TCU Communication Studies professors Andrew Ledbetter, professor and chair of communication studies, and Paul Schrodt, Philip J. & Cheryl C. Bruguière’s professor and director of graduate communication studies, received national recognition this week for their outstanding scholarship, teaching and mentorship at the 111th annual convention of the National Communication Association.
Paul Schrodt, Philip J. & Cheryl C. Bruguière’s Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
Schrodt received the Kathleen M. Galvin Family Communication Distinguished Teaching and Mentoring Award, which honors educators whose work has made a deep, broad, and innovative impact on students’ understanding of family communication.
Ledbetter received the Bernard J. Brommel Award for Outstanding Scholarship or Distinguished Service in Family Communication, which recognizes scholars whose research and leadership have significantly advanced the field.
Both nominations were submitted by alumna Dr. Kaitlin Phillips ’10 (MS ’13) now an assistant professor of communication at Baylor University.
Phillips praised Schrodt’s “extraordinary impact as a teacher, mentor, and scholar,” noting that since 2009 she has watched him challenge students to think critically, guide more than 20 graduate theses (most of which were later published), and model the teacher-scholar balance through more than 125 publications and dozens of top paper awards.
“His mentorship shaped my own academic career,” she said. “No one is more deserving of this award.”
Andrew Ledbetter, Chair of Communication Studies.
Phillips highlighted Ledbetter’s “groundbreaking contributions” to the study of family communication, especially in areas such as politics, finances and technology’s role in relationships
With more than 85 scholarly works, including three editions of A First Look at Communication Theory, Ledbetter has helped shape theoretical understanding of media choice, media multiplexity, and family communication patterns. Phillips also emphasized his long-standing commitment to mentoring students and his leadership through the National Communication Association, International Communication Association and Central States Communications Association.
“He exemplifies scholarship, mentorship and leadership,” she said.
Both awards reflect the strength and national reach of TCU’s Communication Studies faculty, and the lasting impact their teaching, research and mentorship have on students and the discipline.