Northern Illinois University
Department of Communication
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

GradCom (alternatively spelled GradComm) is short for the Communication Graduate Student Advisory Council. This advisory council is a student-led organization that operates within the Department of Communication at Northern Illinois University. GradCom is led by three elected second-year graduate students, and every graduate student within the Department of Communication is automatically a member upon admission to the program—whether or not they hold an assistantship.

GradCom is tasked with several important events that must be planned, coordinated, and executed throughout the academic year. These include the graduate colloquium held each semester, aiding the Graduate Director in program events, and the administering of the voting procedures and ceremonies of the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award. GradCom additionally acts as a liaison between the graduate student body and the faculty, primarily through the student representation on Department committees. Lastly, GradCom gives opportunities to members to organize professional, academic, and social events for the growth and betterment of their experiences here in the program.

The objective of GradCom is to support our fellow graduate students, to enrich the relationships between the faculty and student body, and to provide opportunities that enhance the graduate program for each of us.