Call for Nominations: 2026 WSCA Distinguished Scholar Award

WSCA is soliciting nominations for the 2026 Distinguished Scholar Award. The annual award honors a WSCA member who has made exemplary and sustained contributions to communication scholarship. This scholar has a reputation for and record of Communication research that is innovative and productive for our field to understand our discipline’s ever-evolving value, function, and relevance.

Criteria include: (1) a sustained research program, that is (2) theoretically grounded, (3)

analytically sound, (4) advancing of the Communication discipline (as indicated by citations, practical application, and/or any other evidence), (5) current with contemporary intellectual developments and findings, and (6) has been featured in WSCA journals and/or other outlets. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.

The distinguished scholar will be honored during the 2026 WSCA Annual Conference

Luncheon, so it is important that every effort is made to ensure the recipient is present to receive the award. As such, before submitting a nomination, please confirm the nominee's willingness to be considered for this award and their commitment to attend the 2026 WSCA convention in San Diego, CA.

All nomination packets should include a letter explaining how the nominee fits the above

criteria, a current curriculum vitae, and can include up to three letters of support. Please

send nominations in PDF format by December 15, 2025 to Tara McManus, committee chair, at tara.mcmanus@unlv.edu. 

The WSCA Distinguished Scholar Award Committee looks forward to receiving your

nominations and honoring a well-deserving Communication scholar.

WSCA welcomes nominations for the 2026 Distinguished Teaching Award. WSCA’s

Distinguished Teaching Award may be given each year to a deserving faculty

member(s) who has made a significant contribution to the quality of teaching in WSCA

and to the larger communication field within the Western region.

Eligibility: This award is open to a wide range of faculty: adjunct, contingent, temporary

and tenured/tenure-track instructors, regardless of full or part-time status. Nominees

may be from community colleges, four-year colleges/universities, or institutions granting

graduate degrees. All nominees must be current WSCA members at the time of review.

Criteria: Award recipients must demonstrate sustained excellence in

pedagogy/andragogy. This type of teaching incites intellectual curiosity in students,

inspires departmental colleagues, and makes students aware of significant relationships

between the communication and the world at large. In addition, excellence in teaching

includes a clear learning journey of personal reflection as well as a demonstrated

commitment to equity.

Nominations: Self or peer nominations are welcome. A letter of nomination, including

all supplementary materials (listed below) should be emailed to Santhosh Chandrashkear

at santhosh.chandrashekar@du.edu. All nomination packets must be received by 11:59pm (PST), December 15th , 2025.

Supplemental Materials: The nomination packet should include the following

supplemental materials for the Awards Committee to confidentially review:

1. Evidence of WSCA membership

2. Statement of teaching philosophy

3. Summary of teaching experience, including courses taught and teaching

techniques utilized, as well as any honors or awards

4. Summary of course evaluation data, including student comments for the five

most recent semesters/quarters OR, if course evaluation data is unavailable, A teaching evaluation written by a colleague or supervisor who has observed your teaching, reviewed course materials, and/or spoken with students who have taken your classes.

5. At least two letters of recommendation, one of which must be written by a former or current student (in addition to the letter of nomination)

Please contact committee co-chairs Santhosh Chandrashekar at santhosh.chandrashekar@du.edu or Kendra Rivera at riverak@lanecc.edu any additional questions. We look forward to receiving a diverse set of nominations and supplemental materials!

The Western States Communication Association (WSCA) welcomes nominations for the
2026 Distinguished Service Award. The award honors those who have made significant
and long-standing contributions to WSCA and the communication field. Since this award
is considered the capstone of an individual’s WSCA involvement, nominees should not
be currently serving as WSCA officers or editors. We especially encourage nomination
of and from members of historically marginalized communities.

Nominations should include the following materials:
• Letter of nomination detailing and framing the nominee's qualifications for the award;
• Nominee's CV;
• One or more supporting letters indicating the nominee's contributions to WSCA and to
the field of communication.

Nomination materials from previous years may be updated and resubmitted. Please
email the materials to shanemoreman@mail.fresnostate.edu no later than December 15,
2025, and include “WSCA Distinguished Service Award” in the subject line. Attach all
documents as a single file in Microsoft Word or PDF (.doc, .docx, or .pdf) format.
Address any questions you may have to the above email address.

The Distinguished Service Award comprises:

Shane Moreman (chair), Shinsuke
Eguchi, Amy Edwards, and Tara McManus. We look forward to receiving your
nominations.

By: Keisuke Kimura, Assistant Professor of Applied Communication and Critical Race and Ethnic
Studies, Miami University

The Western States Communication Association is seeking nominations for the 2026 Model
Communication Program Award. This award may be given annually to one community college
communication program and one Elementary/Secondary school based on the following criteria:

1. The program should reflect the breadth and/or depth of the communication discipline.
2. The program should have teaching personnel with specialized training in
communication.
3. The program should integrate meaningful practice through curricular and co-curricular
activities.
4. The program should have strong administrative support.
5. The program should relate to the mission of the particular institution.

Recipients will be expected to present a panel on the Model Communication Program at the
2026 WSCA convention in San Diego.

