COMM Self Study 1
Department of Communication Studies
Bob Schieffer College of Communication
Self Study
Fall, 2014 with final revisions approved on February 4, 2015
Paul E. King, Professor and Chair
Dr. Kristen Carr, Assistant Professor
Dr. Amber Finn, Associate Professor and Director of the Basic Speech Course
Ms. Katherine Forsythe, Instructor and Associate Basic Course Director
Dr. Johny Garner, Associate Professor
Dr. Amorette Hinderaker, Assistant Professor and Convener of Debates
Dr. Debi Iba, Instructor with Portfolio for International Studies
Dr. Andrew Ledbetter, Associate Professor
Ms. Carrie Moore, Instructor and Director of Public Speaking
Mr. Michael Putnam, Instructor
Dr. Adam Richards, Assistant Professor
Dr. Chris Sawyer, Professor
Dr. Paul Schrodt, Burguières Professor & Director of Graduate Studies
Dr. Melissa Schroeder, Associate Professor
Dr. Paul Witt, Professor
Staff: Ms. Dolores Villegas, Administrative Assistant
COMM Self Study 2
I. Brief History and Profile of the Department of Communication Studies
A. History
The mission of the Department of Communication Studies is to educate
students to think and communicate in ethical and effective ways that will enrich
their personal and professional lives. In order to achieve this mission, the
advancement of knowledge through active participation in scholarship (by both
faculty and students) and a commitment to professional development are required.
In broad strokes, the purpose of this department self study is to assess our
effectiveness in attaining this mission.
This Department of Communication self study was prepared by the faculty of
the department, primarily during the fall of 2014. Several sections were written by
individual faculty members who have special responsibility for selected areas. Other
sections were prepared by the Department of Communication Studies curriculum
committee members. This introductory section of the document, prepared by the
Department Chair, will contain two elements: a brief history and a current profile of
the unit.
Fortunately, the history of the Communication Studies Department was well
documented in a master’s thesis authored by Yancy Boyd in 1972, titled “A History of
the Department of Speech Communication at Texas Christian University” and in our
previous program review, prepared by Dr. Chris Sawyer in 2002-2003. This
previous review is attached, in full, as an appendix (Previous Department
Review) to this document. My comments will focus on the more recent historical
trends in the department.
The Speech Communication Department began the 1970’s as a composite of
several areas of emphasis: (1) a traditional core unit that explored public speaking,
rhetoric, forensics, and some topics in interpersonal communication, (2) a
radio/television/film (RTVF) unit with an attached radio station (KTCU), and (3) a
Speech Pathology program located in the newly constructed Miller Speech and
Hearing Clinic. The units were physically separated yet attached due to size
constraints and a common emphasis on the study of human communication. The
Speech Communication Department was, in turn, located within the College of Fine
Arts (later designated as Fine Arts and Communication). Department Chair, Dr.
Ralph Behnke, made the decision early in his tenure at TCU to (1) recommend that
RTVF be administratively separated to form it’s own academic department, and (2)
to discontinue the TCU forensics program. The final debate coach at TCU was Dr.
Michael J. Beatty (Ohio State University) whose area of expertise was more suited to
the general study of interpersonal and instructional communication.
Consequently, the Speech Communication Department began the 1980’s with
a more cohesive administrative structure and with new facilities, the J.M. Moudy
COMM Self Study 3
Building. The South Building began with the three units that still occupy the space,
RTVF and associated studios on the first floor, Journalism and Advertising/Public
Relations on the second floor, and the Department of Speech Communication on the
third floor. Interestingly, the classrooms and laboratories were constructed with an
unprecedented level of input from faculty who would be teaching in that space. So,
for example, interpersonal communication was taught in an octagonal room (with
four break out rooms) designed to facilitate discussion rather than lecture.
Following Dr. Behnke’s work as Department Chair, no major changes
occurred during the terms of Dr. Joseph Helmick (a Speech Pathologist) and Dr.
William E. Jurma. The size of the faculty remained at 6 full time positions in Speech
and 7-8 in Speech Pathology, a steady number for almost 20 years.
In 1990, Department Chair Dr. Paul King recommended the administrative
separation of the Speech, Hearing, Language Pathology programs into a distinct
academic department: the Department of Communication Science and Disorders
(today the Davies School of Sciences and Disorders, a division of the Harris College
of Nursing and Heath Sciences). The Speech Communication Department was
reconceived as a program emphasizing Communication in Human Relations—a
program title that Dr. Behnke had brought with him from the University of Kansas.
Under Dr. King, the program title was operationalized as a unit specializing in the
study of everyday communication (particularly in interpersonal and organizational
contexts). The thinking was that this approach would provide an opportunity for
disciplinary distinctiveness and programmatic unity (such as collegial research)
missing when faculty specialties were as disparate as rhetoric and public address,
performance studies, and business communications (including writing).
In 1996-97, Dr. William Powers joined the faculty and served as Department
Chair until 2002. Under Power’s leadership, a standing proposal to convert two
unused classrooms at the West end of the building into a showcase business and
professional speaking suite was funded and completed: the Bill and Kathleen Mercer
room. In addition, Dr. Powers hired Dr. Chris Sawyer and appointed him as the
Department’s first graduate program director.
Dr. Sawyer became Department Chair in 2002 and served in that capacity
through 2008. During Dr. Sawyer’s term in office, a number of significant
developments occurred, including the addition of a new tenure-track faculty line
and conversion of an instructor’s line to a tenure track line, the first such new lines
for the unit in about 25 years. The department saw tremendous growth in the
number of majors, becoming one of the largest units on campus with respect to that
indicator (regularly well above 300). The Department’s name was changed to the
Department of Communication Studies, reflecting more contemporary and
appropriate conventions, along with the focus of the department on everyday talk.
The Department’s first endowed professorship was announced, with Dr. Ralph
Behnke (winner of the Chancellor’s Award for Research and Creative Activity)
named the Philip J. & Cheryl C. Burguières Professor of Communication Studies.
COMM Self Study 4
Following Dr. Sawyer’s term, Dr. Paul King agreed to serve as Chair once
again. Dr. King’s most recent term has seen rapid expansion of the faculty with the
addition of 7 new full time lines (4 tenure track and 3 instructors). The
department’s matriculation policy resulted in a reduction in the number of majors
to the mid-200’s, solving a persistent problem of overbooking classes. Following
development of appropriate criteria and an appointment procedure, Dr. Paul
Schrodt (recognized by NCA for career contributions to the area of family
communication) was selected as the Philip J. & Cheryl C. Burguières Professor of
Communication Studies.
B. Recent Initiatives and Profile
During this recent period, a number of new initiatives have been undertaken.
First, we have developed an extensive program in forensics, headed by a Convener of
Debates, complete with a $50,000+ budget and a portfolio that includes high profile,
on campus, public debates (see Appendix 4). In addition, a new Director of Public
Speaking administers new programs such as a campus-wide public speaking
scholarship contest (the Wisdom Award), the endowed Gorvetzian Speaker series,
and a dedicated communication laboratory (see Appendix 5). We have forged a
new relationship with the J.V. Roach Honors College. We regularly schedule Honors
classes and have been represented on the Honors College Advisory Committee for
several years. For the first time in the unit’s history, we are offering international
study courses each summer (the United Kingdom and Italy) and are planning on the
development of a spring semester intercultural communication course (2016) that
will feature a trip to China during spring break.
Increased faculty size has permitted the unit to revisit the decision made
years before during King’s first appointment to focus only on a critical mass of
faculty specializing in interpersonal and organizational communication. Growth has
permitted the unit to expand offerings to include health communication, social
media, mediation, and other areas as well as a broadened epistemological approach
(to include interpretive scholarship, see list of undergraduate course offerings in
Appendix 1). Today, the Department is the most productive Master’s degree
granting unit in the U.S. in terms of scholarship quality and quantity (with the
exception being the University of Miami—a small faculty (5) that includes Dean
Michael J. Beatty, most prolific active scholar in the field and also lists itself as a
doctoral program). If we were compared to all U.S. doctoral programs, we would
rank among the top 10 (#6) in quantity (per faculty line), and a similar rank in
quality (measured by NCA doctoral program journal rankings—CIOS).
We maintain approximately 230 student majors (day 12, fall semester),
although this number has fluctuated greatly in past years, with severe consequences
for enrollment pressure and student time-to-graduate. Please note that the number
of student majors is under-represented compared to other units since (1) the
matriculation policy requires students to complete enrollment classes prior to
COMM Self Study 5
declaring a COMM major (for internal transfers), and (2) the curriculum is not
heavily sequenced compared to other programs, allowing for faster completion of
27 hours (B.A.) or 36 hours (B.S.). For example, in 2013, the Department of
Communication Studies awarded approximately 1/3 of the undergraduate degrees
from the Bob Schieffer College of Communication (111 of 337), compared with a
significantly smaller percentage of the number of majors, as shown below.
Year
Communication Studies
2001
136
2002
154
2003
208
2004
242
2005
271
2006
283
2007
327
2008
354
2009
338
2010
243
2011
248
2012
231
2013
231
2014
233
*Source: TCU Fact Book, Office of Institutional Research
College of Communication
858
850
888
974
1050
1067
1121
1160
1164
1088
1144
1099
1080
1034
The Department of Communication Studies is an academic unit with a
number of highly important service responsibilities. Consequently, it is vital to
maintain some control over the number of undergraduate student majors in order
to (1) maintain quality, and (2) accomplish our other important missions (providing
all TCU students with an opportunity to develop oral communication skills through
the TCU core, providing for a large minor field of study, and maintaining a successful
graduate program). Our policies and procedures for declaring a major or a minor,
including our internal matriculation policy, are shown in the TCU catalog copy in
Appendix 1.
The Department is remarkably productive in terms of credit hour production
(CHP). In fall, 2014, we produced 5,463 credit hours, compared to a sum of 10,718.5
for the Bob Schieffer College of Communication (or, approximately half of the
College total). This CHP total places the unit among the most productive units at TCU,
rivaling English (7610), History & Geography (5,752), Nursing (6,194), and
Management (5,877).
Through the early 2000s, much of the increase in both CHP and number of
majors was facilitated by dramatically expanded use of adjunct faculty. Because we
consider the importance of working with full time faculty to be an important part of
the TCU Promise, we have established recent initiatives to reduce over-reliance on
COMM Self Study 6
part-time teaching. In 2013, we hired an Associate Basic Course Director (ABCD) to
teach multiple sections of oral communication (OC) courses as well as to facilitate
expansion of the number of lab sections offered in our Basic Course, COMM 10123.
