The Department of Communication in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences has received the National Communication Association's 2017-18 Outstanding Master's Degree Program Award.

This prestigious award, sponsored by the National Communication Association's Master's Education Section, recognizes programs that have demonstrated "excellent quality in developing research and teaching and that mentor students well in their personal and professional growth."

The Department of Communication has established a strong record in innovation, research and teaching, with a successful tradition of graduating young professionals who enter the best doctoral programs in the field of communication or work for organizations ranging from Fortune 100 companies to non-profit organizations.

The award's selection committee noted that the program "provides graduate students with valuable resources, innovative curriculum, and high-quality faculty members." Stephanie Klatzke, chair of the Master's Education Section, added, "Also impressive were the accomplishments of their M.A. graduates; the program clearly sets up their students for success."

As the department's graduate coordinator, Myria Allen formally accepted the distinguished award at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association in Dallas in November 2017. She was joined in support by colleagues Ryan Neville-Shepard, Matthew Spialek and Ron Warren.

"I was very proud and happy when I learned our department won this national award because it recognizes the outstanding work of my colleagues and the accomplishments of our graduate students," Allen said. "But most of all, receiving this award allows me to celebrate being a part of a graduate program committed to training students how to use communication theory and research to help others work toward the common good."

Robert M. Brady, chair of the Department of Communication, said, "To receive such recognition from our national association speaks directly to the quality and innovativeness of graduate education we provide to our students. This award is a special tribute to the remarkable teaching, mentoring and scholarship by the faculty in the department. We are also delighted that Joy Cherfan, one of our graduate students, received the association's 2017 'Outstanding Master's Thesis Award' for quantitative research."

About the National Communication Association: The National Communication Association advances communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. The association serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, the National Communication Association promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems. For more information, visit natcom.org.