Please note: programs from any region can apply and do
not necessarily have to be located close to the convention location but should commit to
sending a representative(s) to receive the award and present the panel.

To help evaluate applications relative to the particular context of the program being
nominated, please thoroughly describe the institution in terms of geographic location,
population served, administrative support, funding systems, ratio of full-time/part-time faculty,
and any other variable helpful in creating a snapshot of your institution. Nominations should
include at least two letters of support that detail the program’s success in meeting the above
criteria. At least one letter should be from the school or college, and at least one letter should
be from either a former student or someone outside the program. Additional supporting
materials, such as descriptions of course curriculum and innovative teaching methods, are
encouraged.

Nominations should be submitted by email to Keisuke Kimura at kimurak@miamioh.edu.
Please include “WSCA Model Communication Program Award 2026” in the subject line and
attach all documentation into a SINGLE Microsoft Word or PDF (.doc, .docx or .pdf) file.
Nominations should be received no later than December 15, 2025 to be considered by the
selection committee.

The 2026 Model Communication Program Award Committee comprises:

Keisuke Kimura (chair),
Kristen Stout, Kendra Rivera (members).
We look forward to reading about your program!

Presented by Shane Moreman, California State University, Fresno

Good afternoon, colleagues and friends. It is truly an honor to stand before you to introduce the recipient of the 2025 WSCA Distinguished Scholar Award. This year’s recipient is a visionary in the Communication discipline whose work continues to adapt to our ever-changing interpersonal lives. For more than four decades, he has dedicated his career to advancing knowledge in interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, and relational maintenance. His academic journey began with a passion for rhetoric and communication theory, earning his B.A. and M.A. at California State University, Fullerton, followed by a Ph.D. in Communication Arts and Sciences from the University of Southern California. I am especially proud to highlight that he began his education at a CSU and eventually returned to work at one: San Diego State University.

This particular researcher’s scholarly contributions are nothing short of extraordinary; so prolific, in fact, that it is difficult to identify a single publication, even a set of them, that fully encapsulates the depth of his impact. Even if his body of work resists easy reductive categorization, his intellectual influence is both clear and profound. He is the sole author and co-author/editor of numerous foundational books, including Strategic Conflict , Family Conflict: Managing the Unexpected, and Sex Differences and Similarities in Communication. More than thirty years ago, he co-authored the landmark article, “Maintenance strategies and romantic relationship type, gender and relational characteristics.” This particular monograph continues to direct and influence how we understand relationality; and it continues to be cited today. In fact, his breadth of work has been cited over 14,000 times, with over 100 citations already accrued as of this early point in the year. Whether working independently or collaborating with colleagues, his research remains nimbly relevant, so much so that it continues to drive the Communication discipline’s contemporary foci in such areas as conflict resolution, equity across relationships, and the most nuanced dynamics of interpersonal communication.

Beyond his own publications, this Communication scholar has done the hard work of cultivating our discipline’s intellectual community by leading our discipline’s institutional infrastructures. One significant example is that he was elected to and proudly served as WSCA’s president in 2009. Another prime example is that he served as our editor of the Western Journal of Communication. This journal, of course, importantly publishes the work of fine scholars like you in this room; but, more directly, it showcases the unique thoughts and ideas stemming from our communities within the greater U.S. Southwest and beyond. He has served on the editorial board of over fifteen leading academic journals including serving as Associate Editor for interdisciplinary journals such as the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. His academic appointments include some of Communication’s most centrally important institutions such as Penn State, Arizona State University, the University of Utah, and currently, San Diego State University. At each of these programs, he has mentored generations of scholars, inspiring them to contribute meaningfully to our progressing conversations about how we can all treat one another with greater understanding.

Today, we celebrate not only a scholar, but a dedicated teacher, mentor, and thought leader, someone whose work continues to enhance the broad field of human communication to show us how we can all better relate with one another within our own specific communities and relationships. Scholars, please join me, as part of the WSCA community, in congratulating Dr. Daniel J. Canary, recipient of the 2025 WSCA Distinguished Scholar Award.

Presented by Lisa Silvestri, Co-Editor, Western Journal of Communication

on behalf of Amanda Denes

The Milton Dickens Award recognizes an outstanding article in Communication Reports. The award is given at the end of each Editorial term, after the outgoing Editor and the members of the selection committee review all articles published during the Editor’s tenure. We would like to thank Dr. Nicholas Brody (University of Puget Sound), Dr. Megan Dillow (West Virginia University), and Dr. Normal Wong (University of Oklahoma) for serving with Amanda Denes, the outgoing Editor of Communication Reports, on the selection committee.

It is a pleasure to present this year’s Milton Dickens Award for Exemplary Empirical Research to Stephan A. Rains and Craig R. Scott for their article, “To Identify or Not to Identify? That… Depends on the Context: Testing a Model of Receiver Responses to Anonymous Communication”, which was published in Volume 35, Issue 2 of Communication Reports in 2022.

