Paul King Celebrates 42 years at TCU

Headshot of Dr. Paul King

Dr. Paul King, communication studies professor

The Bob Schieffer College of Communication honors Paul King, Ph.D. on his retirement, which concluded a 42-year faculty career at TCU.

As a teacher, Dr. King taught argumentation and debate, communication ethics, and the course that became his signature: Listening, which is vital to deliberation and dialogue.

“He gave me my last ever final as a TCU student, and I truly enjoyed his Listening class,” said alumnus Brandon Kitchin ’19.

In the listening course, Dr. King could be found channeling impressions of talk show hosts and indulging in his goofy side to accommodate the emphasis on information processing in the class. “His enthusiasm left his class with no other choice but to be engaged,” another alumnus said about Dr. King.

Two people hug at a work party.

Dr. Paul King receives a hug during his retirement party on Dec. 1, 2022.

As a scholar, Dr. King specialized in studying listening, communication ethics, communication education and communication in social cognition.

During his tenure at TCU, Dr. King served as chair of the Communication Studies Department from 1991-1996 and from 2009-2015. He also served as the chair of the TCU faculty senate from 1992-1993. Most recently, Dr. King was the Schieffer College nominee for the 2022 TCU Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Achievement as a teacher and scholar.

The Communication Studies Department hosted a celebration of Dr. King’s career on Dec. 1 and welcomed his former colleagues and students back to campus.  An outpouring of thanks for his contributions to TCU and Schieffer College verified that his daily presence on campus will be missed!