H.U.G. Leader program creates generational impact for communication students

Buddy Howell often is asked how he recruits student ambassadors for his First-Semester Experience in Comm course.

His answer is simple — he doesn’t have to.

For the past decade, first-year School of Communication students have been welcomed to Virginia Tech by upperclassmen, dubbed Hokie Undergraduate Group (H.U.G.) leaders, who help small groups of first-year students build community and adjust to university life. Howell designed the program to give first-year students a more personal experience in the course, which provides information about resources and opportunities around campus.

The progam's positive impact has inspired many students to apply to become H.U.G. leaders themselves. Howell received an award for Excellence in Teaching First-Year Seminars at the 2024 conference of the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

This semester marks the 10th anniversary of the program.

“The H.U.G. leader program developed by Dr. Howell is exceptional for helping lay a strong foundation for student belonging and success in the School of Communication and Virginia Tech,” said John Tedesco, director of the School of Communication. “The H.U.G. leaders fully embrace the Ut Prosim spirit and provide important assistance and guidance to our first-year students while also creating a supportive community.”

The program has given first-year students immediate community — or “COMM-unity” as Howell likes to put it — by creating a welcoming and warm environment in their first few weeks on the Blacksburg campus.

“You take a good H.U.G. leader who really invests in these first-year students, and they develop friendships, relationships — whether it’s in the classroom or going to have coffee,” said Howell, advanced instructor in the school. 

The First-Semester Experience in Comm course offers student panels, guest speakers, and information on opportunities available across Virginia Tech. As the course evolved, Howell adjusted the curriculum to maximize student-to-student communication, inviting campus organizations to speak in class. 

“It’s student focused,” Howell said. “We try as much as possible to have students talking to students. In terms of content, we try to be relentlessly practical. It’s all about making a very large university grow smaller and more personal.”

The experience inspired Jackson Sirbaugh ’24 to serve as a group leader his sophomore and junior years. Years later, he is still in touch with members of his group – many of whom also became leaders. 

“I saw all of the H.U.G. leaders as role models and people who I wanted to be,” Sirbaugh, social media coordinator at Virginia Tech, said. “The privilege to become one was an opportunity to give back to the School of Communication that had already given me so much.”

Howell’s inspiration for the program came from his own experiences both as a parent and student. Over the years, droves of students have cited the course as one of the hallmark experiences of their first year in Blacksburg.

“It’s very encouraging, because I know there are a lot of people who have had their lives impacted by the H.U.G. leaders,” Howell said. “It’s just such a unique position to be a H.U.G. leader and it’s such a unique class. I’m just thankful to get to be a part of it.”

The success of the H.U.G. leader program has helped maintain high retention rates for first-year communication students. Since 2018, the School of Communication has averaged a 93 percent retention rate among first-year students who return for their sophomore year.

“When I’m talking with new instructors about creating their peer educator program, I always refer to the H.U.G. leaders,” Kendria Mason, assistant director for first-year experiences at Virginia Tech, said.

“It’s not just a passive experience or check-in — students in the class felt there was a space for them to talk and share what they were experiencing without judgment. Students felt that they could be successful in academic challenges, and they felt that they had a place at the university because they connected with their H.U.G. leaders.”

This fall, Howell and his record-number 19 H.U.G leaders welcomed 168 first-year students to the School of Communication, many of whom will become leaders themselves next fall.

“The H.U.G. leaders are the heart and soul of [the class],” Howell said. “Without the H.U.G. leaders it would just be another large lecture class. They not only build community — they also help create a sense of belonging, like ‘you do belong here, and you can succeed, and we’ll do everything we can to help you succeed.’”