From left: Xiomara Santiago, Dr. Amber Ferris (President of the Ohio Communication Association), Dr. Kathleen Clark, Dr. Heather Walter, Director of the School of Communication, Dr. Rhiannon Kallis, Alyssa Alexonshk (Online & Social Media Editor, Buchtelite), Abigail Stopka (Contributor, The Buchtelite), Julie Cajigas and Savannah Johns (Managing Editor, The Buchtelite).
Two faculty members and a student organization in The University of Akron’s (UA) School of Communication were recognized at the 2022 Ohio Communication Association Conference held Oct. 7-8 in Columbus. Awards were given to Dr. Kathleen Clark for Distinguished Teacher, Dr. Rhiannon B. Kallis for Distinguished New Teacher, and The Buchtelite for Distinguished Student Organization.
The Distinguished Teacher award recognizes faculty who have demonstrated a consistent record of excellence in scholarship and has contributed significantly to the field of Communication. Clark, a member of the faculty of the School of Communication since 1998, teaches intercultural communication, communication theory, qualitative research methods, and public speaking among other courses. She draws upon her experiences living in other countries, including as a Peace Corps Volunteer, to help students make their own connections between lived experiences and observation of ways that culture influences interpersonal interactions.
The Distinguished New Teacher awards recognizes promising new faculty who have demonstrated a consistent record of excellence in their first five years of teaching, having demonstrated overall effectiveness both in the classroom and through service to their department/campus. Kallis is in her fourth year as an assistant professor, instructing courses in social media, public relations, and interpersonal communication at the undergraduate and graduate level. Kallis enjoys working with students in online and face-to-face courses and seeks to continually improve the student experience by engaging in workshops focused on best practices for online teaching.
“It is an immense point of pride for the School of Communication to have two faculty in our program receive statewide recognition for their teaching excellence,” remarked Dr. Heather Water, professor and director of the school. “Dr. Kallis and Dr. Clark were nominated by different students and faculty members, but the message in both applications shows that student-centered engagement is an essential part of their focus. Both are highly deserving of their awards and wonderful examples of the quality of instruction our students receive.”
Distinguished Student Organization awards recognize outstanding student organizations or communication programs in the state of Ohio. Founded in 1889, The Buchtelite is UA’s student-run publication that posts news stories weekly online and prints a magazine edition twice annually. Over the past five years, a series of student editors-in-chief experimented with various forms of online journalism as well as print special editions. During the height of the pandemic, the staff, under editor-in-chief LeKesha Parkman, reimagined the publication as a longer-form magazine printed during the second half of the fall and spring semesters.
“The students who take on the work of leading and contributing to The Buchtelite have moved the publication forward during the most challenging of circumstances,” says faculty adviser Julie Cajigas. “I am proud of them and the way they are amplifying student voices and different perspectives.”
The School of Communication, part of UA’s Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences, will be celebrating its 45th anniversary with a series of online events on Saturday, Nov. 12. The school is also celebrating the 60th anniversary of WZIP 88.1 FM with a special reunion for alumni members at 4 p.m.
One of the oldest state associations of communication in the country, the Ohio Communication Association presents distinguished awards to faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and organizations dedicated to advancing the field of communication in Ohio. Its annual conference is often the first forum where undergraduate and graduate communication students present their research. Its Ohio Communication Journal is an annual peer-reviewed online periodical that publishes original scholarship bearing on the breadth of the field of communication studies.
To read more about all this year’s winners, visit this Ohio Communication Association web page.