Scott Myers, professor of communication studies at West Virginia University, has been named the Peggy Rardin McConnell Chair in the Department of Communication Studies.
Myers came to WVU in 2001 from Creighton University. He is currently the program coordinator for the Ph.D. program and teaches a variety of courses at the graduate level.
His appointment will begin on August 16.
“We are excited about Dr. Myers’ proposal for the McConnell Chair in speech communication and speech performance,” said Rudolph Almasy, interim dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. “He has wonderful ideas on how students will benefit from his projects, and he will be a great representative of the McConnell Chair appointment and of the Eberly College.”
Myers plans to use the chair to conduct further research and promote positive family communication.
“We want to explore how West Virginians engage in positive family communication and ways in which we can encourage West Virginians to engage in positive family communication,” Myers said.
In addition to his research, he also plans to hold several outreach programs including workshops and public speaking opportunities for people throughout the state.
This spring, Myers hopes to hold a positive family communication week in Morgantown to promote this type of communication.
Professor Melanie Booth-Butterfield was the first appointed to the Chair and has held it since the Chair’s inception in 2003. Her focus on outreach inspired Myers.
“She was a great role model to follow in terms of what I should do,” Myers said.
The Chair was created by native West Virginian John McConnell in honor of his wife Peggy, who graduated in 1946 with a degree in speech. Peggy and John were natives of Hancock County and lived in Ohio until their deaths, in 2005 and 2008 respectively. The McConnell Chair comes with financial support in order for the chair to complete activities dealing with the improvement of speech communication.
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