This article has all the markers of high-quality research. First, it has a strong theoretical grounding in the Receiver Response Model of Anonymous Communication and offers one of the first empirical tests of the model. As the authors explain, the model “focuses heavily on distinctions between mass and interpersonal contexts, arguing that such contexts may create different perceptions of anonymity, varied perceptions in ability to identify a source, different levels of motivation to identify a source, and ultimately, varied degrees of intent to actually attempt source identification.” Given the many ways that anonymity functions in both online and offline interactions, testing the model’s propositions offers not only an important advancement to this line of inquiry, but also makes a valuable contribution to multiple domains of communication research.

Second, the study used a sophisticated experimental design among a nationally representative sample of over 600 adults to determine whether interpersonal and mass communication contexts differentially impact perceived anonymity and desire, ability, and intention to identify a source. Ultimately, they found that context *did* matter, as receivers of anonymous communication in an interpersonal context reported greater motivation to identify the source and greater perceived ability to identify the source compared to a mass communication context. Additionally, desire and ability to identify the source were both positively associated with intentions to identify the source, and there were several significant indirect effects.

By rigorously testing the conditions under which anonymous messages prompt efforts to identify a source, the authors provide a framework that is both theoretically rich and practically useful. As an example provided by the authors, these results may be useful to “technology designers interested in helping preserve source anonymity” by suggesting that they “create tools more suited for the mass context and that allow people little opportunity to or motivation for identifying the source.” Taken together, the findings encourage scholars and practitioners to thoughtfully consider the role of anonymity in communication interactions and the ways that different communication contexts shape responses to anonymous messages. 

For all these reasons, the award selection committee is delighted to present the Milton Dickens Award to this exemplary piece of scholarship!

Presented by Casey Schmitt, Co-Editor of Western Journal of Communication

on behalf of Amy Janan Johnson

The B. Aubrey Fisher Outstanding Journal Article Award is given to the top journal article published in the Western Journal of Communication in a given year—in this case, 2023. To choose the winner(s), the selection committee considers:

1. Significance of the article's contribution to the literature of the discipline.

2. Level of response the article has elicited from other scholars and teachers.

3. Substantive importance and methodological rigor

4. Substantive and/or methodological innovativeness (i.e., the degree to which the

article breaks new ground) and

5. Style-clarity, grace, parsimony, and evocativeness of expression. 

First, Dr. Johnson would like to express appreciation to the selection committee this year:

Dr. Jill Edy (University of Oklahoma)

Dr. Colin Hesse (Oregon State University)

Dr. Scott Myers (University of West Virginia)

The committee chose to give the award to two articles this year. 

The first is by Dr. Valerie Cronin-Fisher from Governors State University & Dr. Lindsay Timmerman, from Texas State University with the title, Redefining “Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby”: Making Sense of Traumatic Birth Stories through Relational Dialectics Theory.

The selection committee described it as an: “Excellent article on several of the award criteria, including the significance of the topic/methodological rigor, the significance to the discipline, and overall style. It is well-argued, with an outstanding use of relational dialectics theory, and overall an interesting article.”

Congratulations to Drs. Cronin-Fisher and Timmerman for their outstanding work.

The second article is by Dr. Peter Jensen from the University of Alabama, titled “We Help Who HUD Tells Us to Help”: Epistemology and Agency at Two Nonprofit Organizations.

The selection committee described this article as: “A solid ethnography that examines a current social problem and utilizes a non-convenience sample. It makes a significant contribution to the organizational communication literature.”

Congratulations to Dr. Jensen for his outstanding work.

Presented by Heather Voorhees, University of Montana

Hello! My name is Heather Voorhees, Associate Professor from the University of Montana. As the chair of this year’s Distinguished Service Award committee, on behalf of my committee members, I’m honored to present this award. 

In my experience, when someone says, “Your reputation precedes you,” it’s usually because I’ve done something inappropriate or stupid. But for the person we are honoring today, it’s exactly the opposite – it seems that people who have never even met them recognize their name, and associate it with an incredible work ethic, generosity, and an unparalleled willingness to step up. 

This person has been serving the Western States Communication Association, in various roles, for the past 28 years, starting when they became a member-at-large to the Executive Council in the late 1990s. Since then – and I am not exaggerating – they have held almost every role available and served on almost every committee. If you’ve heard of it, this person has been it. For example, this person has been the chairperson of the K-12 Award Committee, chairperson of the Distinguished Scholar Award Committee, has TWICE served on the B. Aubrey Fisher Outstanding Journal Article Award Committee, and has been Chair of the Member Services Committee. They have organized, planned and executed the Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference and Graduate Open House. They have repeatedly served as conference paper reviewer and conference panel respondent. They have been the secretary, vice-chair and chairperson of our Rhetoric and Public Address Interest Group. They have been the president-elect, president, and past president of the Executives Club. They served as editor AND Associate Editor of the journal Women’s Studies in Communication, and the Associate Editor for the Western Journal of Communication. 

It is no exaggeration to say that the results of this person’s career of service to WSCA will remain visible for years to come in our policies, procedures, journals, interest groups, and current leaders. They have left an indelible – and undeniably positive – impact on this association. 

Though they have performed innumerable jobs, tasks, and favors throughout the Association, perhaps some of you know our awardee for the MORE VISIBLE roles they have played in our association: namely, serving as the second-vice president, first-vice president, president-elect, president, and past-president of the entire WSCA organization. As this person’s nominee noted, if you tallied up all the hours that our awardee has spent in WSCA Executive Council meetings, it’s more than five straight days without sleep. And I’m sure, at times, they have felt every minute of it!

