After 18 Years Of Service, Jimmie Rogers Resigns As Chair Of Communication Department

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Dr. Jimmie Neal Rogers, who has studied everyone from Loretta Lynn to Lyndon Johnson, has stepped down after serving 18 years as chair of the Department of Communication.

Rogers, a professor in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, remains on the faculty, teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in several fields, from country music messages to principles of effective speaking, contemporary communication theory, and parliamentary procedure debate. He has published extensively on the influence country music has on everything from popular culture to language and mental health.

"His friendly and collegial style of leadership set the tone for a supportive scholarly community among faculty," said Robert Brady, who became chair this fall. "During his time as chair, Dr. Rogers hired 9 of our 13 faculty, carefully selecting colleagues who excel not only in scholarly endeavors, but in the classroom. Students always come first for him."

Rogers is well-known by students, other scholars, and experts around the country for his studies of country music. "Images of Women as Indicated in the Messages of Loretta Lynn" appeared in Studies in Popular Culture, while in 1983 Prentice-Hall published his book The Country Music Message, which the University of Arkansas Press reissued in 1989.

"Jimmie is just as likely to be lecturing at a community gathering in the region as he is to be presenting a scholarly paper at the National Communication Association. In both cases, the room will be packed with people eager to hear what he has to say," said Brady.

Rogers has appeared as a featured speaker for the Casey Forum Distinguished Lecture Series at McNeese State University, Louisiana, and has given lectures at Western Kentucky University, North Carolina State University, and Kansas State University. He has also spoken to groups ranging from the Arkansas Congressional delegation to local and state mental health organizations and the Country Music Conference in Mississippi.

An invited speaker at national and international meetings, Rogers has offered papers on the Southern rhetoric of country music, the conflict between Lyndon Johnson and J. William Fulbright, and political communication in Arkansas.

He has served as chair of the UA Press Committee and parliamentarian of the Campus Council. From 1987 to 1993, he was a member of the Arkansas Entertainers of Hall Fame Board. He is past member of the State Historical Records Advisory Committee, and in 1995, he won the Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching given by the American Communication Association. In 1983 he received a Fulbright Research Prize for outstanding scholarship in communication studies.

"Jimmie is the classic exemplar of a good man doing his job well. His many students and colleagues across campus are delighted he has elected to remain on the faculty and spend his time here, concentrating on the people and the place he loves so much. We are very lucky to have the benefit of his wisdom, collegiality, and expertise," said Brady.

Rogers came to the U of A in 1967. He earned his Ph.D. in communication from Florida State University.