VISITING SCHOLARS                                            

IMAGE: Visiting Scholar class 06M w/ Young Kim

Dr. Young Kim's Class Summer 2006

cowperthwaite
L. LeRoy Cowperthwaite
1917-1985

Dr. L. LeRoy Cowperthwaite was Director of the Kent State University's School of Speech from 1954 to 1983. The Cowperthwaite lecture series was created in 1984, after his retirement, to honor his service, leadership, and dedication to the School of Speech and the College of Fine and Professional Arts. Each year a renowned communication scholar is invited to campus to present the Cowperthwaite Lecture and teach a graduate seminar in his/her area of expertise.

During his 29 years as Director, the School of Speech experienced tremendous growth in students, faculty, programs, and facilities. Whereas the number of undergraduate students at Kent increased four-fold, the number of Speech majors increased from 50 to more than 900; also, the M.A. and Ph.D. programs produced more than 80 Ph.D. and almost 1,000 M.A. graduates prior to his retirement. The number of faculty positions also increased, from 14 full-time members at the Kent Campus to 40 full-time faculty and another 10 full-time faculty at the seven Regional campuses. The four divisions of the School of Speech--Rhetoric and Communication, Speech Pathology and Audiology, Telecommunications, and Theatre--developed undergraduate and graduate programs of some renown. Also, the Music and Speech Center and Porthouse Theatre facilities were completed during Dr. Cowperthwaite's tenure.

Dr. Cowperthwaite was a native of Kansas. His B.A. degree was from Ottawa University and his M.A. and Ph.D. were from the University of Iowa. His wife, Margaret, lives in Kent. His son Thomas, and family, live in Kent. His son, Joseph, and family, live in Wilmington, Delaware.

Previous Summer Scholars

2006  Young Yun Kim, University of Oklahoma, From Ethnic to Interethnic: The Case for Identity Adaptation and Transformation 
2005  Joseph Walther, Cornel University, Communication and the Distribution of People and Information in Virtual Groups
2004  Bradley Greenberg, Michigan State University, From Pac Man to Grand Theft Auto: What's with Video Games
2003  Howard Giles, University of California, Santa Barbara, Talking Age and Aging Talk
2002  James Dillard, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Persuasion and Interpersonal Influence
2001  Ronald Rice, Rutgers University, New Media Research Theory
2000  David Seibold, University of California, Santa Barbara, Bridging Theory and Practice in Communication
1999  Sandra Petronio, Arizona State University, The Riddles of Privacy in the World of Communication
1998  Mark Knapp, University of Texas at Austin, The Truth about Lies
1997  Everett M. Rogers, University of New Mexico, Research Fronts in Communication: An Evolutionary History
1996  Brant R. Burleson, Purdue University, Viewing Personal Relationships as a Skilled Accomplishment
1995  Nancy Signorielli, University of Delaware, Cultivating Media Images
1994  James McCroskey, West Virginia University, Communication Anxiety, Apprehension, and Compulsion
1993  Fredric M. Jablin, University of  Texas at Austin, Organizational Communication: A Life-Span Perspective
1992  Jennings Bryant, University of Alabama, Entertainment Theory
1991  Virginia Richmond, West Virginia University, Power: Communication, Control, and Concerns in Organizations
1990  Gary Cronkhite, Indiana University, New Directions in Persuasion Research
1989  Marshall Scott Poole, University of Minnesota, Moving Group Communication Research into the Future
1988  Herbert W. Simons, Temple University, Trashing Mediated Campaign Hype: Does/Can/Should Rhetorical Criticism Make a Difference?
1987  Linda Putnam, Purdue University, Generating Interesting Research Questions in Organizational Communication
1986  Robert Pepper, The Annenberg School of Communication, Telecommunications Policy: A Communication(s) Perspective
1985  Orlando Taylor, Howard University, Sociolonguistics and the Humanities
1984  J. Jeffrey Auer, Indiana University, Who Cares Who Writes the President's Speeches?