This spring, we anticipate the hiring (pending final Board of Trustees approval in
April) of a Director of Business and Professional Speaking. These new instructorlevel positions will replace current adjunct teaching. Along with an expanded
number of labs in COMM 10123, we expect reliance on occasional faculty to be
limited to specialized courses and a few evening offerings in the future.
Remaining adjunct faculty often provide highly specialized professional
experiences, for example:
Dr. Kay Harris, Senior Management at Alcon Labs and published author of several
studies in health communication and communication anxiety. Dr. Harris teaches
Health Communication.
Dr. Rich Shoen, Principle at Rich Shoen and Company, former senior executive with
financial corporations, highly experienced writing coach. Dr. Shoen teaches our
upper level writing emphasis course.
Dr. Charles Summerville, retired minister, author of text on organizational
communication (with Wayland Cummings), teaches business and professional
speaking.
Mr. Gerald Appel, graduate degrees in communication and in counseling, currently
completing dissertation in intercultural communication, teaches intercultural
communication.
Finally, the Department of Communication Studies has maintained a strong
M.S. program for well over half a century. The number of students enrolled in the
program is very strongly impacted by financial assistance available. A complete
report concerning our graduate programming is found in Appendix 2 of this
document.
II. Program Mission/Goals/Learning Outcomes/Assessment Results
For complete WEAVE report (for both the Department and our oral
communication responsibilities, see Appendix 3.
COMM Self Study 7
A. Department-wide summary
Assessing our Assessment
Summary prepared for Self-Study Review by Melissa Schroeder, 10/1/14)
Stated Mission/Purpose
To educate students to think and communicate in ethical and effective ways that will
enrich their personal and professional lives.



WEAVE Goals
Demonstrated Knowledge of Communication Theories
Knowledge of Principles and Findings in Communication Research
Display effective and appropriate use of skills in Personal/Professional
Communication
Strengths:
In the WEAVE system we have reasonably recent measures and action plans for
both Undergrad and Grad program. Examples of recent projects that have been
completed:
 Master Syllabus Project (completed 2011)
 Revision of Department Mission, Goals, Student Learning Outcomes (completed
2012)
 Exit Exams measuring demonstration of knowledge of communication research
findings and processes (established 2011-12, data reported 2012-13)
Weaknesses:
 No projects have been established for the undergrad program in the cycle since
2011-12. Although some projects are ongoing evaluations (e.g. exit exam
refinement, increased response rates), no new data has been entered in the system
since 2013.
 Only one project is scheduled for completion this year (including exam questions
on research principles, key findings and ethics to the exit exam, due for
completion 6/15)
Concerns
 Curriculum committee named as supervisor for several initiatives (e.g.
developing/implementing standards for Assessing Competent communication in
Personal Contexts in the undergraduate interpersonal and OCO courses; exit
exam items mentioned above to be added for 6/15 completion date)
 COMM 20103 is still listed as one of our WEAVE items. Will Powers still
contact person. Indicates some updating needed.
 Disconnect between some descriptions and actual action items. Assessment
largely based on exit exams not observation of interaction or demonstration of
skills.
COMM Self Study 8

Who is responsible for keeping us on track for the program assessment? Is the
Curriculum Committee prepared to do this work as part of their committee
assignment (that is how it appears to be set up currently).
(note: Since this report was prepared, we have addressed these concerns by
appointing Ms. Katherine Forsythe as our Director of Assessment. Ms. Forsythe will
maintain an ongoing membership in the Department Curriculum Committee, acting
as liaison between the Committee and the Basic Course. Proposed changes in
practice will originate in the Committee for consideration by the full faculty).
B. Basic Speech Communication Program Review
COMM 10123: Basic Speech Communication Internal Report, 2005-2014
Summary prepared for self-study review by Amber Finn and Kathryn Forsythe, fall, 2014
COMM 10123: Basic Speech Communication Catalog Description
Surveys fundamental communication concepts with an emphasis on developing
public speaking skills. Not available to students who have completed COMM 10133.
Type of Course
COMM 10123: Basic Speech Communication is a hybrid course, focusing on
interpersonal communication, group communication and public speaking. The
course provides an overview of communication concepts, principles, and theories. It
is primarily a skills-based course.
Brief History 2005-2014
In 2005, COMM 10123: Basic Speech Communication was added to the new Core
Curriculum http://www.core.tcu.edu/ as an Oral Communication Essential
Competency (OCO) course http://www.core.tcu.edu/OralComm.asp. Other OCO
COMM courses included Instructional Communication (no longer part of the
curriculum) and Business and Professional Communication. While the number of
students accommodated per OCO course was initially relatively even, over the years,
basic speech has become the primary OCO course, accommodating approximately
1500 students each year. See Table 1 for the number of students accommodated
each year per course.
At the same time the course was added to the Core Curriculum (i.e., 2005), basic
speech started being offered in two different formats: (1) blended large lecture/lab
and (2) stand-alone integrated lecture/lab. The blended large lecture/lab version of
the course involves an online lecture, followed by small performance labs. The
online portion of the class focuses on knowledge acquisition, while the lab
emphasizes communication skill-building. The stand-alone integrated lecture/lab
version is taught like a standard course. Both formats are still being offered today,
COMM Self Study 9
and a fairly balanced offering of the two has been maintained over the years. See
Table 2 for the number of students accommodated per year in each format.
Since 2005, the course has been taught by both full and part-time faculty members.
In 2005, Dr. Amber Finn was hired as the Basic Course Director to serve as lead
teacher for the stand-alone sections and coordinate the blended large lecture/lab
version of the course. She remains in this role today. In 2013, an Associate Basic
Course Director was hired to teach stand-alone sections of the course and help with
the administrative duties of the large lecture/lab course, including developing and
monitoring a course assessment plan. Ms. Katherine Forsythe currently serves as
the Associate Basic Course Director. In addition to Dr. Finn and Ms. Forsythe, other
full-time faculty members who regularly teach the course include Dr. Paul King, Dr.
Chris Sawyer, Mr. Mike Putnam, and Ms. Carrie Moore. Additionally, six to eight
part-time faculty members teach the course each year. See Table 2 for a breakdown
of full-time vs. part-time faculty teaching the course each semester.
TCU’s OCO Learning Outcomes
When COMM 10123 was added to the TCU Core Curriculum, the following learning
outcomes were attached to the course:
 Students will demonstrate the ability to construct and deliver effective
messages, adapted to the audience, purpose, and context of the situation.
 Students will demonstrate the ability to facilitate interpersonal and group
communication.
These learning outcomes remain in place today.
COMM 10123 Course Learning Objectives
In line with OCO Learning Outcomes and the Department’s mission statement (i.e.,
to educate students to think and communicate in ethical and effective ways so as to
enrich their personal and professional lives), the course learning objectives state
that upon completion of COMM 10123, the successful student will demonstrate:
 the knowledge, ability, and confidence to construct and deliver appropriate
and effective messages in public speaking contexts.
 the knowledge, ability, and confidence to facilitate appropriate and effective
communication in interpersonal contexts.
 the knowledge, ability, and confidence to facilitate appropriate and effective
communication in small group contexts.
Consistency between Formats
In order to ensure some consistency between the blended large lecture/lab and the
stand-alone sections of COMM 10123, all faculty members teaching the course are
expected to:
 have the same learning outcomes and objectives
COMM Self Study 10






focus on interpersonal, group, and public speaking
use the same textbook
include at least two exams in the course
require at least two presentations (informative and persuasive)
use the same, or very similar, speech grading rubrics
use traditional letter grades, not the plus/minus grading system
In addition, in an effort to have ongoing discussions and ensure similar learning
experiences for students, the Basic Course Director and/or the Associate Basic
Course Director observe the sections of the course taught by part-time faculty every
1-2 years.
Classroom Utilization
The blended large lecture/lab sections of COMM 10123 use Moudy S rooms #314,
#300, and #345 every Monday-Thursday from 8 am to 2 pm. The stand-alone
sections use various other available classrooms in, or in close proximity to, Moudy
South.
GTA Utilization
The blended large lecture/lab version of the basic speech course relies heavily on
graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to facilitate the small performance labs.
Approximately 8-10 graduate students serve as GTAs each year. Dr. Amber Finn,
Basic Course Director, trains and supervises the GTAs. The Associate Basic Course
Director assists in these duties. In order to ensure consistency between labs, all
GTAs are required to:
 Attend the annual GTA Training Workshop (described below)
 Attend just-in-time training sessions (described below)
 Schedule a time to have their lab observed at least once a year and
coordinate a follow-up meeting (described below)
 Use the same syllabus and textbook
 Follow the same teaching schedule, which ensures covering the same topics
and facilitating similar activities
 Use and enforce the same classroom policies and procedures
 Use the same grading rubrics
GTA Training
The GTAs serving as lab instructors for the blended large lecture/lab version of the
course receive considerable training before they ever set foot in the classroom and
continual training and support throughout their time in the graduate program. The
goal is to ensure the GTAs have every opportunity to succeed and that the students
in the course have a very similar, positive learning experience. Training and support
includes:
COMM Self Study 11




Annual GTA Training Workshop. GTAs attend a week-long training
workshop prior to each academic year. The workshop covers effective
teacher communication behaviors (e.g., immediacy, clarity, etc.), speech
evaluation training, emailing etiquette, classroom management, teaching
methods, shared resources, etc. GTAs are required to attend the workshop
each year. The experienced GTAs are asked to serve as mentors to the new
GTAs during the workshop.
Just-in-Time Training. The Basic Course Director and Associate Basic
Course Director meet with the GTAs throughout the semester to ensure
consistency and provide continual training. Topics of discussion include
upcoming assignments, current struggles, grading, classroom management,
etc.
Annual Classroom Observation and Meeting. The Basic Course Director
and/or the Associate Basic Course Director observe each GTA in the
classroom at least once per year. After the observation, the GTA is asked to
self-reflect on the lab and then schedule a meeting with the observing faculty
member to discuss the teaching experience. During the meeting, strengths
and weaknesses are identified and goals for the future are agreed upon. The
observing faculty member and the GTA have subsequent ongoing discussions
related to the GTA’s goals and future classroom experiences.
Open Door Policy. The Basic Course Director and Associate Basic Course
Director have an open door policy for all GTAs. GTAs are welcome to meet
with either faculty member as needed to discuss administrative and teaching
challenges.
