Communication as a discipline has ancient roots, firmly grounded in Ancient Greek rhetoric.  During the millennia since rhetoric ("the art of finding the available means of persuasion") became a subject of study, much has changed, but the core theoretical principles are still constant.  You'll see glimpses of them as you study Speech even today.

In modern US institutions, Communication as a discipline originated around the turn of the last century (1914 is usually cited as the break-point, when the National Communication Association was formed, which back then was called the Academic Association of Teachers of Public Speaking), as the vocational instructors of the Elocution movement became more academic, and as departments of English recognized that teaching speech merely as a subset of teaching writing was not doing anybody any favors.

In our particular organization, at UAF the Department of Communication originated as a hybrid with the Theatre department, which later (1970ish I think?) became a separate department when the differences became too large to easily reconcile as a single major. 

[ Current department status - Coming Soon! ]

[ Future department plans - Coming Soon! ]