Communication Arts and Sciences

James Dillard named ICA Fellow

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:24:31 -0500

At its recent annual meeting in Boston, the International Communication Association named Professor James Dillard an ICA Fellow. "Fellow status in the INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION is primarily a recognition of distinguished scholarly contributions to the broad field of communication. The primary consideration for nomination to Fellow status is a documented record of scholarly achievement," according to the ICA announcement of the award.

Jeremy Engels - winner of this years Karl R. Wallace award

Fri, 06 May 2011 11:49:41 -0500

Jeremy Engels, assistant professor of Communication Arts & Sciences, is the 2011 winner of the National Communication Association's Karl R. Wallace Award.

"The Karl R. Wallace Memorial Award is given to foster and promote philosophical, historical, or critical scholarship in rhetoric and public discourse. Nominees should be NCA members who have completed the Ph.D. within the past ten years or who are well advanced in doctoral studies in rhetoric and public address. The recipient of the award will receive a plaque and a grant-in-aid from the Wallace Award Fund." (from the NCA web site)

The award is given in recognition of Jeremy's outstanding record of scholarship, and to support his current research project on "the politics of resentment."

Congratulations, Jeremy!

Spring 2011 Civic Engagement Public Speaking Contest

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:05:03 -0500

Spring 2011 Civic Engagement Public Speaking Contest

On April 26, 2011, six CAS 100A (Effective Speech) students competed in the bi-annual Civic Engagement Public Speaking Contest. The event was held in the Nittany Lion Inn Boardroom. It was sponsored by the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, The Center for Democratic Deliberation, The New York Times, and Pearson Custom Publishing. Each student delivered a speech advocating a policy solution to a significant social problem. The speakers and their speech titles are listed below.

First Place: Jared Smith "Food Labeling Reform"

Second Place: Jason Ester "Human Papilloma Virus"

Third Place: Paul Them "A Solution to Social Security"

Honorable Mention: Kevin Barth "Fraud in For-Profit Schools"

Honorable Mention: Robert Bezilla "Crime at College"

Honorable Mention: Michaela Dragalin "Interpretation to the 8^th Amendment"

Network Science seminar - April 26, 2011 - noon

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:15:59 -0500

Speaker: Jonathan L. Zelner (Princeton). When/where: 339 Davey, at noon, sandwiches at 11:45 am. Title: Social connectedness can inhibit disease transmission: Social organization, cohesion, village context and infection risk in rural Ecuador Abstract: Social network analysis has become central to understanding the spread of infectious diseases and behavioral risks for chronic disease. Networks are typically seen as conduits for spread of disease or risk factors thereof. However, social relationships also reduce incidence of chronic disease, and potentially infectious diseases as well. Seldom are these opposing effects considered simultaneously. We show how and why diarrheal disease spreads more slowly to and within rural Ecuadorian villages that are more remote from the area's population center. Reduced contact with outside individuals partially accounts for remote villages relatively lower prevalence of diarrheal disease. But equally or more important is greater density of social ties between individuals in remote communities, which facilitates spread of individual and collective practices that reduce transmission of diarrheal disease.

Civic Engagement Public Speaking Contest

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:36:17 -0500

The Department of Communication Arts & Sciences, the New York Times, Pearson Custom Publishing Company, and the Center for Democratic Deliberation invite you to the spring 2011 Civic Engagement Public Speaking Contest. Six of the top speakers from CAS 100A -- Effective Speech -- will speak on issues of civic importance.

The event will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26, 2011, in the Nittany Lion Inn Boardroom. A reception will follow. The event is free and open to the public.

LionSearch

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 10:02:04 -0500

New search function unlocks Libraries' resources

The University Libraries will test a powerful new search function on March 21 that will allow users to find all library resources -- books, articles, newspapers, databases and more -- from a single search box. Called LionSearch, the new service is designed to mimic open Web search methods. Entering a search term in LionSearch will return, nearly instantaneously, a list of relevant physical and digital materials from the Libraries' collections. LionSearch can be accessed from the Libraries' homepage, www.libraries.psu.edu, and will debut initially in beta mode. Students, faculty and other users are encouraged to test the functionality of the service and leave feedback.

Penn State is one of a handful of universities around the world pioneering this service for their library collections. This simple and fast way of retrieving information will enhance the research process for students and unlock the wealth of resources available at Penn State.

