Jake Dionne, assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the U of A, has been named Top Teacher by the Communication Ethics Division of the National Communication Association.

The award recognizes Dionne's excellence in teaching, advising and mentorship. His signature courses include legal communication, environmental communication and argumentation & advocacy. He also teaches a rotating special topics course; this semester, he is leading an honors forum on environmental law and policy. Across these courses, Dionne offers an applied communication approach to teaching. He trains students to write essays, deliver speeches, debate policies and stage performances. His goal is to help them develop techniques for effectively and confidently participating in civic and professional life. 

In his role as an academic adviser, Dionne emphasizes high-impact learning practices that extend beyond the classroom. Since joining the U of A in 2020, he has advised 30 students on 13 competitively selected conference papers, seven of which have earned regional or national awards. Most of these papers were group projects, reflecting Dionne's focus on collaborative research. 

Dionne's mentoring extends to career and graduate preparation. He actively supports students seeking internships that align with their professional goals, as well as applying for law school. Several dozen of his students have completed or are currently completing programs at institutions such as the U of A, Stanford University, Tulane University, Southern Methodist University, Georgetown University and the University of Georgia. 

Reflecting on the honor, Dionne said he hopes the recognition continues to encourage students to enroll in his classes and experience the same growth his past students have achieved. "Students in my courses don't just learn about communication. They practice communicating, helping them build portfolios of accomplishments," he said. "Those resume-boosting accolades matter because they show graduate schools and employers that our students can think critically, collaborate effectively and advocate ethically in any arena."

This latest honor follows several national and university awards Dionne has earned for teaching, advising and mentorship since joining the tenure track in 2023. Nationally, he has received the 2023 Mary Lay Schuster Mentoring Award from the Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Symposium, the 2023 Jennifer Bender Lambda Pi Eta Advisor of the Year Award and the 2024 Thomas L. Veenendall Lambda Pi Eta Advisor of the Year Award from the National Communication Association. On campus, the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has named him an Outstanding Mentor for three consecutive years (2023-2025).

Dionne will receive his award at the 111th annual meeting of the National Communication Association in Denver.