University Service
In addition to accommodating a large number of students each semester, the
blended large lecture/lab version of the course is constantly being examined to
determine ways in which the course can help meet university needs. The following
two projects are currently underway:
1) FrogFolio. Given the FrogFolio initiative on campus, the Basic Course
Director is working closely with Dr. Daniel Terry, Director of ePortfolio, to
utilize the FrogFolio in COMM 10123. The FrogFolio was embedded in the
course in fall 2014 and is being closely monitored by Dr Finn, Dr. Terry, and
Dr. Catherine Wehlburg, Associate Provost Instructional Effectiveness. If the
FrogFolio can effectively be embedded into the course, COMM 10123 will
help approximately one thousand students a year obtain a FrogFolio account
and receive training on how to effectively create and use a FrogFolio.
2) Honors College. The Associate Course Director is working closely with the
John V. Roach Honor’s College to determine current and future needs for
honors sections of COMM 10123. Based upon recent conversations, 1-2
sections of the course are needed each semester starting in fall 2015. Plans
are underway to help meet this need.
COMM Self Study 12
Improvement Plans
In an ongoing effort to improve the blended large lecture/lab version of COMM
10123, the following are in the works:
 Labs. A proposal has been made to restructure the current lab offerings.
Currently, labs are being offered twice a week for 50-minutes each. However,
in order to resolve a number of structural and logistical issues in the course,
the proposal outlines a model for labs to follow the natural sciences and meet
once a week for 1 hour and fifty minutes.
 Online Lectures. The Basic Course Director is working closely with the
Koehler Center to incorporate current best practices for online and mobile
teaching and learning into the online lectures.
 Comprehensive Assessment Plan. Beginning spring 2015, a comprehensive
assessment plan for the course will be implemented. The assessment plan
will include macro and micro assessment of course learning outcomes.
Conclusion
The basic speech course continues to be an integral part of the department.
Assessment
For a summary of assessment plans and findings for our OC courses (COMM 10123
and 10133), see the attached document, 10123 Assessment.
COMM Self Study 13
Table 1: # of Students per OCO Course per Semester
14 Fall
14 Summer
14 Spring
13 Fall
13 Summer
13 Spring
12 Fall
12 Summer
12 Spring
11 Fall
11 Summer
11 Spring
10 Fall
10 Summer
10 Spring
09 Fall
09 Summer
09 Spring
08 Fall
08 Summer
08 Spring
07 Fall
07 Summer
07 Spring
06 Fall
06 Summer
06 Spring
05 Fall
05 Summer
05 Spring
`
Basic Speech
Communication
682
77
711
1470
824
81
628
1533
673
89
557
1319
686
69
554
1309
598
74
488
1160
483
57
457
997
455
35
456
946
749
65
673
1487
633
61
575
1269
584
19
372
975
Business &
Professional
Speaking
170
19
103
292
144
15
157
316
138
29
122
289
189
69
199
457
262
34
303
599
329
22
308
659
249
14
224
487
318
0
250
568
277
0
200
477
187
17
184
388
Instructional
Communication
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
34
34
33
12
34
79
37
0
69
106
50
13
46
109
79
0
67
146
60
0
57
117
Total OCO
852
96
814
1762
968
96
785
1849
811
118
679
1608
875
138
753
1766
860
108
825
1793
845
91
799
1735
741
49
749
1539
1117
78
969
2164
989
61
842
1892
831
36
613
1480
COMM Self Study 14
Table 2: # of Students per Basic Course Format per Semester
14 Fall
14 Summer
14 Spring
13 Fall
13 Summer
13 Spring
12 Fall
12 Summer
12 Spring
11 Fall
11 Summer
11 Spring
10 Fall
10 Summer
10 Spring
09 Fall
09 Summer
09 Spring
08 Fall
08 Summer
08 Spring
07 Fall
07 Summer
07 Spring
06 Fall
06 Summer
06 Spring
05 Fall
05 Summer
05 Spring
# of Students
in Blended
Large
Lecture/Lab
388
0
347
735
382
0
343
725
341
0
337
678
343
0
338
681
289
0
295
584
293
0
291
584
290
0
297
587
581
0
531
1112
493
0
369
862
407
0
255
662
FullTime
Faculty
1
0
1
GTAs
9
0
9
1
0
1
9
0
8
1
0
1
8
0
9
1
0
1
9
0
8
1
0
1
6
0
6
1
0
1
7
0
6
1
0
1
7
0
6
1
0
1
8
0
8
1
0
1
8
0
6
1
0
1
6
0
5
# of Students
in StandAlone
294
77
364
735
442
81
285
808
332
89
220
641
343
69
216
628
309
74
193
576
190
57
166
413
165
35
159
359
168
65
142
375
140
61
206
407
177
19
117
313
# of
Sections
12
5
16
FullTime
Faculty
2
5
3
PartTime
Faculty
6
0
6
19
5
12
4
3
2
7
0
4
14
4
9
2
2
0
5
0
5
15
3
9
2
2
0
6
0
6
13
4
8
1
3
0
8
1
4
8
3
7
0
2
0
6
1
6
8
3
8
0
2
0
7
1
7
7
3
6
0
2
0
6
1
6
6
3
8
1
1
1
4
1
4
7
1
5
1
1
0
4
0
3
Total
Students
682
77
711
1470
824
81
628
1533
673
89
557
1319
686
69
554
1309
598
74
488
1160
483
57
457
997
455
35
456
946
749
65
673
1487
633
61
575
1269
584
19
372
975
COMM Self Study 15
III. Student Recruitment, Retention, and Placement
Please note that these issues are covered extensively for our M.S. Program in
Appendix 2.
Our undergraduate programs are academic, rather than
professional/vocational in nature. Since our majors find work in such diverse areas
as human resources, teaching, management, sales, marketing, event coordination,
corporate communication, and various clerical areas, providing specific information
on placement is very difficult compared to professional programs. Consequently, we
do not maintain the industry specific information available in other programs at
TCU.
A. Graduation Placement Survey 2014
Employment placement for graduating seniors for the past academic year (Fall
2013, Spring 2014) has been collected on a small number of students who
volunteered their information.
This information comes courtesy of Kim Satz (TCU Associate Director of Employer
Development). Her comments regarding the available data are important to note as
the department/college/university move forward in technology designed for easy
capture of our graduates’ placement information:



“Since we only began conducting surveys on iPads in 2013, these are the only
graduating classes we have this information for in this format at this time.”
“Note, this information is based on student survey responses immediately
prior to graduation and only contain responses of students who
participated. As you can see, we changed the questions up a bit from the fall
2013 to the spring 2014 survey, so there is some variation in the information
provided.”
“We are exploring other ways to electronically capture this information as of
the date of graduation and then at intervals thereafter so we have a better
picture of where grads are employed. Until student reporting is required
though, we are relying on self-reporting.”
Graduating Senior Survey Report
What degree will you be receiving at graduation?
Degree
BS-Communication Studies
# Respondents
Fall 2013
Spring 2014
14
35
COMM Self Study 16
What is your primary current career status?
Status
Currently applying and/or interviewing for professional
position
Employed in a full-time professional position related to my
major field of study
Employed in a full-time professional position not related to my
major field of study
Have not yet started search for professional position but intend
to do so
Been accepted to graduate program and intend to enroll
Other (please specify)1, 2
N=
1 Debating between a few job offers
2 Moving to Italy because spouse is stationed near Venice
Fall 2013
6
42.86%
Spring 2014
12
34.29%
5
35.71%
10
28.57%
2
14.29%
5
14.29%
2
5.71%
3
3
8.57%
8.57%
35
1
7.14%
14
COMM Self Study 17
With what company is the job you
accepted?
FALL 2013
December 5th
Gateway Mortgage
Group
H&H Oil
International
Realty
KHM Rentals
Medix Staffing
Solutions
Mira Vista Realtors
(7 Respondents)
SPRING 2014
Agility communication group
Axis Advisors
Catapult Health
DISYS
golinharris
Lennox International
logistics company
Mercedes Benz of coral gables
Sewell (2 respondents)
Teach for America
Textron
The Fort Worth Star Telegram
Weir Oil and Gas
XTO Energy
(15 Respondents)
COMM Self Study 18
If you have accepted a position or are currently employed, what is your base salary?
Salary
Below $20,000
$20,000$29,999
$30,000$39,999
$40,000$49,999
$50,000$59,999
$60,000$69,999
N=
Fall 2013
1 14.29%
1 14.29%
Spring 2014
4
28.57%
1
14.29%
6
42.86%
2
28.57%
2
14.29%
1
14.29%
1
7.14%
1
14.29%
1
7.14%
7
14
In what industry is the professional position you accepted or are currently working?
FALL 2013
1 14.29% Communication
2 28.57% Energy
1 14.29% Management/Admin
2 28.57% Real Estate
1 14.29% Sales
(7 Respondents)
SPRING 2014
1
7.14% Advertising
2
14.29% Communication
1
7.14% Education - Elementary
1
7.14% Financial Services
1
7.14% Healthcare - Non-nursing
1
7.14% Journalism
1
7.14% Logistics
1
7.14% Marketing - Non-Sales
2
14.29% Oil and Gas
1
7.14% Retail
2
14.29% Sales
(14 Respondents)
COMM Self Study 19
We mentor and advise students in formal and informal ways. Formally,
faculty who completed the survey (nearly everyone) reported 224 advisees (about
18.67 per person). That number has declined as we’ve added new faculty (although
the decrease may also be due to required courses to become majors). Due to the
presence of matriculation requirements, faculty also report quite a bit of unofficial
advising for those who have not yet been able to declare our major.
In terms of formal mentoring, one faculty member reported specifically
advising at-risk students. Faculty reported directing eight honors theses in recent
semesters. However, most of the mentoring that we give to undergraduates is
informal. More than anything, our faculty provide mentoring in our classes (i.e.,
character class, conflict management, etc.). Along that line, Debi Iba and Carrie
Moore provide up-close mentoring through their Study Abroad programs. We write
numerous recommendation letters (both traditional format and on Linked In). We
provide mentoring through Lambda Pi Eta. Faculty give students personal help in
managing public speaking fear. Dr. Johny Garner provides a great deal of career
mentoring to students through the Internship class. He also teaches a University
Experience class for first-semester freshmen.