Most recently, our honoree served as our association’s Executive Director for four years – a job that is often stressful, time-consuming, and sometimes, I’m sure, feels thankless. Her first year on the job was 2020-21 –  if you’ll recall, that was a particularly noteworthy year… for some reason? It was a year when our annual conference was cancelled and everything went online, whether we wanted it or not – and whether we were CAPABLE of it, or not. Talk about trial by fire. But in those extraordinary times, she worked calmly and diligently with the association’s leadership, to hold everything together and help carry us through that storm with her trademark grace, patience, and sassy humor. She also generously agreed to serve in this role one extra year, because it took an extra year to find someone who could replace her.  

It’s not just the things that she’s done for Western States over the years that makes her more than worthy of this award: it’s the WAY she’s done them. Nominees praised her diligence, ethics, honesty and humility. Quote, “She is consistently mindful of other people’s ideas and personalities, especially when an unexpected event or problem arises. I especially appreciate how she carefully listens to other people in a genuine and caring manner.” Another supporter wrote, “She might be tiny, but her big heart is a superpower. She is kind and gentle while maintaining dignity for herself and the association.”

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Seen through this lens, our honoree is the most successful person I know. Because I have been fortunate enough to know her personally, ever since she was a gracious and generous mentor to me in my first year at the University of Montana. I can personally attest to her intelligence, kindness, and unflappable devotion to making the world around her a better place –one committee, one colleague, and one email at a time.  One of her nominators – a past WSCA President – said it best: “I believe that Sara Hayden has been the most impactful, service-oriented member of the Western States Communication Association for the past 20+ years.”

Colleagues, it is an absolute honor to present the 2025 Western States Communication Association Distinguished Service award to Doctor Sara Hayden of the University of Montana.

Presented by Ashley Givens, Salt Lake Community College

Today I am here to present the 2025 WSCA Distinguished Teaching Award to an instructor that embodies everything we hope to see in an outstanding educator.

"Go forth and use wisely every heartbeat" also known as the “Ruggerio Benediction" is the philosophy that infuses everything she does. She says, “the goal is to encourage my students to put the heartbeats they’ve chosen to spend with me to wise use in communicating for liberation, communicating our mutual humanity, and communicating citizenship.”

For over two decades at Southern Oregon University, Dr. Alena Ruggerio has transformed countless lives through her creative and compassionate approach to teaching. Her commitment to inclusive education is remarkable. She redesigns her courses to integrate diverse voices, connects theory to real-world change, and creates safe spaces where every student feels valued. Her innovative teaching methods, from sensory-based chapter facilitations to charity-focused speech competitions, demonstrate her ability to make complex concepts both accessible and meaningful.

Her scholarly contributions to communication pedagogy are equally impressive. She has published influential syllabi for "Political Communication" and "Teaching for Feminist Change" in the Teaching Communication Series. As a co-facilitator of her university's Antiracism & Decolonization Professional Learning Group, she has helped faculty across disciplines infuse Racial & Ethnic Studies into their curricula. Her work in feminist rhetorical theories and gender communication has earned her courses approval for critical DEI requirements, while her study abroad programs in Greece and Spain have brought international perspectives to her students.

But what truly sets Dr. Ruggerio apart is her dedication to seeing and nurturing the full humanity of each student. She creates learning contracts that empower students to take ownership of their education. She designs assignments that connect classroom theory to community change. Her "Question of the Day" practice, featured in Tomorrow's Professor newsletter, builds genuine human connections in every class.

Former students consistently describe her as not just a professor, but a mentor and inspiration who changed the trajectory of their lives. One student even tattooed her benediction on their skin - perhaps the ultimate testament to her lasting impact. For her exceptional contributions to communication education, her scholarly advancement of inclusive pedagogy, and her unwavering commitment to teaching for liberation, mutual humanity, and engaged citizenship, we are honored to present the WSCA Distinguished Teaching Award to Dr. Alena Ruggerio.

2025 WSCA Model Communication Program Award

Presented by Santhosh Chandrashekar, Denver University

The Distinguished Service Award Committee is seeking nominations for the Western States Communication Association’s 2025 Distinguished Service Award. The scholarship of this association does not happen without the service of those who organize, plan, review, respond to that scholarship. Service is a love of leadership in the true sense of the term, as those who serve frame the conversations and invite us, as an organization, to the points of inquiry for our critical conversations. This award honors persons who have made considerable and long-standing contributions both to the Western States Communication Association and to the field of communication. Self-nominations are encouraged. Past nomination materials may be updated and resubmitted.

 Nominations should include the following materials:

·               A letter of nomination detailing and framing the nominee’s qualifications for the award;

·               nominee’s CV; and

·               one or more supporting letters indicating the nominee’s contributions to WSCA and to the field of communication.

Nominations should be submitted by email to committee chair Heather Voorhees at heather.voorhees@umt.edu no later than Dec. 10, 2024. Please include "WSCA Service Award" in the email subject line and attach documentation as either Microsoft Word or PDF (.doc, .docx, or .pdf) files.

