Posted November 20, 2018
By Abe Danaher, communications assistant
Dr. Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, the Educational Foundation Distinguished Professor at the School of Journalism and
Mass Communications, has received the 2018 Distinguished Scholar Award by the National
Communication Association. The award is NCA’s highest honor and recognizes her lifetime
study of human communication.
“It is a great honor to be recognized as a NCA Distinguished Scholar,” Fitzpatrick
said. “Throughout my career I have had the good fortune to work with an extraordinary
group of talented students and colleagues.”
Fitzpatrick’s research interests span broadly across the field of communication. They
include communication theory, health communication, persuasion, nonverbal communication
and interaction in social and personal relationships. She has published over 100 articles
and book chapters, and in 2017 published her most recent book, “From the Desk of the
Dean: The History and Future of Arts and Sciences Education.”
NCA is the largest communication association in the United States and it supports
the research and teaching goals of scholars, teachers and practitioners who are members
of the association. The award was presented to Fitzpatrick at NCA’s 104th annual convention
in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Nov. 10.
“This esteemed honor recognizes Dr. Fitzpatrick’s significant contributions to scholarship
throughout her academic career,” said Dr. Tom Reichert, dean of the College of Information and Communications. “It speaks to the high quality
of our faculty. We’re all very pleased with this distinction.”