B. Quality Indicators
Lambda Pi Eta:
Our department sponsors an active chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the national
honor society for communication majors and minors. At the national level, the
society is governed by the National Communication Association and is an accredited
member of the Association of College Honor Societies. The Lambda Pi Eta chapter at
TCU was founded in February 2008 as the Omicron Chi chapter. Due to a clerical
error on the part of the National Communication Association, it was renamed the
Alpha Alpha Mu chapter in July 2011. To join Lambda Pi Eta, a student must hold a
minimum university GPA of 3.0 and departmental GPA of 3.25, as well as a minimum
of 60 credit hours earned total and 12 hours in communication studies courses.
At the end of the 2013-2014 academic year, the Alpha Alpha Mu chapter of
Lambda Pi Eta had 51 members, including 16 newly inducted in the fall 2013
semester and 9 newly inducted in the spring 2014 semester. The fall induction
ceremony featured a lecture by Dr. Mark Morman (Baylor University). During the
spring, Lambda Pi Eta assisted the forensics program in hosting an awards event for
the department. In addition to inducting new members into Lambda Pi Eta and the
forensics honor society (Pi Kappa Delta), the event featured student performances
and presentation of awards. Among the awards given was the new Lambda Pi Eta
Award for Faculty Excellence, which recognizes a faculty member who is (a)
intellectually demanding and rigorous, (b) deeply committed to teaching and
students, (c) communicates effectively with students, and (d) has a positive and
lasting impact on students. This award will be given yearly each spring.
COMM Self Study 20
Class sizes are restricted by available room space. One classroom (Moudy
South 320, seats 70) is frequently used for larger sections of interpersonal
communication, communication theory, and organizational communication). These
classes are more commonly taught with enrollment maximums of 30. All
performance classes are limited to a maximum enrollment of 25. All writing
emphasis courses are limited to a maximum of 20. Grade distributions in COMM are
consistent with comparable units in the College and the University. For fall, 2014,
combined distributions were:
COMM
COMM
% of Total Number
of Records along
Grade (group)
N
27.54%
594
37.92%
818
19.84%
428
2.41%
52
2.04%
44
1.11%
24
Since several faculty members use +/- grading while others do not, it is
difficult to characterize overall grading practices; however, data for spring, 2014 are
displayed in Appendix 5, broken down by both systems of grading.
The most recent copy of the Department of Communication Studies Profile,
provided by the TCU Office of Institutional Research, is displayed in Appendix 6.
This appendix includes quality indicators such as SAT and ACT scores of entering
students, along with the average GPA of Baccalaureate Recipients (which happens to
be exactly 3.0 for 2011-2013). Retention and Graduation rates are also included.
IV. Faculty Teaching/Ressearch/Service Quality
A. Outstanding Achievements
Accomplishments in research and publication:
Within the communication discipline, our department is highly regarded for
the quantity and quality of research our faculty produce. One of the more objective
benchmarks is the ComAnalytics database, which ranks communication programs
across the country based on the average number of publications per faculty
member. For master’s-level programs, the average number of publications per
faculty member is 2.65 (SD = 3.12); in our department, the average is 20.33 (z =
+5.67). When compared to master’s programs with at least 5 faculty members, this
places us as the #1 program in the nation for faculty productivity. Comparing this
rate to doctoral programs reveals that we would be ranked as the #5 most
productive doctoral department, surpassed only by Missouri, West Virginia,
California at Santa Barbara, and Penn State. A similar analysis adjusting for prestige
of publication outlet yields almost identical results, placing us as the #1 master’s
program and #6 among the doctoral programs. Taken overall, this serves as clear
evidence that our faculty is producing research distinctive by both its quantity and
quality. Stated differently, the productivity of our faculty exceeds that of some of the
COMM Self Study 21
most prestigious doctoral programs in our field, including Stanford, Cornell, Texas,
Texas A&M, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Purdue, and Arizona, among
many others.
The publication outlets chosen by our faculty also testify to the quality of
research produced by our department. Within the last five years (i.e., since 2009),
our faculty have published single- or first-authored manuscripts in Communication
Research (2013 ISI impact factor = 2.44), New Media & Society (2.05), Human
Communication Research (1.89), Personal Relationships (1.84), Communication
Monographs (1.32), Health Communication (1.28), Management Communication
Quarterly (1.05), and Communication Education (ranked 13 in CCA-Sponsored
Journals in Google Scholar Metrics, 2013, placing it above journals such as
Communication Theory and Public Relations Research), among other prestigious
outlets. Our faculty also have received national recognition for their scholarly
achievement, including the Gerald R. Miller Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation
Award (Adam Richards, 2014), Interpersonal Communication Early Career Award
(Andrew Ledbetter, 2014), and Bernard J. Brommel Award for Outstanding
Scholarship in Family Communication (Paul Schrodt, 2012). Along with numerous
top paper recognitions received by the faculty at national and regional conferences,
these awards reveal not only the commitment of our faculty to research excellence,
but also demonstrate broad recognition of the quality of that research by our peers
at other institutions.
Our faculty are highly visible as presenters, respondents, and panel chairs in
the annual conferences of the National Communication Association and
International Communication Association, as well as the Central States
Communication Association and the Southern States Communication Association.
Our collective body of research is recognized in the areas of interpersonal, family,
instructional, organizational, group, and communication apprehension, among
others. We have received numerous awards for scholarship in these divisions, and
several of our articles have received special honors and recognitions. Here is a
summary of this professional activity over the past several years:
59 Top Paper Awards—31 National, 28 Regional
5 Individual Article Recognitions—4 National, 1 International
Distinguished Article Award, NCA Instructional Development Division
John E. Hunter Award, ICA Information Systems Division
Article of the Year Award Journal of Family Communication
Franklin Knower Article Award, NCA Interpersonal Division
Top Article of the Year, NCA Communication Apprehension and Competence
Division
5 National Recognitions for Individual Scholarly Achievement
(2) Early Career Award, NCA Interpersonal Division
Bernard J. Brommel Award for Outstanding Scholarship, NCA Family Comm
Division
COMM Self Study 22
Sandra Petronio Dissertation Excellence Award, NCA Family Comm Division
Gerald R. Miller Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, NCA Interpersonal
Division
In addition to research achievement, our faculty are dedicated to excellence
in teaching, as evidenced by the following honors and awards:
National and Regional Recognition for Teaching
Teachers on Teaching Award, NCA
Outstanding New Teacher Award, CSCA
Certificate of Merit, SSCA
TCU Recognition for Scholarship and Teaching
Distinguished Achievement as a Creative Teacher and Scholar—College of
Communication
Deans’ Research Award—College of Communication
Deans’ Teaching Award—College of Communication
Preferred Professor Award
Outstanding Mentor Award
Exceptional Honors Professor
Most Motivational Teacher Award
During the past several years, members of our faculty have provided
leadership in several regional and national professional organizations. Here is a
summary of that activity:
Leadership Positions in National Organizations
NCA Publications Board
NCA Task Force on Policy Platform Review
Chair, NCA Resolutions Committee
NCA Nominating Committee
NCA Strategic Planning Committee
Secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair, Communication Apprehension and
Competence Division
Secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair, Family Communication Division
Secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair, Communication in the Future Division
Chair, Nominating Committee, NCA Instructional Development Division
Editor, NCA journal Communication Education
Leadership Positions in Regional Organizations
Member-at-large, CSCA Executive Committee of CSCA
Chair, CSCA Federation Prize Committee
Chair, CSCA Nominating Committee
Chair, Vice Chair, and Program Planner, SSCA Interpersonal Communication
Division
COMM Self Study 23
Chair, Vice Chair, and Program Planner, CSCA Interpersonal Communication
Division
Member of Editorial Boards or Consulting Reviewer for the following journals:
Communication Education
Western Journal of Communication
Communication Monographs
Communication Quarterly
Communication Theory
Communication Research Reports
Communication Reports
Social Psychology of Education
Journal of Online Behavior
Collectively, these honors and achievements represent a highly professional,
highly productive, and highly esteemed group of scholars who make up the faculty
of the TCU Department of Communication Studies.
B. Summarize the process for determining faculty salary and the
criteria used for awarding merit pay.
New positions are generally awarded with a budgeted salary attached. Our
experience has been that TCU is open to adjustment of the final salary offer. The
experience of the current Chair, Dr. King, has been that we were able to hire all of
our first ranked candidates (8 total) during his time in office. At least two of those
candidates also had offers from PhD granting programs.
Merit pay increases are awarded using the criteria indicated in the
document: “Addendum to the College of Communication Criteria for Faculty
Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion, Tenure and Merit Increase, As Applied to
the Department of Communication Studies” (revised April 14, 2010). This document
is included as Appendix 7 of this self study.
Calculations are based on the workload estimation of 40% teaching, 40%
research, 20% service/advising/professional development. For instructors,
workload is estimated at 70% teaching, 30% service/advising/professional
development. After annual reports are reviewed, individual ratings within each
category are developed for faculty and then adjusted by the workload percentage
figures to calculate adjusted mean ratings. These are then applied to distribute
funds available for merit increase. Faculty salary increases are generally about 3%
and there is a typical holdout to permit structural adjustments. Consequently, we
award % increases averaging 2.8. Special explanations are required for salary
increases above 4%. These issues have been thoroughly vetted at department
faculty meetings and, in 2013-14, we engaged in a lengthy discussion of “dollars vs.
percentages” in one of those meetings.
COMM Self Study 24
C. Mean Salaries by Rank
Rank
Mean 9 month salary
Professor (includes endowment)
$99, 310
Associate Professor
$77, 745
Assistant Professor
$66, 682
Instructor
$61, 368
D. Faculty Professional Statements (single page abstracts)
Dr. Kristen Carr, Assistant Professor
Teaching
Since fall of 2012 I have taught 15 sections of three undergraduate courses at TCU: Interpersonal
Communication, Family Communication, and Communication Theory. I have also taught one section of a
graduate-level “Topics in Communication” course, Communication and Coping. To date, I have received
an overall mean eSPOT evaluation of 4.86/5.00. In support of TCU’s mission of encouraging students to
become ethical leaders and responsible citizens, I endeavor to create a classroom environment where
students can critically engage with difficult aspects of communication. Accordingly, I feel I have succeeded
when students provide comments such as, “Dr. Carr is truly amazing at what she does. She made class fun
and interesting and it made me want to go to class every day” and, “I was still deciding if I wanted to be a
communication studies major or not. Now I know I absolutely do. There is quite a bit of reading and I still
wanted to read everyday because Dr. Carr’s passion for the class made me excited to learn.” Comments
such as these reinforce my commitment to motivate and inspire students as they learn to be competent
communicators.