 For more information about the Distinguished Service Award and award Committee, visit https://www.westcomm.org/page/Awards. For a list of past recipients of this award, please visit https://www.westcomm.org/page/DSA. Please contact Heather Voorhees with any additional questions or comments. Otherwise, the WSCA Distinguished Service Award Committee looks forward to receiving your nominations!

By: Santhosh Chandrashekar, Associate Professor of Communication Studies, University of Denver

The Western States Communication Association is seeking nominations for the 2025 Model Communication Program Award. This award may be given annually to one community college communication program and one Elementary/Secondary school based on the following criteria:

1. The program should reflect the breadth and/or depth of the communication discipline.

2. The program should have teaching personnel with specialized training in communication.

3. The program should integrate meaningful practice through curricular and co-curricular activities.

4. The program should have strong administrative support.

5. The program should relate to the mission of the particular institution.

Recipients will be expected to present a panel on the Model Communication Program at the 2025 WSCA convention in Albuquerque. Please note: programs from any region can apply and do not necessarily have to be located close to the convention location but should commit to sending a representative(s) to receive the award and present the panel. 

To help evaluate applications relative to the particular context of the program being nominated, please thoroughly describe the institution in terms of geographic location, population served, administrative support, funding systems, ratio of full-time/part-time faculty, and any other variable helpful in creating a snapshot of your institution. Nominations should include at least two letters of support that detail the program’s success in meeting the above criteria. At least one letter should be from the school or college, and at least one letter should be from either a former student or someone outside the program. Additional supporting materials, such as descriptions of course curriculum and innovative teaching methods, are encouraged.

Nominations should be submitted by email to Santhosh Chandrashekar at santhosh.chandrashekar@du.edu.  Please include “WSCA Model Communication Program Award 2025” in the subject line and attach all documentation into a SINGLE Microsoft Word or PDF (.doc, .docx or .pdf) file. Nominations should be received no later than November 15, 2024 to be considered by the selection committee.

The 2025 Model Communication Program Award Committee comprises Santhosh Chandrashekar (chair), Kimberly N. Aguilar, Nick Chivers, and Shane Moreman (members).

We look forward to reading about your program! 

As chair of the WSCA Distinguished Scholar Award Committee, I am soliciting nominations

for the 2025 WSCA Distinguished Scholar Award. The annual award honors a WSCA member

who has made exemplary and sustained contributions to Communication scholarship. This

scholar has a reputation for and record of Communication research that is innovative and

productive for our field to understand our discipline’s ever-evolving value, function, and

relevance.

Criteria include: (1) a sustained research program, that is (2) theoretically grounded, (3)

analytically sound, (4) advancing of the Communication discipline (as indicated by citations,

practical application, and/or any other evidence), (5) current with contemporary intellectual

developments and findings, and (6) has been featured in WSCA journals and/or other

outlets. Self-nominations are welcome.

The distinguished scholar will be honored during the 2025 WSCA Annual Conference

Luncheon, so it is important that every effort is made to ensure the recipient is present to

receive the award. As such, before submitting a nomination, please confirm the nominee's

willingness to be considered for this award and their commitment to attend the 2025 WSCA

convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

All nomination packets should include a letter explaining how the nominee fits the above

criteria, a current curriculum vitae, and can include up to three letters of support. Please

send nominations by December 1, 2024 to Shane Moreman, committee chair,

at shanemoreman@mail.fresnostate.edu. Please feel free to contact Shane with any

inquiries.

The WSCA Distinguished Scholar Award Committee looks forward to receiving your

nominations and honoring a well-deserving Communication scholar.

WSCA welcomes nominations for the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award. WSCA’s Distinguished Teaching Award may be given each year to a deserving faculty member(s) who has made a significant contribution to the quality of teaching in WSCA and to the larger communication field within the Western region.

Eligibility: This award is open to a wide range of faculty: adjunct, contingent, temporary and tenured/tenure-track instructors, regardless of full or part-time status. Nominees may be from community colleges, four-year colleges/universities, or institutions granting graduate degrees. All nominees must be current WSCA members at the time of review.

Criteria: Award recipients must demonstrate sustained excellence in pedagogy. This type of teaching incites intellectual curiosity in students, inspires departmental colleagues, and makes students aware of significant relationships between the academy and the world at large.

Nominations: Self or peer nominations are welcome. A letter of nomination, including all supplementary materials (listed below) should be emailed to Ashley Givens, the 2024 Chair of WSCA’s Distinguished Teaching Award Committee, at Ashley.givens@slcc.edu . All nomination packets must be received by 11:59pm (PST), December 15^th, 2024.

Review: The nomination packet should include the following supplemental materials for the entire Committee to confidentially review:

1. WSCA membership evidence
2. Statement of teaching philosophy
3. Summary of teaching experience
4. Summary of course evaluation data, including student comments for the five most

recent semesters/quarters

5. At least two letters of recommendation (in addition to the letter of nomination and at least one of which will be composed by a student)

Please contact Ashley Givens, Ashley.givens@slcc.edu with any additional questions or comments. Otherwise, the WSCA Distinguished Teaching Award Committee looks forward to receiving your nominations!

