social media training; publication and collateral design; evaluation research; and avenues for continued education.

“This collaboration is a great opportunity for the communication department, its students, and its alumni,” Depoe says. “Through this program, students will get valuable experiential learning assignments, and faculty will have additional opportunities for work in the communication field.”

For more information about UCommunicate, visit the

group's web page.