Research
My program of research originated from my interest in challenging communication contexts, particularly
during times of stress and adversity. Initially, my research focused on examining the communication
processes that sustained ongoing, repetitive conflict (i.e., serial arguments). Overtime, my interests have
expanded to include the communicative construction of forgiveness, the role of communication in family
estrangement, and more recently, the importance of communicating support in developing resilience to
adversity and posttraumatic growth. To date, I have eight articles published or in press in peer-reviewed
journals as well as two book chapters, all within the discipline of communication. Specifically, my research
has appeared in the Journal of Family Communication, Communication Education, Western Journal of
Communication, Health Communication, and the International Encyclopedia of Interpersonal
Communication, among others. I have three manuscripts currently under peer review. Additionally, my
work has earned top paper awards in the Interpersonal, Instructional, and Family Communication
Divisions, all from the National Communication Association.
Service
In recent years, I have served our discipline’s professional organizations in several capacities. Specifically,
I have been elected to serve as a paper reader in the Interpersonal and Small Group Interest Group for the
Central States Communication Association, and in the Family Communication Division for the National
Communication Association. I have also chaired several panels at multiple annual conventions. I am an
active member of the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Family Communication, the Western
Journal of Communication, and Communication Education, among others.
In addition to my service to the discipline, I have also served our department and the University in several
capacities. I currently serve on our Departmental Curriculum Committee and review proposals for existing
and new courses. I have served nearly two years on our Departmental Review Board by providing feedback
on each research protocol submitted by members of our department. Currently, I am the advisor of record
for 18 undergraduate students and I have served on the graduate thesis committee for four Masters students
COMM Self Study 25
this year. Overall, I seek to build relationships with all of my advisees by meeting with them prior to
enrolling for classes but also having several informal meetings as needed during the semester. As a result,
my advisees frequently seek advice about potential jobs, internships, scholarships, and studying abroad, and
I am happy to write letters of recommendation in support of their pursuits.
COMM Self Study 26
Executive Summary: Amber N. Finn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Director of Basic Communication Course
My program of research is in the area of instructional communication. Specifically, I focus on (a)
teacher communication behaviors, (b) productive teacher-student relationships, (c) technology in
the classroom, (d) instruction in the basic communication course, and (e) instructional practices
which help mitigate public speaking anxiety. Within this program of research, I have produced 22
publications, including 16 journal articles, two book chapters, and four invited publications. I have
also (co)presented 22 competitive papers at national and regional communication conferences. My
research has won awards, such as the Top Paper award and Article of the Year award at both the
national and regional levels.
My primary teaching responsibility includes serving as the Director of our basic speech
communication course. COMM 10123: Basic Speech Communication is the primary course students
take to fulfill their oral communication (OC) requirement at TCU. It is a hybrid course that focuses on
interpersonal communication, group communication and public speaking. As the director of the
course, I oversee the large lecture/lab sections, including training, managing, and mentoring the
GTAs, and serve as lead teacher for the stand-alone sections of the course. The course accommodates
over 1400 students a year. I have also developed and teach courses in instructional communication
and communication and training.
In terms of service, I am actively involved at TCU and with the National Communication Association
(NCA). At the university level, I have chaired (2010-2012) and continue to serve on the Research and
Creative Activities Committee (2007-current) and have actively participated in multiple pilot groups
on campus (e.g., LOM and FrogFolio). At the college level, I have served as the college representative
on both the Undergraduate Council (2008-2011) and Graduate Council (2012-current). Within the
department, I have chaired and served on numerous committees, such as User of Human Subjects
(2008-current), Advisory Committee (2009-2011), Undergraduate Curriculum Review (2008-2011),
and Search Committee (2011-2014). I am currently the Immediate Past-Chair of the Communication
Apprehension and Competence Division of NCA, having previously served as Chair (2012-2013), Vice
Chair and Program Planner (2011-2012), and Secretary (2008-2010). I am also an active member of
the Editorial Board for Communication Education and frequently serve as a reviewer for
Communication Studies, Communication Quarterly and Communication Research Reports.
COMM Self Study 27
Executive Summary: Katherine E. Forsythe, M.S.
Instructor & Associate Basic Course Director
My primary teaching responsibility includes serving as the Associate Director of our basic speech
communication course. COMM 10123: Basic Speech Communication is the primary course students
take to fulfill their oral communication (OC) requirement at TCU. The course is a hybrid course that
focuses on interpersonal communication, group communication and public speaking and
accommodates over 1400 students a year. As the associate director of the course, my primary
responsibilities include: developing an assessment plan for the course, aiding in the development of
the curriculum and course materials, training, managing, and mentoring graduate teaching
assistants, and serving as an instructor for several stand-alone sections of the course each semester. I
have also taught business and professional speaking, interpersonal communication, and
organizational communication.
In addition to my teaching responsibilities, I have sought opportunities to serve the department and
university. At the department level, I have taken the lead in developing an assessment plan for the
basic course. As an active member of the National Communication Association (NCA), I used the most
recent convention as an opportunity to gain assessment knowledge and skills to share with the
department. I also planned and coordinated the department reception for the annual convention. I
serve as an academic advisor for 17 students. I also temporarily served as an advisor for an
additional 16 students and as an instructor for an additional two classes while a faculty member was
on medical leave. At the university level, I have continued to foster relationships with other
departments and initiatives on campus. I am working with the Academy of Tomorrow to pilot
FrogFolio as part of the basic course. I am also continuing to develop my long-standing relationship
with the John V. Roach Honors College by finding ways to add more honors sections to the
department and basic course offerings, with the hopes of strengthening the department’s
representation in the honors program.
COMM Self Study 28
Johny T. Garner
Associate Professor
Research
The main line of my research focuses on the process of organizational dissent. Previous research
has been variable analytic and atheoretical. I have developed a process theory of dissent, and I am
testing and extending that theory. A second avenue of research examines organizational
communication in nonprofit organizations and churches. Most of the “big” ideas in my field have
been developed in businesses. I am working to understand the degree to which those ideas transfer
to churches.
Teaching
The primary class that I teach is organizational communication. It is a junior-level course that
focuses on fundamental processes in organizations such as decision-making, leadership, conflict
management, and change. I also direct our internship program. In the class that students take
concurrently with their internship, we talk about what it’s like to be new in an organization, how to
navigate office politics and differing communication styles, and how to communicate professionally.
I teach two classes at the graduate level—a survey of organizational communication, which looks at
the main ideas in the field, and power and incivility, which examines the dark side of organizational
communication with topics such as workplace bullying, harassment, and deception.
Service
At the college level, I am serving my second year on our college advisory board, evaluating
candidates for promotion and tenure. Within our department, I have recently served on the
department IRB and curriculum committee for several years (one year as chair of each). I advise a
number of students. I take an active role in helping students with research ideas to develop those
ideas into actionable projects.
COMM Self Study 29
2014 Professional Work, Amorette Hinderaker, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Teaching
COMM 30103: Argumentation and Debate. This course includes instruction in argumentation theory,
and practice of skills through in-class debates. I have developed this course to give students a
background in argumentation theory, focusing on critical thinking and evaluation of real-world
debates. Students practice their knowledge of argumentation theory through in-depth research into a
current events topic, which they debate with a peer in class.
COMM 20163: Organizational Communication. This class is part of the departmental core. In
addition to use of a consistent textbook and curriculum, I have added an additional text of work
narratives that help students see examples of organizational theory in practice. Students also engage
in individual research and complete a case study using a theory of their choice.
Evaluation of teaching: I engage in mid-term assessment in all courses I teach through
anonymously submitted student evaluations. Students are asked to comment on what works well in
the course and what they would like to see changed. I attempt to respond to these requests for
change in the same semester when possible, and in subsequent semesters when necessary. I have, for
example, changed textbooks based on student feedback. I have also included more work and practice
days in all courses for research.
Research
Publications: During 2014, I have received two journal acceptances. Articles in press include a study
of exit from totalistic organizations in Western Journal of Communication. This article (Severing
Primary Ties: Exit from Totalistic Organizations) is currently available online, and is expected to be
in the next print edition of the journal. The article compares the exit narratives of former members of
totalistic organizations (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, police officers, and firefighters).
Findings suggest that organizational memberships are defined not by pay status, but by the reach of
the organization into the member’s life. A second article was recently accepted by Communication
Studies, and will appear in an upcoming issue in 2015. This article (The Long Road Out: Exit Stories
from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) examines the exit narratives of former members
of the Mormon church. Findings suggest a more nuanced view of exit that accounts for organizational
forms that repress, discourage, or forbid individualization attempts.
Projects in progress: I am currently involved in several projects that will be ready for submission in
the coming year. I am working with Dr. Garner on a study of religious exit. We are currently collecting
data (personal interviews). This manuscript will be ready to submit to the National Communication
Association Annual Convention in 2015. I am working with a TCU graduate student to refina a study I
completed and presented at the 2014 NCA conference. This study of anonymous dissent against
religious organizations will be submitted to a journal this summer. A study of media reports of faith
healing is in the analysis phase and will be ready for journal submission in the summer 2015. I will
be collecting data for a study of research questions in competitive rhetorical criticism at the Pi Kappa
Delta National Tournament and Convention in March. A final project in progress is a study of the
testimonial statements of the Ordain Women movement in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. Data has been collected for this study, and analysis will take place over summer 2015 for a
Fall 2015 completion and journal submission.
Forensics
TCU Forensics has grown to 18 active members. The team has achieved many individual and team
awards including several top-three team sweepstakes awards at very large and competitive
tournaments. The team will host a public exhibition debate against the Great Debate Society of Wiley
College on March 18 to commemorate the 80 th anniversary of the TCU vs. Wiley debate during
Wiley’s famous 1935 season detailed in the movie The Great Debaters. For a more full listing of team
goals, accomplishments, and assessments, please see the team strategic plans and assessments.
Other Service
Qualitative Research Sessions: I will be holding several training sessions with TCU graduate
students interested in learning qualitative research methods during the Spring 2015 semester.
Several students have expressed interest in learning qualitative data collection and analysis methods.
These sessions will offer instruction and practice in these methods.
COMM Self Study 30
Reviewing: I have served as a reviewer for two journals in 2014 (National Forensic Journal and
Journal of the Communication, Speech, and Theater Association of North Dakota). I also reviewed for
the Religious Communication Division of the National Communication Association.
Debate Judging: I served as a judge for the International Public Policy Forum Debates, an
international case construction competition. I also served as a guest judge for junior debates at
Chapel Hill Academy, a local charter school.
Curriculum Committee: I am in my third year as a member of the departmental curriculum
committee.