As a college, they prize themselves in transferring students. Students on the forensics team have transferred to top universities, including Stanford, UT Austin, UCLA, Harvard, and Columbia University. Their program has eight outstanding faculty members that serve students in emphases in business, rhetoric, and performance. Faculty members are respected around campus as members of Faculty Senate. Also, Faculty of this program lead a state effort with 200 other faculty members after AB 928 was passed in California instructing all state schools to have the same general education courses. As a result of this programs leadership and research, University of California schools agreed to oral communication requirements meaning communication is required in all community colleges , CSUs, and USs in California. Please help me to congratulate Moorpark Community College’s communication studies department in winning the communication model program award for 2024. 

The Aubrey Fisher Award is presented each year for the best article(s) appearing in the Western Journal of Communication. The criteria are: 

The Chair of the Award Committee was  Amy Johnson, University of Oklahoma, former editor of Western Journal of Communication

Members included:

This year’s winning article was written by Rain Wuyu Liu, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Arizona; Ying Cheng, an assistant professor in the Department of Management at California State University, San Bernardino; Franklin J. Boster, a retired professor in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University, and Clint Townson, a Strategy Consultant at IMS Consulting & Expert Services in the New York City Metropolitan Area.

The title was: "The Suasory Force of Sticky Messages: A Replication and Extension." It appeared in the Western Journal of Communication, Volume 86 (Issue 3), pp. 297-320.  

One committee member stated, “This piece explores the longitudinal effects of ‘sticky’ messages related to their rate of decay. Its engagement with persuasion suggests implications across our sometimes-disparate discipline and its engagement with a longitudinal design and follow-up experimentation to understand effects address needed but rarely conducted research regarding gaps in the literature.”

Another committee member noted, “[The] arguments are clear, cohesive, and well-supported [with] intensive methods that are carefully executed and clearly explained. [It is an] axcellent example of post positivist experimental research - I would assign this in a research methods class. [It] builds upon and extends prior research with a strong discussion of implications.”

This award also comes with a $150.00 check. Congratulations to Rain Wuyu Liu, Ying Cheng, Frank Boster, and Clint Townson.

Presented by Jenna Hanchey, President of the Organization for Feminist Research on Gender and Communication 

Hello everyone, I’m Jenna Hanchey, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Critical Cultural Studies and Senior Global Futures Scholar at Arizona State University. As President of the Organization for Feminist Research on Gender and Communication, it is my honor to announce this year’s Feminist Scholar of the Year Award. This year our winners are Dr. Shui-yin Sharon Yam and Dr. Natalie Fixmer-Oraiz for their article, “Against Gender Essentailism: Reproductive Justice Doulas and Gender Inclusivity in Pregnancy and Birth Discourse.” They are unable to be here, but send their greetings and excitement.

The judges for the award noted: "Yam and Fixmer-Oraiz’s focus on the kinds of practices, communities, and imaginaries that move beyond perpetual critique into spaces of being and imagining otherwise. I find such scholarship to be essential, affirming, and renewing amidst ongoing injustices…I was particularly impressed by the ways that Yam & Fixmer-Oraiz approached one of the most traditional and normative topics in feminist research—pregnancy and birthing—from a deeply intersectional and critical lens.”

We are excited to award this world-building work published in Women’s Studies in Communication last year. On that note, I would like to recognize the labor our editor, Dr. Marissa Doshi is doing to center scholars of color as well as queer and trans scholars and perspectives in the work being published. Please consider sending your and your students’ intersectional feminist work our way.

OFRGC also has mechanisms to recognize work by students of color within WSCA submissions. In particulary, we provide travel grants to the top papers submitted by Students of Color. I would also like to announce this year’s recipients of the Brenda J. Allen Travel Grant Awards are Dustin Martinez, and Stephany Rojas-Hidalgo.

Presented by Justin P. Boren, 1st Vice President, WSCA  

I always found this presentation to be interesting – we ask the newest member of the executive council to honor the person who has served on executive council the longest, our immediate past president. Luckily, I have had the privilege to work with Christina Yoshimura over the years and I am truly honored to call her a colleague and a mentor who has always led with a fervent dedication to our association and to all of you, the members.

Christina has been on the Executive Council without a break for over a decade. She served two terms as WSCA News Editor and Social Media editor, Second VP, and through the President lines, including serving two years as president-elect and /primary program planner.

As program planner, for our 2021 convention she had already secured the keynote speaker and photographer prior to our cancellation. Her keynote speaker was a Latinx butch lesbian poet from the Irvine area (where our convention was scheduled to be). Rather than canceling the contract, she arranged to have the keynote streamed live for our members, recorded, captioned, and translated - demonstrating her commitment to the artist and to our members. If you haven’t watched that yet, please…it’s on our website. 

When we were able to meet again in Portland for her delayed conference - Cultivate – she chose to do something creative after the COVID-imposed hiatus –  she hosted a mentorship event. She pioneered the idea of having a quiet room and she established the clothing exchange, which provided gently used professional clothing for students and others. Such thought and care was on display throughout her entire convention, where Christina demonstrated how she cultivated her love for WSCA.

