Courses in rhetoric and communication have been taught at Rollins College since the college was founded in 1885.  Exactly 100 years later, in 1985, the Organizational Communication major in the Hamilton Holt School and the Communication minor in the School of Arts and Sciences were created and housed in the Department of Theatre, Dance and Communication. 

Four years later, in 1989, the college established the Department of Communication with Dr. Greg Gardner, Dr. Marvin Newman, and Dr. Wallace Schmidt as charter faculty.  In 1996, Dr. Richard Bommelje joined the faculty, Dr. Lisa Tillmann became a member of the department in 1999.  Dr. Sue Easton and Dr. John Morrison joined the department in 2001, and Dr. Gregory Cavenaugh joined the department in 2005.

The Department of Communication offers a variety of programs and courses for students in the Hamilton Holt School and the School of Arts and Sciences at the college. The Organizational Communication major in the Holt School is the most enrolled major at Rollins, and the Communication minor in Arts and Sciences is one of the most heavily enrolled minors at the college.