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 The
first faculty awards honoring outstanding contributions by teacher/scholars
at the School of Communications were awarded April 1 at the spring
Communications Advisory Board banquet: Ray
Johnson is the recipient of the inaugural Excellence in Teaching
Award; Gerald Gibson is the recipient of the Excellence in Service/Leadership
Award; David Copeland is the recipient of the Excellence in Scholarship
Award. A plaque with winners' names will be placed in the Dean's
Suite of the school.
Dean Paul Parsons
announced the winners. "We have an outstanding faculty in the
School of Communications," he said. "They instruct and
inspire our students, they serve as leaders of the university and
they create knowledge and information. Today we honor three of our
faculty for their teaching, service/leadership and scholarship,
knowing that they represent a larger faculty who make Elon and this
school excellent."
The dean, Associate
Dean Brad Hamm and Don Bolden, chairman of the Communications Advisory
Board, determined the recipients. Next year, one of this year's
recipients will take Dean Parsons' place on the selection committee.
The Excellence
in Teaching Award recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies the
Elon teacher-scholar - outstanding in the classroom, current in
the discipline and committed to the intellectual development of
students. Elon's mission statement calls for "a rich intellectual
community characterized by active student engagement with a faculty
dedicated to excellent teaching." The selection committee looked
for excellence in the classroom as tangibly demonstrated by teaching
and administrative evaluations for the preceding three years. Equally
important were intangible factors such as inspiring students in
the discipline, embracing ways to engage students in active learning,
being available to students outside the classroom, being known as
an excellent academic adviser, and having a willingness to teach
where needed.
Johnson is
in his 20th year at Elon. "Like the university, he has changed
with the times and stayed excellent at what he does," Parsons
said. "Ray is known as an innovative teacher, whether it's
incorporating streaming video in TV production or teaching his popular
general studies course, Kennedy Assassination & Film. Students use
strong phrases when describing him, and I quote: 'Incredible professor...
Genuinely caring... Easy to talk to... Passionate about editing...
Great personality...'"
 The
Excellence in Service/Leadership Award recognizes a faculty member
who richly contributes to the ongoing welfare and betterment of
the school, university and profession. Elon University's teacher-scholar
document calls on faculty to 'dedicate their talents, experience,
and leadership skills to activities that sustain, develop, and improve
the entire institution."
Gibson has
served Elon for 22 years, acting as an ambassador for the school
in many capacities and leading the renovation of Elon's former library
in its transformation to a modern School of Communications. "We
value presence on campus," Parsons said, "noting over
time who does the big and little tasks that make us a better school.
The selection committee focused on the tangible results of service
for the preceding years. Equally important were intangible factors
such as a willingness to volunteer one's time when needed, to carry
new ideas to reality, and to engage in shared governance. From the
moment the renovation of McEwen was announced, Gerald was involved
in the planning and placement of every small item - cables and electrical
outlets - as well as big items such as the two television studios
added to this building. He worked tirelessly. Gerald has handled
hundreds of tours, works far more than his share of admissions weekends,
and is always willing and flexible to jump in at the last minute
to ensure that everything runs smoothly. He is everyone's technology
helper. Gerald does hundreds of things during the year that might
not seem to get recognized, which is why we are recognizing him
with the inaugural service/leadership award this year."
 The
Excellence in Scholarship Award recognizes a faculty member whose
scholarly work has a significant intellectual impact. Elon's teacher-scholar
model describes scholarship as "the most fundamental form of
professional activity," and the institution values the scholarship
of discovering new knowledge, integrating knowledge, applying knowledge
and developing pedagogical innovations. In making its decision,
the selection committee considered tangible evidence of peer-reviewed
research and creative activity that was published or presented during
the preceding three years. Equally important were intangible factors
such as supporting the scholarly endeavors of colleagues, advancing
the school's reputation, and mentoring students in undergraduate
research.
"At Elon,
a professor cannot be measured by the articles published, to the
exclusion of the lives inspired," Parsons said. "Some
people plan to write or edit one book in a lifetime. David Copeland
appears to be working on a book a month! He is editor of a 14-volume
series on media and war, editor of another seven-volume series,
author or editor of five books already published and he has a textbook
coming out this summer. The best part is that his time on scholarship
does not diminish his attention to teaching, his service to the
university, or his time spent meeting with students outside of class."
Copeland came
to Elon in 2001 from Emory & Henry College in Virginia, where he
was recognized in 1999 as Virginia Professor of the Year by the
Carnegie Foundation. Since coming to Elon, he served as president
of the American Journalism Historians Association, and he's a member
of Elon University's Academic Council. To read more about Copeland,
in a related feature story, click
here.
Following the
awards presentations, members of the first graduating class of Communications
Fellows were introduced by Hamm, and three of them, Alyssa Martin,
Chad Nason and Anna Brodrecht gave brief presentations. The luncheon
program also featured a briefing from Elon President Leo Lambert
on the proposed Elon University law school.
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