James C. McCroskey

Dr. McCroskey died in December of 2012, but he would have wanted students and colleagues to continue to have access to his research page, so we will maintain it.

James C. McCroskey is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University. For 25 years (1972-1997) he served as chair of our department. McCroskey received his B.S. degree in Speech and English from Southern State Teachers College in South Dakota, his M.A. in Speech from the University of South Dakota, and his Ed.D. from the Pennsylvania State University. Prior to joining the faculty at WVU he held positions at Illinois State University, Michigan State University, Pennsylvania State University, Old Dominion University, and the University of Hawaii. He also taught high school Speech and coached debate in Scotland and Watertown, South Dakota.

McCroskey is probably best recognized for his prolific scholarship. He has published over 200 articles and book chapters and over 30 books and revisions, as well as over 30 instructionally related books. His first book, An Introduction to Rhetorical Communication originally published in 1968, is now one of the oldest continuously published books in the field. The eighth edition was published by Allyn and Bacon in 2001. His research has focused on communication apprehension and issues related to instructional communication, and he is perhaps best known for providing the field with the following definition of communication: The process by which one person stimulates meaning in the mind of another through verbal and nonverbal messages.

McCroskey is an active member and present or former officer of numerous professional associations. He has received NCA’s Kibler award and distinguished service awards from the Eastern Communication Association and the World Communication Association. He is a Fellow of the International Communication Association and both a Teaching Fellow and a Research Fellow of the Eastern Communication Association. He has edited Human Communication Research, Communication Education, Communication Research Reports, and Journal of Intercultural Communication.

Link to James C. McCroskey's Research Page.