"New search function unlocks Libraries' resources"

Andy High wins College of the Liberal Arts teaching award

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:08:46 -0500

At the annual College of the Liberal Arts Awards Luncheon on April 6, 2011, Andy High won the Outstanding Teaching Award for Graduate Students. Here is the citation:

After demonstrating outstanding teaching in our introductory public speaking course, CAS 100, Andy High was chosen by the Department of Communication Arts & Sciences to re-design and serve as the lecturer for CAS 283, "Communication and Information Technology." He has taught the course for two years, consistently earning high praise from students. CAS 283 is a large class, with six sections serving 180 students, for which Andy has taken the primary responsibility as lecturer and leader. Andy instituted a core innovation for the course with a major emphasis on Social Informatics--the study of the social effects of communication and information technology. Students come into advanced classes full of enthusiasm for what they have learned from Andy High. In CAS 283 Andy lectures on computer security, censorship, and online communities, and engages students actively in learning how to use information technologies to gather, process, manage, and share information. Andy inspires his students with a genuine love of learning, helping them see the relevance of advanced communication research to everyday life, and modeling the sort of engaged, committed, and informed academic citizenship that he instills in his students. Andy High is an outstanding young scholar and a model Penn State teacher.

Kenneth Burke Lecture - April 16

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:03:46 -0500

Please join us for the nineteenth annual Kenneth Burke Lecture, featuring Bryan Garsten, Professor of Political Science at Yale. The event will take place Saturday, April 16 at 7 pm at the Nittany Lion Inn's Faculty-Staff Club. We will also spotlight the winner of the Kenneth Burke Award for best graduate student essay in rhetoric, as well as the graduate and undergraduate winners of the new Birkle Award for student engagement. We hope to see you there!

Debra Hawhee and Jeremy Engels

Interim co-directors

Center for Democratic Deliberation

Health Communication Doctoral Fellows Seminar

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:13:38 -0500

Health Communication Doctoral Fellows Seminar

July 13-16, 2011, Denver, Colorado

Students completing their first or second years of doctoral coursework in departments or schools of communication, public health, or related fields are invited to apply to become a short-term Cancer Communication Doctoral Fellow. Students interested in organizational and team communication, patient-physician interaction and shared decision making, intercultural communication, leader-member exchange, message tailoring, dissemination and diffusion and implementation of effective practices, systems science, and social ecological models of behavior change are especially encouraged to apply.

Over a three-day immersion in Denver, fellows will learn about plausible topics that a fellow could later pursue for study in cancer communication research as it relates to healthcare organizations. The objective of this program is for fellows to consider cancer communication topics as they plan their dissertation research. This doctoral seminar is made possible with funding from the U.S. National Cancer Institute in an award to the Cancer Communication Research Center (http://www.crn-ccrc.org), an NCI-designated Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research.

Fellows will be paired with and learn from seminar faculty about professional, regulatory, organizational, team, and individual factors that affect communication in healthcare organizations. Seminar faculty will be healthcare providers, prevention specialists, information technology experts, operations leaders, and researchers in Kaiser Permanente, the largest nonprofit non-governmental healthcare system in the U.S. Fellows and faculty will interact one on one in half-day shadowing as faculty go about their work, in seminar, and during social times. The fellowship will pay travel-related costs of fellows including round trip flight to Denver, 3 nights hotel, and meals. Fellows will receive a $1000 honorarium for a brief paper describing a research opportunity from their paradigmatic perspective based on what they have learned.

Wednesday July 13^th fellows and seminar staff convene for dinner, orientation to the seminar, and assignment of fellows to faculty. Thursday July 14^th fellows are taken to their faculty colleague's place of work, fellows accompany faculty to meetings, labs or clinics, offices, and any site visits that faculty have on their schedule for that morning, fellows ask questions throughout shadowing and have lunch with their faculty colleague, then fellows convene and with seminar staff leave as a group for field trip. A group dinner for fellows, staff, and faculty finishes the day. Friday July 15^th fellows report-out and discuss in full-day seminar what they have learned about communication in healthcare systems and how that may apply to cancer communication research. Saturday July 16^th fellows convene in morning seminar to discuss the fit of research paradigms to the realities of healthcare organizations, and depart for the airport.

