If communication research is to make a greater difference in society, change is needed in the ways that communication scholarship is taught to and produced by students. To do so, I contend that changes must occur in two areas. First, change must occur at the undergraduate level where students must be given the opportunity to become directly engaged with scholarship through service learning. Second, change is necessary at the graduate level where students should be challenged to use and conduct applied research. Overall, I argue that for research to make more of a difference in society, change must first be made inside the academy. If students learn how to apply and conduct research that makes a difference, they can become the vehicles to take that research from the academy into society. (Contains 1 note.)