When asked to speak about Christina, members of the EC have said that 

Christina leads WSCA ethically. She's kind and caring toward members and they know it. She works to find solutions to make the organization more inclusive. She is a teacher and everyone she engages with learns from her about the art of care and leadership. She is gracious in sharing alternative perspectives to help the association’s leadership make good and thoughtful decisions. We never question Christina’s intentions, as they are rooted in a deep sense of care for our association. Oh, and she’s a great baker!

Please join me in thanking Christina Yoshimura for her deep dedication to Western States. 

Presented by Hewn Kim, Chair of the WSCA Publications Committee

Good afternoon, everyone.

As you may know, the Western States Communication Association publishes two official journals: The Western Journal of Communication and Communication Reports. This year, the Association presents awards to the outgoing editors of both journals, in recognition of their editorship.

The outgoing editor of Communication Reports is Dr. Tara McManus (Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University). Dr. McManus is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The outgoing editor of The Western Journal of Communication is Dr. Amy Johnson (Ph.D., Michigan State University). Dr. Johnson is a professor in the Department of Communication at The University of Oklahoma.

Thanks to their endeavors, our journals have produced impactful and inclusive scholarship, and they have reached wide readership across the world. During their terms, the visibility of both journals substantially increased, generating critical and meaningful influences on the communication field and beyond.

We deeply appreciate both editors’ leadership, commitment, and contributions to the discipline. Please join me celebrating their important contributions.

Distinguished Teaching Award Presentation Speech

February 2024, Reno, NV

Andi Zamora, Bellingham Technical College

azamora@btc.edu

I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that each of us are in this room, at this conference, in this discipline because of the impact a teacher had on us, whether as a student or as a colleague. So it was a pleasure to be part of this year’s Distinguished Teaching Award committee!

The winner of the Distinguished Teaching Award must demonstrate teaching that rises above and beyond, the kind of teaching that incites intellectual curiosity in students, can inspire departmental colleagues, and makes students aware of significant relationships between the academy and the world at large. And this year’s winner certainly does that!

One of her students wrote: “She is the epitome of inspiration… As a result [of her encouragement], I have found myself building more meaningful relationships [and] being curious about the lives of others.” She models compassion, humility, and social awareness in all she does, balancing a warm and personable presence with high expectations and strong support. 

One of the standout elements of this teacher’s nomination was her commitment to equity and the connections she builds for students between theory and the real world. Not only does she clearly articulate issues of diversity and inclusion in lectures, she translates that to equitable teaching practices that center difference, foster open communication, and encourage students to QUOTE “critically analyze antiquated conceptions and practices [and] increase students’ critical consciousness about how social identities manifest through communication.” If you get a chance to chat with her, ask her about the many “learn by doing” projects she assigns her students which provide them the opportunity to apply their learning and assist the community in the process. These projects include things like critiquing company websites use of gender roles and gendered language, creating a local-interest podcast, posting a relational advice blog, and engaging in meaningful community-centered research. My favorite example is a project where students partner with a community organization to build a family resource handbook about supporting individuals in diverse family structures. “The handbook serves as a showcase of how they critically and creatively applied their knowledge of family diversity in a way that is mindful of and accessible to others.”

One of the student letters supporting her nomination summed it up best by saying, “She taught me – through leading by example, through offering unrelenting encouragement, and through fostering an environment of open communication and creativity – not only how to closely analyze and clearly convey critical findings in a formal academic report, but also, and perhaps more importantly, how to communicate and empathize with research subjects whose experiences are as sensitive as they are touching, as harrowing as they are astonishing.” The pedagogical practices this teacher employs are much needed in our pursuit of equity through communication practices, and can serve as inspiration for ways to keep moving communication education forward.

Please help me congratulate this year’s Distinguished Teaching Award Winner, Dr. Leslie Rose Nelson.

Presented by Heather Voorhees

Good afternoon, everyone. I am Heather Voorhees, an Assistant Professor at the University of Montana and the head of this year’s Distinguished Scholar Award Committee. 

Webster’s Dictionary defines “distinguished” as… no, just kidding, I would never do that. 

Each year, the committee is tasked with honoring someone who represents the best of what a communication studies researcher, mentor, and leader should be – someone who has made a sustained contribution to the field. We received some amazing applications this year, and as always, it was a difficult task. 

Our ultimate winner has a body of research spanning 30 years, with 28 peer-reviewed journal articles, book reviews, and book chapters that have been cited nearly 3,000 times. Additionally, this person has co-authored or edited five books (with a sixth in the works), and presented at academic conferences nearly 65 times. 

Importantly, all of this work has come alongside an impressive history of service and mentorship. First, this  person has dedicated much time and energy to the Western States Communication Association, serving on the Legislative Assembly, Publications Committee, and Executive Council. They have also edited several special editions of the Western Journal of Communication, served on the editorial board, and published five pieces in the journal. Outside of WSCA, at their current University, this person is currently the P.I. for a half-million-dollar grant to establish a new Center for Engaged Humanities. Having acted as department chair for 10 years (and interim associate dean for 2 years), this person has been heavily involved in establishing a new Ph.D. program (no small feat) and has successfully led 15 master’s students and 2 Ph.D.’s through their thesis or dissertation processes. To countless scholars and students throughout the field, they have been an admirable collaborator and colleague. 