Apply by sending (1) a cover letter of application with full contact information, (2) a letter of reference, (3) a one page statement of interest that identifies the applicant's research interests and what they would hope to learn, and (4) a vita. Materials must be received by May 1, 2011. Applicants will be notified by May 15. Submit application materials to: sarah.madrid@kp.org.

Crisis in the Liberal Arts?

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:01:46 -0500

Penn State Debate Society meets William Pitt Debate Union

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:44:37 -0500

Friday, April 8 at 7pm in 100 Life Sciences, the Penn State Debate Society will hold a public debate with debaters from the William Pitt Debate Union (from the University Pittsburgh) over the question: "Should the FCC regulate privacy settings for social media websites?"

Award deadlines from Center for Global Studies

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:54:14 -0500

Reminder: deadlines approaching

Funding opportunities for

Penn State (University Park)

faculty and students

from the Center for Global Studies

The Center for Global Studies Thesis Prize

Penn State's Center for Global Studies will award two prizes of $500 each year to honors students in the College of the Liberal Arts who have completed commendable thesis projects that advance a global perspective.

Deadline: Friday, April 1^st, 2011

The Center for Global Studies Global Classroom Award

The Center for Global Studies will award prizes of up to $2,000 to support innovative pedagogical projects that advance global perspectives. Possibilities include teaching outside of the classroom in a global setting, establishing international institutional relationships for team-teaching, course-related travel, etc. We are interested in sponsoring creative and innovative projects that advance global perspectives.

Deadline: Monday, April 4^th, 2011

The Center for Global Studies Career Development Award

The Center for Global Studies will award prizes of up to $2,000 to support the professional development of ABD doctoral students and early career faculty (having received a doctoral degree no earlier than 2008) through international research and travel.

Deadline: Monday, April 4^th, 2011

For more information on eligibility and application procedures, click here or visit http://cgs.psu.edu/funding.html

Penn State Graduate Exhibition

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:30:55 -0500

Friday, March 25

Graduate Exhibition Performances

The State Theatre

7:00 pm

Sunday, March 27

Graduate Exhibition Posters and Visual Art

HUB-Robeson Center

11:00 am - Judging Begins

12:00 pm - Exhibition open to the public

Douglas Kelley at Colloquium: Forgiveness--Grounds for Reconciliation

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:42:45 -0500

COMMUNICATION ARTS & SCIENCES

Spring 2011 Colloquium Series

Douglas Kelley

Associate Professor

Communication

Arizona State University-West

Forgiveness: Grounds for Reconciliation

"Forgiveness has been conceptualized as a form of positive communication designed to restore self or other well-being, relationship quality, and a sense of relationship moral order. Central to much forgiveness theorizing is the notion that forgiveness is unconditional; yet, many laypersons report giving forgiveness with conditions. In this light, I explore the nature of forgiveness, specifically as a means of pursuing interpersonal reconciliation."

Friday, April 1, 2010
3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
117 Thomas Building
University Park Campus
Penn State University

Appropriations committee hearing focuses on proposed cuts

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 07:35:43 -0500

In the face of a proposed state budget that would see funding for Pennsylvania's public universities cut by more than 50 percent, Penn State President Graham Spanier, along with the leaders of Temple University, Lincoln University and the University of Pittsburgh, appeared before the state Senate Appropriations Committee March 16 to make the case for continued state support for the commonwealth's state-related institutions.

Sen. Jake Corman, chairman of the state Senate Appropriations Committee, asked the university leaders about the effects such a broad cut would have on their institutions. Overall, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett's budget proposes more than $660 million in cuts to institutions of higher education. The cuts proposed for Penn State alone represent a decrease of $182 million, or 52.4 percent, in state funding.

The proposed appropriation cut would represent a decrease of about 17 percent of Penn State's overall instructional budget; the money is largely used to help offset to cost of tuition for Pennsylvania residents. Spanier reminded the committee that state-related universities have not contributed to the current budget deficit, since state appropriations have remained stagnant for the past decade even as other areas of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania spending continued to rise.

"We're all very mindful of the state's current budget situation, and we do expect to be part of the solution," Spanier said. "I'm not sure it's fair to say, however, that we are part of the problem in this respect: our appropriations in actual dollars have been flat over the last decade. We have not contributed to the state's deficit because our appropriation has not increased since 2000."

