Contact: Anne Keyser, External & Alumni Relations Coordinator, College of Communication, (740) 593-0030 or keysera@ohio.edu
Editors: A photo of Gregory J. Shepherd can be downloaded from the Web at: www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/SHEPHARD_GREG.JPG
ATHENS, Ohio (February 23, 2001) -- Ohio University's College of Communication has named Gregory J. Shepherd director of the School of Interpersonal Communication, effective July 1.
Shepherd is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. He will replace Professor David Descutner, who has served as interim director since 1999.
"Greg Shepherd is a well-established scholar in the field of interpersonal communication," said Kathy Krendl, dean of the College of Communication. "He will bring energy and vision to shaping the future of the school. His commitment to strong teaching and mentoring fits well with the traditions of the School of Interpersonal Communication."
Shepherd completed a doctorate in speech communication at the University of Illinois in 1984, a master's degree at Pennsylvania State University in 1980 and a bachelor's degree at the University of Minnesota in 1978. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Kansas, Shepherd taught in the Departments of Communication Studies and Rhetoric at the University of Iowa.
The author of numerous articles, book chapters and handbooks on topics from public speaking and persuasion to goal setting and new feminist mentoring, Shepherd has focused most recently on the topic of communication and community. His book "Communication and Community," co-authored with Eric Rothenbuhler from the University of Iowa, explores the importance of maintaining relationships, from building community in the workplace to the role journalists play in maintaining a city's sense of community. According to Shepherd, "restoring community in America will require not the organizational joining of the past century, as some have suggested, but the careful building of interpersonal relationships."
Shepherd looks forward to joining the Ohio University interpersonal communication faculty this summer: "It is already a well-established place with the ambition and resources to become even better. I feel an opportunity to do great things; it is going to be a growing place in the next couple of years," said Shepherd.
Ohio University's School of Interpersonal Communication is known for its scholarly presence at the National Communication Association, for its first-rate undergraduate and graduate teaching and for its commitment to providing students with abundant experiences outside of the classroom. The school's award-winning research papers and national reputation for teaching and research have brought the school recognition as one of the top doctoral programs for studying international/intercultural communication, organizational communication and instructional communication. As director, Shepherd will be responsible for the curriculum, faculty and staff of the school's 475 undergraduate and 54 graduate students.