We are not the first to recognize this scholar. They started their career off strong with NCA’s Gerald R Miller Dissertation Award, and has continued earning accolades to this day. To wit, they have earned NCA’s Golden Anniversary Monograph Award, NCA’s Visual Communication Division’s Research Excellence Award, and a Choice Outstanding Academic Title award from the Association of College and Research Libraries for one of their noteworthy books. 

A previous WSCA president and colleague has said of our winner: “Perhaps more than any other scholar of rhetoric, [this individual] has fundamentally shaped and transformed the discipline’s concern with spatiality, materiality, embodied being, and public memory.” They have been described as a “trailblazer,” a “source of conceptual and analytic inspiration,” and a “tremendous asset to WSCA.”  

Regardless of how you define Distinguished, it’s clear that this year’s honoree fits the bill and then some. Colleagues, I am proud to present the 2024 WSCA Distinguished Scholar Award to Dr. Greg Dickinson of Colorado State University. 

The Distinguished Service Award Committee is seeking nominations for “Western States Communication Association 2024 Distinguished Service Award.” The Distinguished Service Award honors WSCA members who have made considerable and long-standing service contributions to the Western States Communication Association and to the field of communication. For a list of past recipients of this award, please follow the following link https://www.westcomm.org/page/DSA.

Peer-nominations and self-nominations are equally welcome. Past nomination materials may be updated and resubmitted.

Nominations must include the following materials: 

• Letter of nomination detailing and framing the nominee’s qualifications for the Award;
• Nominee’s CV;
• Between one and three supporting letters indicating the nominee’s contributions to WSCA and to the field of communication.

Nominations should be submitted by email to committee chair Jim Cherney at jcherney@unr.edu no later than December 10, 2023. Please include "WSCA Service Award" in the email subject line and attach documentation as either Microsoft Word or PDF (.doc, .docx, or .pdf) files. 

For more information about the Distinguished Service Award Committee, visit http://www.westcomm.org/?page=Committees

Please contact Jim Cherney, jcherney@unr.edu with any additional questions or comments. Otherwise, the WSCA Distinguished Service Award Committee looks forward to receiving your nominations!

We are seeking nominations for the 2024 WSCA Distinguished Scholar Award. The recipient will be a WSCA member who has made significant and sustained contributions to scholarship that have made a difference in the ways scholars and students think about the nature, function, and scope of communication. 

Criteria include: (1) a sustained research program, (2) that is theoretically grounded, (3) analytically sound, (4) advances the discipline (as indicated by citations and other evidence), and (5) work that has been featured in WSCA journals and other outlets. Self-nominations are welcome.

The scholar who is awarded will be honored during the WSCA Annual ConferenceLuncheon, so it is important that every effort is made to ensure the recipient is present toreceivetheaward.Assuch, before submitting your nomination, please confirmthenominee'swillingnesstobeconsideredfor this award and their commitment to attend the 2024 WSCA convention in Reno, Nevada.

All nomination packets should include a letter explaining how the nominee fits the above criteria, a current C.V., and can include up to three letters of support. Please send nominations by Dec. 1 to Heather Voorhees, committee chair, at heather.voorhees@umt.edu. Please contact Heather with additional questions or comments.

The WSCA Distinguished Scholar Award Committee looks forward to receiving your nominations!

The Western States Communication Association is seeking nominations for the 2024 Model Communication Program Award. This award may be given annually to one community college communication program based on the following criteria:

1. The program should reflect the breadth and/or depth of the communication discipline.

2. The program should have teaching personnel with specialized training in communication.

3. The program should integrate curricular and co-curricular activities.

4. The program should have strong administrative support.

5. The program should relate to the mission of the particular institution.

Recipients will be expected to present a panel on the Model Communication Program at the 2024 WSCA convention in Reno. Please note: programs from any region can apply and do not necessarily have to be located close to the convention location but should commit to sending a representative(s) to receive the award and present the panel. 

To help evaluate applications relative to the particular context of the program being nominated, please thoroughly describe the institution in terms of geographic location, population served, administrative support, funding systems, ratio of full-time/part-time faculty, and any other variable helpful in creating a snapshot of your institution. Nominations should include at least two letters of support that detail the program’s success in meeting the above criteria. At least one letter should be from the school or college, and at least one letter should be from either a former student or someone outside the program. Additional supporting materials, such as descriptions of course curriculum and innovative teaching methods, are encouraged.

Nominations should be submitted by email to Ashley Givens at Ashley.givens@slcc.edu. Please include “WSCA Model Communication Program Award” in the subject line and attach all documentation in Microsoft Word or PDF (.doc, .docx or .pdf) files. Nominations should be received no later than December 4th, 2023 to be considered by the selection committee.

The 2024 Model Communication Program Award Committee members are Ashley Givens, Chair and Member-at-Large, Executive Council; Marcia Fulkerson, Chair of Community College Interest Group and Audrey Deterding, Chair of Communication & Instruction Interest Group. 

We are looking forward to reading about some model programs!