The presidents all said that they would not turn to tuition increases to primarily deal with appropriation cuts, yet the reductions would result in some level of higher tuition for in-state students, potentially pushing the cost of education at Pennsylvania's state-related universities out of reach for some students and families already stressed by student-loan debt. At Penn State, Spanier said the proposed cut would result in program cuts, layoffs, salary freezes and other measures.

"It is not true that any of us would unduly raise tuition, even under the most dire circumstances, as the principal way of remedying a shortfall in our appropriation," Spanier said. "Of course tuition would need to increase, but we could not put that great a burden on the backs of our current and prospective students."

Mark Nordenberg, chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, called the scope of the proposed cuts "stunning."

"The proposed cuts are deep, they are disproportionate, and they are damaging to some of the most productive institutions in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania," he said. "I do think that this proposal ought to be a concern for everybody who cares about the next generation of Pennsylvanians and for everybody who cares about the shape of Pennsylvania's economy as we move into an increasingly competitive century."

Spanier said Penn State agricultural research and Cooperative Extension would be particularly hard-hit by a $29 million cut to their appropriation. In agriculture alone, he said, the workforce would be cut by about 440 positions, or 50 percent. That would surely mean a severe cutback in the breadth of services currently provided by Cooperative Extension to the state's agriculture industry.

"These are not made-up numbers, these are not numbers designed to shock people; these are actual projections. We've had to get very specific in the last few days because if this budget goes forward as it is now on July 1, we have to operate with a balanced budget just as the commonwealth does, and the numbers are very dramatic. Agriculture is just in one of the colleges of our University. There are ripple effects that would go out across the entire institution with appropriation reductions of the sort that we are looking at."

"We are prepared to do our fair share. We have never said differently. But I don't believe that a decrease in our appropriation at this level would constitute anyone's idea of what is a fair share for some of the state's greatest resources -- our public institutions of higher education."

Sen. John Rafferty Jr. asked about the impact on the state's economy if the proposed cuts were to stand. Penn State alone generates about $17 billion in direct and indirect economic activity in Pennsylvania every year. Spanier said the cuts would affect the University's ability to continue that output. Penn State brings in about $800 million in research funding annually, much of which comes from outside of the state, through grants.

"Each $1 million of research funding creates about 30 jobs within Pennsylvania," he said. "From an economic development standpoint, we make significant contributions."

In addition to jobs created by the influx of research funding, the majority of Penn State's graduates, and the graduates of the other state-related institutions, work in Pennsylvania when they graduate, and many who leave eventually return, contributing further to the state's economic well being.

"On the programmatic side, we are the principal producers of college graduates -- 18,000 graduates a year from Penn State, the majority of them taking jobs in Pennsylvania. Our contribution to the tax base, our contribution to economic development, our research activity with 750 different companies throughout the commonwealth -- these are all things that could be affected and could really erode the investment that the state has made in Penn State and in all of our public institutions historically."

Between the four state-related institutions about 150,000 students are educated each year.

Sen. Lisa Boscola said that while she supports many of the cuts proposed by the governor's budget, the reductions proposed for higher education are unfair and disproportionate. Boscola asked the panel about the percentage of students who stay in Pennsylvania after graduating from a state-related institution. Boscola said it is her hope that the final budget will find ways to keep more graduates in Pennsylvania.

Spanier said more students would stay if employment opportunities were available. He also said many return later in life. "Many of the students who at age 22 leave Pennsylvania to work elsewhere do ultimately come back after they've gotten some experience. That number is almost completely dependent on what job opportunities are out there for them. To the extent that the Universities can contribute to the economic strength of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we will keep even more of those graduates," he said.

Corman said the March 16 hearing represents a beginning to the Senate Appropriation Committee's budget discussions. He said he expects to stay in contact with the leaders of the commonwealth's state-related universities as the June 30 budget deadline approaches.

"It isn't new for higher education to take the brunt of budgetary problems. I don't know another line item in the budget that has (remained stagnant) over the last 8 years," Corman said. "This proposal has sort of shocked the commonwealth in a lot of ways ... I think by finally elevating higher education to this level, now the public is going to get engaged and hopefully put higher education at a higher level of priority for our budget."

The legislature will continue its hearings with other recipients of state funding and will work in the coming months to finalize the state budget.