COMM Self Study 31
Debra Iba, Instructor
Teaching
I am currently in my 10th academic year in the Communication Studies department at TCU. My
primary teaching responsibilities in recent semesters have included Nonverbal Communication,
Gender and Communication and Group Communication. I teach a 4/4 load each year, and on
average, this is about 100 – 110 students per semester. Across the years, I have taught many courses
to meet the needs of our students and expand the breadth of courses in the department. These have
included Organizational Communication, Interviewing, and Business & Professional Speaking. I have
also taught faculty-led study abroad courses and graduate courses. I have twice proposed and had
approved new courses. One of these is Nonverbal Communication, mentioned above, which I have
taught continuously since 2010. More recently, I developed Gender and Communication which was
first offered in the 2013-14 year. In Fall 2012, I was also appointed affiliate faculty in the Women and
Gender Studies (WGST) program, and the Gender and Communication course is cross-listed with
WGST. The intersection of my content focus among these three upper-division COMM courses is on
students learning to question, analyze, and critique. I provide students with complicated, real-world
problems from which they can develop good deep-thinking and close-reading abilities. I endeavor for
students to recognize that learning requires much more than a consumption of information, and
student evaluations support that this method is valuable and meaningful to them. Beyond the
traditional classroom, I also co-administer the department’s faculty-led study abroad program. Along
with colleague Carrie Moore and nine students, the program was first offered in 2013 and was
located in London and Scotland for our “Communication & Debate in the UK” program. In 2014, I
organized the study abroad destination, which was rotated to a new location for the “Italy:
Communication & Culture” program which attracted 19 students. Together, Moore and I are
currently recruiting students for the 2015 UK summer program, and I will propose the 2016 Italy
program in the coming months. Commitments for study abroad include proposing programs,
securing travel arrangements and accommodations, and coordinating all academic and campus life
issues for students. Each of these requires a high level of both teaching and service for the
department throughout the academic year and are performed above and beyond the 4/4 load.
Finally, in Spring 2014, I was honored to receive the Outstanding Faculty Achievement award from
the TCU chapter of the Communication Studies discipline’s national honor society, Lambda Pi Eta.
Service
My service is evidenced by participation at the international, national, university, college, and
department levels. Through our study abroad programs, I have developed ties with colleagues from
San Francisco to Florence, Italy. At the national level, I serve as a reviewer for paper submissions for
the National Communication Association (NCA) conference and was recently elected to the
nominating committee for the NCA Group Communication division. At the university level, I serve on
the Center for International Studies Advisory Board and University Library Committee. I also
volunteer to mentor international students for TCU Beyond Borders. For the college, I am currently
serving on the curriculum committee. Likewise, I am in my third year serving on the curriculum
committee for Women and Gender Studies. Also for the college, I have co-chaired the Guild
Scholarship awards luncheon and served as captain for the Annual Campaign. For the
Communication Studies department, I have filled various service roles. I have chaired and been a
member of the curriculum committee. During those years, the committee reviewed, revised, and
revisited major curricular program changes which impacted students as they sought to declare the
major. I have also chaired and been a member of search committees for instructor positions that
resulted in the recent hiring of three colleagues. Additionally, for most of my time at TCU, I have been
the liaison for the TCU Library, facilitating acquisition requests for the department, reviewing weekly
new book releases, and monitoring our faculty’s needs for periodicals and database subscriptions
given our research agendas. Lastly, in the past year I became webmaster for the department website.
During this time, the site has undergone a major re-design and upgrade. I continue to maintain the
image of the site as well as updating all news and features. Finally, my service commitments extend
to the WGST interdisciplinary program where I support university-wide events, attend faculty
meetings, and serve on committee.
COMM Self Study 32
Paul King
Professor and Department Chair
Teaching
Historically, I have taught Communication Research Methods and Communication Education in our
graduate program and Listening, Communication Ethics, Argumentation & Debate, along with several
other classes in our undergraduate program. I have initially proposed and taught many of the courses
offered in our undergraduate program, including Mediation, Communication Inquiry (undergraduate
research methods), Internship in Communication Studies, and Parliamentary Debate (initial proposal
for study abroad program). Currently, I enjoy teaching an Honors section of our basic public speaking
course and a recently developed graduate course, Communication and Social Cognition. I also enjoy
teaching a large section of Listening each fall. The course is composed of three units: listening
assessment and practical issues in listening, listening as information processing, and the humanistic
aspects of listening. I plan to offer Mediation as an applied follow-up (to listening) course in the
spring semesters. My approach to instruction emphasizes opportunities for community involvement
and field trips and the integration of theory and application. As an example, students in my Mediation
class meet the requirements for Texas state certification as mediators upon completion of the final,
exit examination verifying that they have met the specific criteria. I have received Department and
University awards for teaching and frequently examine teaching issues in my research and
publication.
Research
While my research has addressed a rather large number of topic areas (instructional communication,
persuasion, listening, feedback), the underlying theoretical issue in all of these cases is social
cognition/information processing. Beginning with my dissertation (HCR, 1989), I have been
fascinated by attention theory, cognitive capacity, and the effortful vs. automatic processing
distinctions in human communication. Much of my early work was informed by Daniel Kahneman’s
Attention and Effort (1973). Today, I ask my students in listening to read Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast
and Slow and find that they, too, become excited about discovering how our minds and our memories
shape the manner in which we communicate and the degree to which we are effective in our
communication efforts and satisfied in our relationships. In recent years, I have developed a series of
experimental studies focused on the use of feedback interventions in learning. This work has
included development of a feedback orientation instrument (Communication Education, 2009) and a
proposed Feedback Intervention Theory. The purpose of this research is to explore the conditions
(specific to communication messages) under which learning (behavioral adaptation) is likely, or
unlikely, to occur.
Service
I have served as Chair of the Department of Communication Studies on two occasions: 1990-1996
and 2008-2015. I have also served as Chair of TCU’s Faculty Senate and Chair of the TCU Mediator’s
Committee, along with leadership positions on a number of University, College, and Department
committees. Currently, I am a member of the J. V. Roach Honors College Advisory Board and a
member of the University Compensation Advisory Committee. I maintain membership in the National
Communication Association and the International Communication Association. I frequently serve as
an expert mediator (trained in compliance with Title 7, Chapter 154, Texas Civil Practice and
Remedies Code, and consistent with the Texas Mediation Trainer Roundtable Annotated Standards)
both for TCU and the larger Fort Worth community.
COMM Self Study 33
Andrew M. Ledbetter
Associate Professor
Executive Summary
My research aims to understand how people use communication technology to maintain their
interpersonal relationships. Within this focus, I have examined topics such as (a) the association
between Facebook communication and relational closeness, (b) communicative attitudes that predict
relational maintenance behavior across Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE gaming service, (c) local friends’
patterns of everyday talk across multiple media, and (d) ongoing closeness in long-distance
friendships. One practical goal of my research is to identify communication patterns that are most
likely to foster beneficial psychological and relational outcomes. A related area of interest is family
communication, where I have examined how family communication environments shape cognitions
and behaviors related to communication technology use, as well as how communication technology
reshapes privacy boundaries between parents and young adult children. Methodologically, I am
keenly interested in quantitative techniques, and I frequently bring advanced quantitative research
methods to bear on my scholarly questions.
Building from my research interest in communication technology, I have developed both
undergraduate and graduate courses on social networking sites and personal relationships. These
seminars have taken an historical approach to the topic, such that students first learn the social,
technological, and theoretical background of communication technology before applying that
knowledge to understand technology today. I also anchor our department’s communication theory
course, which serves as one of two required courses for transfer into the major. This course provides
a broad overview of scholarly approaches to understanding human communication. I co-author the
textbook for the course, A First Look at Communication Theory, which currently holds the largest
market share among communication theory textbooks. In our graduate program, I teach advanced
quantitative methods, and have received very positive student feedback when teaching this
demanding course.
I have engaged in a broad range of service to the department, college, university, and discipline. I
currently administer the Facebook and Twitter pages for our department, as well as serve on the
advisory committee, and I recently completed a season of advising our department’s Lambda Pi Eta
chapter for exemplary undergraduate students. For the college, I currently serve on the search
committee for our next dean. I am in my third year of service on TCU’s Faculty Senate, where I am
also a member of the Faculty Relations Committee and am chairing an investigation into the life of
adjuncts at TCU. I am also a member of the LMS Search Committee, tasked with evaluating
alternatives to our current learning management software package, and a member of the Student
Conduct & Grievance Committee. I have been an active member of the National Communication
Association (NCA) and Central States Communication Association (CSCA), and currently serve as a
member-at-large on the Executive Committee of the latter. Next year, I will be serving as vice-chair
and program planner for the family communication division of NCA. I serve on four editorial boards
and regularly serve as an ad hoc reviewer (e.g., reviewing 19 manuscripts in 2014).
COMM Self Study 34
CARRIE MOORE
INSTRUCTOR, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
TEACHING:
My teaching focus is in the area of performance/public speaking. I am the lead teacher for the
Advanced Public Speaking course. I also enjoy teaching the Basic Speech Communication course (regular
and honors sections). During the regular semesters, I also teach Group Discussion and Interpretive
Speaking. I am looking forward to adding Intercultural Communication to my teaching repertoire in the fall
of 2015.
I also very much enjoy co-managing our departmental study abroad program. In 2012, I wrote the
proposal for the departmental England study abroad program: Communication and Debate in the UK. The
TCU Center for International Studies accepted the proposal, and in the summer of 2013, we travelled with
our first departmental study abroad group. I developed COMM 30273: Great British Orators, sought and
gained approval of the course through the University, and co-taught the course abroad. Additionally, I was
the co-instructor for the Parliamentary Debate course.
The 2014 study abroad program travelled to Italy. I developed COMM 31213: Rhetoric from Ancient
Rome to Modern Oratory, sought and gained approval of the course through the University, and co-taught
the course abroad. Additionally, I was the co-instructor for the Nonverbal Communication Across Cultures
course.
SERVICE:
I manage the following initiatives for our department: 1) Battle of the Flowers Oratorical Competition,
2) Wisdom Award for Public Speaking, 3) Gorvetzian Speaker Series, and 4) the Communication Lab.
Through work with the Communication Lab, I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with various
community groups such as Mayor Price’s young leaders initiative SteerFW and also the Junior League of
Fort Worth.
I am also a member of the following University committees: 1) Faculty Senate, 2) Faculty Senate
Educational Evaluation Committee, and 3) University Academic Appeals Committee.
