The assistant professor of strategic communications published new research examining how communication students experience belonging, support and self-expression during a period of DEI retrenchment in higher education. The study explores how communicative climate, political identity and perceptions of voice shape students’ experiences on campus, while challenging assumptions about political bias in higher education.
Shanetta M. Pendleton, assistant professor of strategic communications, published new research in the Howard Journal of Communications, examining how communication students experience support, isolation and identity during a period of diversity, equity and inclusion retrenchment in higher education.
Pendleton’s article, “The Paradox of Belonging: Communication Students’ Sense of Support, Isolation, and Identity Amid DEI Retrenchment,” is available through Taylor & Francis Online.
Published in May, the study explores how journalism and communication students navigate questions of belonging, institutional support and identity as colleges and universities across the country reevaluate or scale back DEI initiatives. The research highlights the tensions students experience between feeling connected to their academic communities while also confronting isolation and uncertainty about institutional commitment to inclusion.
Pendleton, whose scholarship focuses on authenticity, relationship management and equity in strategic communications and higher education, said the project reflects her broader interest in how institutions shape relational dynamics and student experiences.
“Understanding how students experience belonging during moments of institutional and cultural change is critical for communication educators and university leaders,” Pendleton said. “This research examines the complexities students face as they navigate identity, support and community in evolving educational environments.”
Pendleton joined Elon University in fall 2023. Her scholarship has appeared in several journals, including Public Relations Review, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, Journal of Health Communication, Social Responsibility Journal and The Journal of Social Media in Society.
The Howard Journal of Communications is a peer-reviewed academic journal focused on communication studies, media, culture and social issues. It is published by Howard University and is especially known for scholarship examining race, identity, representation, gender, politics and marginalized communities in media and communication.