Communication Studies Newsletter—Aug. 2004
Dr. James C. McCroskey: 2004 Benedum Distinguished Scholar
The Benedum Distinguished Scholar Award is the premier research honor bestowed by West Virginia University. This last spring, West Virginia University recognized Dr. James C. McCroskey for his lifetime research achievements by recognizing him as a Benedum Distinguished Scholar. In addition to Dr. McCroskey, Dr. Timothy Sweet, Associate Chairman in the Department of English, was also recognized as a Benedum Distinguished Scholar.
“This year’s recipients are leaders in their research areas and examples of the first-rate scholars who make WVU their home,” said C. B. Wilson, Associate Provost for Academic Personnel and Chairperson of the selection committee.
Dr. McCroskey is a leading researcher in the area of communication apprehension, a term he coined to encompass all forms of anxiety involving human communication. He has developed methods for measuring and alleviating this anxiety and conducted extensive research in related areas such as willingness to communicate, shyness, talkaholicism, and communication competence. His research has also explored the effects of communication apprehension on self-esteem, academic achievement, and career advancement.
“He is without doubt the leader in an area of research and practice that is growing in importance for business operations, political actions and social reforms,” James L. Gaudino, Dean of Kent State University’s College of Communication and Information, wrote in a letter supporting Dr. McCroskey’s nomination for the Benedum award.
“As I wrote in my letter of nomination for Dr. McCroskey, he is the most prolific scholar in the field of communication studies. His work is probably only second to Aristotle in the impact it has had in our discipline. In fact, it might be a toss up between Aristotle and Jim McCroskey. I can think of no else at WVU who is more deserving of this honor,” stated Dr. Matthew Martin.
On April 16, 2004, Dr. McCroskey accepted his award at a special convocation in the MountainLair Ballroom as part of WVU’s Weekend of Honors. On April 20, 2004, he gave a public lecture based on his research. All five of his children, all WVU alumni, were able to travel back to Morgantown to celebrate this honor with their father.
“Talk never of wasted affection; affection was never wasted” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This last April our Department and West Virginia University were fortunate to host Dr. Kory Floyd as a guest speaker. Dr. Floyd is an associate professor, director of the Master of Arts program, and Director of the Communication Sciences Laboratory in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University. Recognized as one of the top researchers in the field of Communication Studies, his research program focuses on the communication of affection in families, friendships, and romantic relationships.
As part of the Helen Coast Hayes Lecture Series that is sponsored by the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Floyd spoke to a crowd of over two hundred about his research involving affection. The title of his presentation was “Sometimes a kiss isn’t just a kiss: Exploring the mysteries of affection.” Besides discussing verbal and nonverbal affectionate behaviors, Dr. Floyd also presented findings from his current research, which examines the physiological processes that are activated when people express or receive affection.
“Dr. Floyd is conducting research that goes beyond asking people to report how they feel about their emotions,” noted Dr. Matthew Martin, Chair of the Department of Communication Studies at WVU. “His work is exemplary in integrating what is known in communication involving affection with the work that has been done in the fields of social psychology and biology.”
Dr. Floyd also had the opportunity to discuss his Affectionate Exchange Theory with the graduate students in a seminar setting. “Dr. Floyd was a great speaker and our students appreciated being able to meet one of the top scholars in our field in a rather intimate setting. I, and the other faculty members, are great admirers of his body of work. We are fortunate that Dr. Floyd was able and willing to come visit us here at WVU,” said Dr. Scott Myers, Director of the On-Campus Graduate Studies Programs. “Hopefully in the future, we will be able to continue to bring in guest speakers to expose our students to ideas that they might not otherwise be exposed to during their education.”
Who says sound theory and instruction and real-life applications don’t mix?
The Health Communication classes taught by Dr. Melanie Booth-Butterfield demonstrate that you can have a high quality education while doing some real “good” for your community by applying well-researched communication concepts to enhance health and safety. As part of this class, students divide into teams for specific health communication projects. Throughout the semester, students develop objectives, measure health behaviors and attitudes, and conduct interventions; then the teams present the results to the class. Most projects entail the cooperation of an outside organization, whether in the community or campus. The teams use a variety of mechanisms and research designs, everything from group discussions and one-on-one interviews, to posters and wallet cards, to accomplish their goals.
For example, one group focused on increasing exercise by influencing adults to use the stairs rather than elevators in an eight-story building on campus. The students observed individuals using the stairs and elevator in this building before they began in order to obtain the baseline level of stair-taking. For three weeks they placed reminder posters at the elevators, put fliers in mailboxes, and distributed brochures about the calorie-burning benefits of exercise. At the end they again measured stair use and found that it had increased for most days of the week; interestingly, this change in exercise behavior was still evident three weeks later. A similar point of decision intervention took place at a bank. These students increased seat belt use by posting reminders about buckling up on the columns in the drive-through banking area.
An intriguing project focused on late-night/early morning campus safety. Students may be at risk if they walk home alone very late at night. This student team observed people returning to residence halls after 2 a.m. on several nights to assess the pre-intervention rate of how many were in groups and how many were alone. They then addressed the problem with discussions, signs, wallet cards with phone numbers, and by having students program friends’ phone numbers in their cell phones. Two weeks later they measured how many returned to the residence halls alone and found a substantial drop in lone walkers; more people were in pairs or groups, thereby lowering their risk for negative events.
Additional projects show a wide variety of applications. One team used a two-step strategy (Door-in-the-Face) to successfully lower the amount of second hand smoke in the air around doorways of buildings. Others have aimed at assessing and enhancing the effectiveness of fraternity designated driver programs, increasing gun safety in the home, using child restraints in cars, and increasing screening for cervical cancer.
Each of the health communication projects described above was data-based, using empirical methods and designs. While they may not work as effectively as a large-scale professional campaign, many of them may work to serve as pilot projects and formative research for larger health communication interventions. Health Communication CAN change the way people think, feel and behave about health and safety.
If you want to read more about such projects and how they are accomplished, see Dr. Booth-Butterfield’s recent article in Communication Quarterly (2003; Volume 51, pg. 332-350) entitled, “Integrating health communication pedagogy, social science, and health interventions.”
May 2004 Graduation Reception
On May 16, 2004, West Virginia University held its Spring Commencement at the WVU Coliseum. The day before, the Department of Communication Studies hosted a Graduation Reception for those students completing their undergraduate or graduate degree that semester. Over 300 graduates, family members, and friends attended this event.
In the picture below there are members of Lambda Pi Eta receiving their Graduation Honor Cords. Lambda Pi Eta is an Academic Honorary Fraternity limited to the best Undergraduate Communication Studies students.