I have also enjoyed assisting in various roles such as Common Reading Leader for the TCU First Year
Experience, co-instructor for the UNPR FrogFolio course, Faculty Advisor for TedXTCU, and Faculty CoRepresentative for the Friends of Communication.
COMM Self Study 35
Michael D Putnam
Instructor
Teaching:
 My primary teaching responsibilities center on the business-related communication courses.
Specially, I am the lead instructor for the Principles of Interviewing and the Business and
Professional Speaking courses. Moreover, I teach one or two sections each semester of
Organizational Communication.
 I find this arrangement to be particular effective not just for my own preferences, but for the
students and department as well. We all benefit with coordinated approaches that feature
each class complementing the others rather than overlapping or competing with one
another.

I view the Business and Professional Speaking course as an ideal introductory class that
provides a solid foundation for basic business communication principles that are later
expanded upon with both Interviewing and Organizational Communication. Additionally, it
can serve as an effective way to recruit sharp freshman non-majors who would likely
strengthen our department’s pool.
 Interviewing and Organizational Communication are a logical link though distinctively
different from one another. In each case I make an effort to show through assignments and
papers how “real world” case studies of people and companies can be applied to the theories
and principles of the courses. These are both good courses that show students how
classroom education can and does have real implications to careers they will hold.
Service:
 My internal service features present work on the Curriculum Committee; the lead for Monday
at TCU; and previously a member of an Instructor Search Committee. Additionally, I advise
our majors during the regular advising period along with individual counseling on an asneeded basis.
 My external service has featured work with the College 101 Mentor Program during the
spring semester of 2014; continuing work with the TCU McNair Scholars Program; and initial
work just begun with the TCUxTEd on-campus chapter.
 The McNair Scholars Program involves interacting with Robin Melton, the Director of the
program, and with students who are completing their mentor-director projects. I initially
spend time in small groups or in one-on-one settings helping them organize and then orally
present their research at the project’s completion. Normally this involves two or three
sessions during the fall and spring semesters. This concludes by attending their research
presentations at the close of the spring and fall semesters.
 My mentor work was only in the spring and with only one student. I have no plans to
continue that for this coming semester but will reevaluate again by summer. The TedxTCU
undertaking is ad hoc work that involves critiquing student presentations for this
organization.
COMM Self Study 36
Adam S. Richards
Assistant Professor
January 12, 2015
The purpose of this letter is to summarize my professional work since beginning my
appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Texas Christian
University in the Fall of 2013. Included among these activities are research, teaching, and service,
which are detailed below.
I have had a strong record of peer reviewed publication while at TCU. Since my start at TCU, I
have had five articles come out in print, two made available in advanced online format, and four
others accepted for publication. I believe these publications to be of high quality: Outlets for these
articles include Communication Research (2), Communication Monographs (2), Health Communication
(4), Journal of Family Communication (1), and Journal of Argumentation in Context (2). A soleauthored publication in Health Communication was recognized as an article of interest by the
Centers of Disease Control in their monthly health communication newsletter. In addition to
published material, I have a number of articles under review and am in the process of data collection
and analysis on several other projects.
My teaching responsibilities have included two undergraduate and two graduate courses.
COMM20113: Interpersonal Communication (Fall 2014, Summer 2014, Spring, 2014) is a lower
division prerequisite offering for students who major and minor in Communication Studies. This
course serves as a topical survey course of interpersonal communication research. COMM30283:
Communication Inquiry (Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014) is an upper division undergraduate
elective that focuses on the philosophy and practice of social scientific research in communication
and requires students to design, conduct, and analyze data generated from a field experiment about
human communication. My teaching also includes two graduate classes. First, COMM60143:
Communication and Social Influence (Fall 2013) focused on explicating social influence processes,
persuasive theories, and message effects. Second, COMM60173: Communication Research Methods
(Fall 2014) focused on the philosophy and practice of social scientific research in communication
with introductory material on statistical analysis. My student evaluations have been consistently
positive, with typical mean scores greater than averages within the department, college, and
university.
My service includes contributions to the department, university, and discipline. Within the
department, I currently serve as advisor to Lambda Pi Eta, the national honor’s society for
undergraduate Communication students. In this role, I recruit new members, plan the induction and
award ceremonies, and oversee the cabinet’s planning of service activities. I am currently chair of the
Departmental Institutional Review Board Committee for Communication Studies. This is my second
year to serve on this committee, which reviews student IRB protocols prior to submission to the
university level. I served on the 2014 ad hoc Graduate Admissions Committee, which reviewed
graduate student departmental applications and made recommendations for admittance. I also
advise around 20 undergraduate students at any given time. At the university level, I have served as a
faculty facilitator for freshman orientation (aka Frog Camp) during Summer 2014. In December
2014, I participated on a round-table panel sponsored by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Career
Services aimed to help graduate students prepare for the process of being on the job market. At the
discipline level, I have served as an elected paper reader for the Health Communication Division for
the 2014 National Communication Association convention. For the 2013 NCA convention, I chaired a
panel jointly sponsored by the Interpersonal Communication Division and Communication and Social
Cognition Division. I have also served as a reviewer for journal articles in Communication Education
and Communication Quarterly.
COMM Self Study 37
Faculty Professional Statement
Chris R. Sawyer, Professor
Research
Although the majority of my published research has focused on public speaking anxiety, a program of
research I shared for many years with the late Dr. Ralph R. Behnke, I have augmented this earlier
work with studies on the emotional responses of basic course students, particularly their
competence motivation. I have continued to pursue research interests in the biological aspects of
communication, including human temperament and physiology. Reflecting both of these directions,
earlier last year James Honeycutt, Shaughan Keaton, and I published a volume in the Peter Lang
Health Communication Series entitled, The Influence of Communication on Physiology and Health.
Further, my co-authored chapter with Virginia Richmond is now awaiting publication in an upcoming
volume of the Handbooks of Communication Science. The chapter title is, “Motivational Factors and
Communication Competence”.
Teaching
I assumed the duties of Basic Course Director when I joined the TCU faculty in 1999 and relinquished
those responsibilities to Dr. Amber Finn in AY 2005 - 2006. I’ve taught a variety of courses as needed
by the Department including, COMM 20113 Interpersonal Communication, COMM 30173 Advanced
Public Speaking, COMM 40123 Internship, COMM 30123 Special Issues in Interpersonal
Communication and COMM 60173 Communication Research Methods. Currently, I am the lead
teacher for COMM 40233 Communication in Group Leadership, which is a writing emphasis course
(WEM).
Service
In addition to serving as Basic Course Director for six years, I have also served the Department as its
Chair from AY 2002 – 2003 through AY 2008 – 2009. Following my term as Department Chair, I
worked on assessment issues for the College of Communication, including the Schieffer School of
Journalism, Departments of Strategic Communication, and Film, Television, and Digital Media, as well
as the Department of Communication Studies. In 2010, I was elected to the TCU Faculty Senate and
served as Senate Chair during the 2012 – 2013 academic year. I am currently, Immediate Past Chair
of the Senate. On January 1st of this year I became co-chair of the University Compensation Advisory
Committee (UCAC).
COMM Self Study 38
Executive Summary for Dr. Paul Schrodt
Philip J. & Cheryl C. Burguières Professor
Director of Graduate Studies
In general, my scholarship activities include two distinct, yet related programs of research in the
areas of interpersonal and family communication, and instructional communication. My primary
program of research focuses on the communicative cognitions and behaviors that facilitate family
functioning. Specifically, I examine the message strategies and behaviors that (a) facilitate stepfamily
relationships, (b) enhance conflict resolution skills and processes among family members, and (c)
further family member adjustment and well-being. Within this program of research, I have produced
60 publications including 44 journal articles (two of which are in press), one co-edited anthology, 13
(co)authored book chapters, one co-authored encyclopedia entry, and one book review. This body of
work encompasses a variety of theoretical perspectives, research designs, and statistical procedures.
I have also established a secondary program of research in instructional communication. Specifically,
I have focused this part of my research on the interpersonal behaviors that facilitate healthy and
productive teacher-student relationships, with a particular interest in the use of instructional
technology and the communication of credibility and power in the classroom. Within this secondary
interest, I have produced an additional 24 journal articles and two book chapters, for a grand total of
84 publications across both programs of research.
My primary teaching responsibility at TCU includes two of the department’s prerequisite courses in
communication theory and interpersonal communication. In both of these courses, I incorporate
theoretical principles with the use of case studies to provide students with an opportunity to apply
communication theories and interpersonal communication principles in ways that are meaningful to
them. I have also developed and taught five new courses in our department, namely undergraduate
and graduate courses in family communication, graduate and undergraduate courses in
interpersonal conflict, and a 5000-level course in the “dark side” of interpersonal communication.
These courses introduce students to various message behaviors that create, sustain, and alter family
and personal relationships, and they provide an extension to some of the principles taught in
interpersonal communication. In all of my courses, I find opportunities to incorporate the findings
from some of my own research so that students can more fully understand some of the ways in which
our knowledge of interpersonal and family communication is produced from scientific research.
In terms of service, I am currently the Director of Graduate Studies for our department, a role I have
fulfilled since 2009. I am also serving NCA as a member of the Publications Board (since 2011),
having previously served as a member and Chair of the Resolutions Committee (2009 – 2010) and as
a member of the Task Force on Policy Platform Review (2011). I am an active member of the
Editorial Boards for Communication Monographs (since 2007) and Communication Education (since
2006), as well as for the Journal of Family Communication (since 2005). At the regional level, I am
serving as Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee (2013 – 2014) of the Central States
Communication Association. Some of my other service responsibilities at TCU include serving as a
member of the University Advisory Committee (2012 – 2015), the Faculty Senate (since 2007), and
the Faculty Governance Committee (since 2007).
COMM Self Study 39
Melissa Young Schroeder
Associate Professor
Teaching: Over the past 20 years, my teaching role has reflected my research interests. These rest
primarily in the realm strategic interpersonal communication from a post-positivist social scientific
perspective. Although I started my career at TCU as the Director of the Business and Professional
course, I was able to develop courses that allowed me to more closely mirror my research interests.
For example, I developed courses such as Power and Influence in Interpersonal Communication
(COMM 30223), Mediation (COMM 30143), and Deception (30213). Each of these courses were
developed as upper-level seminars or lectures and require students to read original research, pose
original research questions and in some cases gather data. Before becoming Associate Dean of the
College of Communication (2008-2013), I also taught courses in our graduate program including
Social Influence, Nonverbal Communication, and Organizational Communication and was active in
several graduate student committees. During the 2013-2014 academic year, I was on sabbatical from
teaching and lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand where I was able to gain insights into cultural differences
that impact how communicators pursue persuasive goals, including conflict management and
deception. These experiences have allowed me to incorporate relevant examples into my teaching
and I am excited to continue incorporating my research and consulting experiences into my
undergraduate classes.
