Communication Studies chair elected future NCA president

6/29/09Richard West, chair of Emerson's Communication Studies department, recently was elected second vice president of the National Communication Association (NCA). He will progress to the rank of NCA president in 2012.

West will plan the organization's 2011 national convention and will spend the next year serving as a member of the executive committee, which directs ten NCA research journals. He will oversee the 9,000-member association's budget and will co-chair its centennial celebration.

West is the former president of the Eastern Communication Association, the oldest communication organization in the country, and is the immediate past director of the NCA educational policies board.

"I was running against a scholar at a major research institution in the country so I was very humbled," West said. "I traveled to Arizona, Missouri, Virginia and Pennsylvania and I also participated in research panels at each convention, too. I'm sure I met thousands of people. It helps, of course. That base of support proved valuable for a national run for office."

West said he hopes the four-year involvement with the organization will have a positive effect on Emerson's reputation across the country, and he plans to emphasize the values and ideas Emerson has to offer the communications industry.

"I believe that this election will enhance the profile and position of the School of Communication and the department of Communication Studies," West said. "For the next four years, my name and 'Emerson College' will be listed in all the communication journals, all stationary coming out of the national office, and at the national conventions."

West joined Emerson as the interim director of the Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies and was named communication studies chair last year.

"It was the reputation of the department as a student-centered unit and the outstanding alums that prompted me to apply," West said. "Of course, the legacy of Emerson as a communications college also motivated me. I'm still overwhelmed that I'm in a position to lead such an outstanding department."

West first became involved in the NCA while he was a graduate student at Illinois State University in 1983. He lost an election for the secretary of instructional development, but was successfully elected in 1984 and has been working his way through the organization ever since. This year, he bested an associate vice president of research from the University of Kansas.

"The election itself reflects not only on [his] achievements but also the confidence the NCA membership has in his leadership," said Linda Moore, vice president of academic affairs. "To have the opportunity to bring guidance to the largest communication association in the US is remarkable."

Dean of the School of Communication Janis Andersen said West's election brings a reflected glory to the college as a whole.

"Being elected to the presidency is a marker of accomplishment, peer respect, and discipline leadership," Andersen said. "Past NCA presidents are an impressive group, all hailing from leading communications programs. I'm delighted that Emerson College is now on that list."
West said he won't let his new responsibilities affect his dedication to Emerson's communications studies department.

"I'll have to reshuffle some time each day and dedicate that time to NCA-related issues," West said. "My goal is, and always will be, listening to students and faculty. Those people who know me understand that I am able to juggle a lot at once and, of course, I plan on continuing."