University of New Mexico Communication and Journalism Department Professor Ken Frandsen, Ph.D., received the 2004 Distinguished Service Award from the Western States Communication Association (WSCA) at the 75th annual convention held in Albuquerque in February.
Established in 1979, the award is the association's highest honor recognizing those who make significant contributions to WSCA and the communication discipline.
Frandsen's 24-year commitment to the group includes serving three times as local host for the convention, including the 2004 event, which attracted more than 600 attendees and was the largest regional communication scholar's event in the nation.
WSCA past presidents and longtime members supported his nomination.
"His skill in planning and overseeing a convention is only one example of his professional competence as can be found in his graduate and undergraduate teaching and in his commitment to research in human communication. He made his initial impact in our field at Penn State and we are fortunate that he was wooed to the West," wrote Blaine Goss, professor, New Mexico State University Department of Communication Studies, and past president of the WSCA Executives Club.
Katherine Adams, Fresno State University Department of Communication chair, and past president of WSCA wrote: "We all look to mentors to help us navigate through our professional lives…Ken was always around whether it was as a dinner host sharing marvelous stories of the discipline or as a local host showing why he not only loves WSCA but also is so proud of his own city and institution."
Frandsen is director of the UNM Institute for Organizational Communication and consults on management communication for the Management Training and Development Institute. He is a member of the National Communication Association's Doctoral Education Committee and Preparing Future Faculty Leadership Team and he is completing his twenty-fifth year at UNM.
Contact: Laurie Mellas-Ramirez (505) 277-5915
Posted by kwentworth at March 3, 2004 03:53 PM