Research: My current research activity is in mediator training and mediation in organizational
settings. While this inquiry is taking me out of my experimental research paradigm, I am excited to
be learning more about qualitative methodology. My experiences as a trained mediator position me
in a unique way to provide data based feedback for mediator training programs and uses in
organizations. Additionally, recent experiences in Southeast Asian culture have given me first-hand
knowledge of the importance of cultural knowledge in communication activity. Although my
research productivity has dropped off during my administrative term as Associate Dean, my recent
sabbatical and return to the regular faculty is allowing me more time to focus on increasing my
submission and publication record. While I have remained involved in our field as an educator and
translator of academic research for less academic audiences, I look forward to increasing my own
primary research in the area of strategic interpersonal communication in the coming years.
Service: Currently, I serve the department as member of the Comm Studies Advisory committee, and
curriculum committee. I also provided an analysis of our assessment activities for this self-study. I
also am on the College of Communication Dean search committee, the TCU Honor’s Program selfstudy, and the University Mediator Committee. I also formally advise undergraduate COMM majors
and serve as a College 101 mentor.
COMM Self Study 40
Paul L. Witt
Professor
RESEARCH
I am engaged in an ongoing program of social science research in the area of instructional
communication. I investigate the things that teachers say and do in the classroom, and the effects of
their communication on various student outcomes such as learning and motivation. My most widely
disseminated works have emerged from the programmatic investigation of the construct teacher
immediacy, which involves verbal and nonverbal communication cues that elicit perceptions of
interpersonal closeness. I employ a variety of research designs including experiments, quasiexperiments, and surveys, as well as a variety of analytical procedures including correlation,
regression, differential statistics, and meta-analysis. To date I have published 27 peer-reviewed
articles, including several in the top journals of our discipline. My research has received awards from
NCA and ICA, and three times I have received the TCU College of Communication Award for
Distinguished Achievement as a Creative Teacher and Scholar. I also have helped other scholars get
their work into print as the editor of NCA’s journal Communication Education and the editor of the
Handbook of Communication and Learning.
TEACHING
One of my first teaching assignments at TCU was the development and redesign of the Intercultural
Communication course, which includes communicating across nationalities as well as multiple ethnic
groups in our own community. One of the features I introduced in the course was a series of guest
speakers representing the African-American, Hispanic-American, and Jewish-American sectors of the
Fort Worth business community. I also worked with the TCU Core Curriculum Committee and
secured approved for both Cultural Awareness and Writing Emphasis credit. As lead teacher for the
course, I am responsible for mentoring other instructors who help cover the teaching load. I also
teach communication theory at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and I created a seniorlevel course entitled Communication and Character by assembling a variety of readings and videos
that deal with interpersonal communication from a character perspective. These resources allow the
students to hear many voices speak from a variety of viewpoints--national leaders, media
personalities, sports figures, celebrated authors, religious leaders, and communication scholars.
When the students discuss traits like honesty, loyalty, courage, humility, compassion, and
trustworthiness, they demonstrate an extraordinary level of introspection, self-disclosure, and
critical thinking.
SERVICE
It is my privilege to serve TCU and the College of Communication currently as a member of several
committees, including the Chancellor’s Center for Connection Committee. In the Department of
Communication Studies, I have served as Interim Department Chair, Chair of the Curriculum
Committee, Chair of the Faculty Search Committee, Director of Graduate Studies, and a member of the
Advisory Committee. I have chaired 5 master’s comprehensive committees and served on 14
master’s thesis committees, as well as a number of Honors College theses.
COMM Self Study 41
V. Resources
A. Physical Space
The Department is physically located in one intact location: the third floor of
the south JM Moudy Building. The faculty considers the physical coherence of the
unit to be a significant strength. The building was originally designed with
significant faculty input in order that the instructional and laboratory spaces be
tailored for the uses to which they would serve. The floor contains sufficient office
space to serve the faculty, though several offices are also used by faculty from other
units of the College and no excess space exists. Consequently, we have no space for
adjunct faculty or expandable areas for research. The floor contains six classrooms:
Classroom
320
300
325
312
342
345
Capacity
72
30
30
28
30
25
Common Use
lecture
basic speech lab, seminars
lecture/discussion
lecture/discussion
lecture/discussion
basic speech lab, group discussion
Room 314 serves as a computer laboratory, primarily used for testing in our
basic speech course. Room 341 serves as a faculty conference room and a seminar
room for graduate classes and small undergraduate classes (e.g., internship). The
graduate teaching assistant space is functional and well appointed, with electrical
outlets and Ethernet outlets for all stations. Our faculty size and curriculum has
grown to the extent that we must often teach in other TCU locations and the first
and second floors of the building have few available classrooms. Laboratory space
was completely lost due to rapid growth in the early to mid-2000’s. Fortunately,
during a building renovation about 7 years back, we developed two small rooms
that are available and equipped for observational research, recording, focus groups,
etc.
So, while our space is a current strength, our future expansion is severely
limited. For example, we need a space specifically appointed for our forensics team.
We need flexible space for group meetings, examinations (such as graduate
comprehensive exams) and research needs requiring a large room. We need to
recapture the office space currently occupied by faculty from other units so that we
can provide space for current and future (e.g., Director of Business and Professional
Speaking, to begin fall, 2015) faculty, along with a space for adjuncts.
B. Department Budget
Our general budget provides over $100,000 per year for expenses ranging
from travel to supplies to student salaries. This A copy of the approved fy 2016 (for
academic year 2015-2016) budget is included with this report. As recently as 2008,
COMM Self Study 42
the operating budget was approximately $39,000, so we have had significant
budgetary support in recent years.
Student Salaries
Additional Pay-Single Payment
Temporary Personnel
Student Travel
Travel
Meals
Entertainment
Training / Workshops
Computer Charges
Dues & Subscriptions
Furniture
Equipment
Computer Equipment/Software
Long Distance Charges
Telecommunication Services
Mail Services
Printing Services
Access Code Copies
Printing & Copying-Off Campus
Publications
Services
Services--Students
Supplies
University Store Charge
Other Expense
Repairs
Outside Honorm./Consultant Fee
Stipends
$2,500.00
$0.00
$1,500.00
$1,000.00
$53,750.00
$5,750.00
$1,500.00
$1,000.00
$100.00
$1,150.00
$2,000.00
$1,000.00
$5,427.00
$300.00
$2,500.00
$250.00
$2,500.00
$10,500.00
$900.00
$300.00
$0.00
$0.00
$8,000.00
$900.00
$2,500.00
$900.00
$0.00
$0.00
Department Expenses
$106,227.00
Net Source / (Use)
$106,227.00
The budget provides limited funding for special software, equipment,
furnishings, and other ordinary expenses. Other sources provide for major capital,
most computer purchases, and refurbishment. The faculty salary budget for next
year should approach 1.25 million dollars.
For the past four years, the department has also maintained a budget for the
forensics team. Initially, the budget was approximately $20,000 for travel, supplies,
COMM Self Study 43
and additional expenses. Next year, we expect the budget to be approximately
$57,000, allowing for travel to national contests, sponsoring of local tournaments,
expansion of team size, etc. See the forensics report in Appendix 3.
VI. Summary and Future Plans
Faculty in the Department of Communication Studies developed a five-year
master plan in March of 2012 (see Appendix 8). After concluding our program
review in spring, 2015, we expect 2015-2016 to be a propitious time to review our
long-term goals.
In brief, our vision of the department over the next five years is that:








We will expand the size of our graduate program by 20% (sufficient to offer an
additional graduate course per semester) and we reconsider the addition of a
doctoral program at that time. At this point, we are concerned that the draw of
faculty resources by such a program would endanger currently excellent
undergraduate and M.S. programs.
We will gain a national reputation in forensics competition. We have already
made tremendous strides in this area and expect to fully integrate those
achievements.
We will continue to integrate our undergraduate work with the J.V. Roach
Honor’s College, seeking to expand the number of undergraduate honors theses.
We will further expand our offerings in study abroad to include spring semester
offerings.
We will find a means of better developing the cohesiveness of our cadre of
undergraduate majors (expansion of Pi Lambda Eta, service opportunities, a
senior experience or senior capstone course, a coordinator of undergraduate
studies, reinvestment in community learning, a required academic meeting for
COMM majors, expanded social events).
We will improve department public relations by coordinating the writing and
promoting of student and faculty achievements and through more frequent
updating of our online presence.
We will expand curriculum in applied communication areas such as health
communication, conflict, mediation, and expanded follow-up courses to COMM
30163, organizational communication.
We will improve our capacity for, and use of, laboratory research.
A. Current issues that must be addressed prior to the next program
review
The Department of Communication Studies must routinize program
assessment as a regular, annual activity. Like many programs at TCU, we are not
accustomed to imbedding this activity into our department habits. We have made
significant progress in this area by developing a master syllabus for each
COMM Self Study 44
undergraduate course and mapping those documents to department goals and
outcomes. We have collected data on those outcomes and need to further refine and
routinize our system of ongoing review. Recent assignment of these responsibilities
to the Department Curriculum Committee and the naming of an individual
responsible for directing our assessment activities should prove helpful.
Other than that lone issue, we cannot honestly say that there is a significant
shortcoming to which we can point. The past few years have been a time of very
rapid growth and the rapid development of several ambitious new department
programs. Full integration and development of new faculty and new programs does
not happen overnight, but we must honestly say that these new initiatives are
already of high quality. We need to be better at marketing and promoting the work
that we do. Frankly, we consider the Communication Studies program at TCU to be
among the best of it’s kind in the U.S. in terms of teaching. In terms of scholarship,
among programs granting the master’s degree, we believe that we are without peer.
In terms of collegiality and work environment, we are quite certain that we are
without peer.
B. Additional issues not otherwise included
Given the expanded use of the instructor rank within the department, we
have developed a policy outlining the procedures for hiring, reviewing, and
promoting instructors, along with information concerning the responsibilities and
privileges of the rank. This document can be found in Appendix 9.
Because we believe that regular review and planning is essential for all
Department members, including tenured faculty, we have developed a document
that addresses the procedures for such review. It is included in Appendix 10.