Once a Tommie, always a Tommie.

Regional universities commemorated the the 25th anniversary of the Undergraduate Communication Research Conference April 22 in the Anderson Student Center.

This year, the university brought back 1992 St. Thomas alumna and former UCRC participant Cara Finnegan as the keynote speaker to honor the conference’s success.

“She’s a very well-respected scholar in visual communication,” Dina Gavrilos, a professor of communication and journalism said. “It’s (a) great way to come full circle and see one of our own students who was obviously into communication research … come back with her own expertise and present to our students.”

Media and news have always been in Finnegan’s blood. Her father was the editor of the Pioneer Press and was very involved in the media community. His job sparked Finnegan’s interested in communication, but the media classes she took at St. Thomas served as a basis for what she now does in her research.

“It’s a real honor to come back and be able to share my work with some of the people who helped me find my voice as a student and as a scholar,” Finnegan — now a University of Illinois communications professor — said.

During the conference luncheon, Finnegan shared her research on American presidents and the history of photography.

The UCRC continues to grow each year. At the first conference, 30 students presented their research on topics ranging from the last episode of M*A*S*H to George H. W. Bush and the Persian Gulf War. Now, 25 years later, more than 120 students and faculty participated in the conference with research topics ranging from social media to feminism.

Finnegan presented her research paper on the TV show “Northern Exposure” to a panel at the 1993 UCRC, but this time she served as a research respondent and provided professional feedback. Finnegan served as the faculty respondent for one of the Top Paper Award winners, junior Bethany Claussen.

“I look forward to an opportunity to talk to her more about her paper and hear her comments about mine,” Claussen said.

When reading research papers, Finnegan looks for a clear argument with good evidence.

“Often what makes a really good argument is the research behind it — so a sense that the student has really explored and thought about all the different facets of the research project,” Finnegan said.

Gavrilos said the conference is a great resume-builder and a way for students to have an intellectual exchange with others interested in similar topics.

“This conference is an opportunity for undergraduate communication students to get the experience of being scholars and what it means to take their research and present it in the professional manner,” Gavrilos said.

2015 St. Thomas alumna and presenter Olivia Luterbach credits the COJO and rhetoric classes with teaching her critical analysis, and said applying these skills adds a unique perspective to her work.

“I work in advertising now, and for me, this was the best training … to learn how to think and not what to think,” Luterbach said.

Carolyn Meyer can be reached at cameyer@stthomas.edu.