Education Commons^™

Equus: A Case For Censorship?, Abe J. Bassett

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article analyzes a public controversy surrounding a university production of Equus that included a brief nude scene. The account documents the sequence from initial audience acceptance to a later wave of organized criticism that framed the production as immoral and harmful, culminating in letters to state officials, attempts to reduce institutional funding, and a proposed state bill prohibiting sexual conduct on academic stages. The narrative details the department’s preparations, including informed casting, content advisories, and artistic rationale for the scene within the dramatic structure. Administrative responses by the president, provost, and chancellor are presented as affirmations of academic freedom …

When The Faculty Evaluate The Chairperson, Mary Frances Hopkins

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article provides a reflective account of being evaluated as a department chair by a large and diverse faculty across three communication units at Louisiana State University. The author critiques the mandated evaluation instrument, noting dissatisfaction with rating scales and skepticism about their ability to measure administrative performance accurately. The narrative situates the evaluation within the complex structure of the department, where unit chairs hold responsibility for many functions on which the department chair was nevertheless evaluated. Despite concerns about the appropriateness of the instrument, the author reports supportive results attributed to strong faculty goodwill amid departmental restructuring. The discussion …

Some Often Overlooked Considerations In Academic Theatre Program Evaluation, Lorayne W. Lester

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article examines factors that influence the effectiveness of academic theatre program evaluation, emphasizing the central importance of faculty attitudes and administrative leadership. The discussion argues that self evaluations conducted during periods of low morale often yield distorted conclusions and unproductive reform efforts. Similarly, externally mandated reviews can generate defensiveness if perceived as punitive. The author contends that the chief academic officer must cultivate faculty confidence in the value and fairness of the process, reduce anxiety, and frame evaluation as a collective endeavor akin to theatrical production. Strategies include individualized communication about benefits, early formation of faculty committees to identify …

Successful Women In Speech Communication: A National Survey Of Strategies And Skills, Contributions And Conflicts, Judy C. Pearson, Judith S. Trent

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article reports a national survey of successful women in speech communication and analyzes pathways to advancement, mentoring, communicative practices, and self perception. Using a six page questionnaire sent to women at the associate and professor ranks listed in the 1983 disciplinary directory, the study obtained 163 responses, a 52 percent rate. Respondents typically achieved promotion through traditional academic markers, including publications in communication journals, national conference presentations, professional service, and strong student evaluations, while external grants and books were less common. About two thirds reported having a mentor, most often a man, and many served as mentors to junior …

Directory Of Aca Members

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This document is the 1986 membership directory of the American Communication Association. It lists institutional affiliations, mailing addresses, and telephone numbers for members active during that period. The directory reflects the professional landscape of the discipline in the mid nineteen eighties and offers historical insight into departmental structures, academic roles, and communication programs of the era. All contact information in this directory is archival and no longer current.

Integrity In The Communication Curriculum, Stanley F. Paulson

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This address argues that recent national reports on undergraduate education have identified fundamental weaknesses in collegiate learning, shifting emphasis from curricular inputs to measurable student outcomes. Drawing on documents from the National Institute of Education and the Association of American Colleges, the discussion highlights concerns about declining student engagement in the arts and sciences, fragmentation of general education, and the absence of coherent rationales guiding undergraduate study. These reports call for institutions to demonstrate improvement in students’ analytical abilities, communication skills, ethical reasoning, and disciplinary depth across the curriculum rather than rely on proxies such as faculty credentials or course …

Post-Tenure Faculty Development: Where Is The Adventure?, Michael R. Moore

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article addresses the challenge of sustaining professional growth among tenured faculty, distinguishing burnout from a more pervasive condition of being left out in the face of rapid disciplinary and institutional change. Using the metaphor of adventure, the argument contends that some experienced faculty resist new teaching methods, technology adoption, and research engagement not due to exhaustion but due to insufficient preparation for change and fear of risk. The discussion outlines a developmental role for department chairs that combines long term planning with individualized support. Key practices include collaboratively setting appropriate goals aligned with departmental needs, identifying resources and release …

Discussion Summary Four, Emilie-Marie Rausch

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This discussion summary synthesizes a group conversation on post tenure faculty evaluation and development. Participants first reviewed major national statements from 1982 and 1983, including recommendations from a national commission, a Wingspread conference, and the AAUP, all of which endorsed periodic evaluation of tenured faculty while affirming tenure as essential to academic freedom and educational quality. These documents emphasized that evaluation should not compromise tenure protections or serve as a mechanism for dismissal outside established disciplinary procedures. Building from these positions, the group explored how to support continued faculty vitality without undermining the tenure system. Participants noted the legal and …

Curricula, Budgets, And Facilities In Education For Radio And Television, Garland C. Elmore

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article reports a national survey of undergraduate programs emphasizing radio and television, describing curricular organization, resource levels, and facilities across institutions in the mid nineteen eighties. Based on responses from one hundred ninety four departments, the study finds that most programs are housed within integrated communication units rather than autonomous media departments, with larger campuses more likely to maintain separate media structures. Undergraduate majors total more than forty thousand nationwide, with higher concentrations at large public institutions. Introductory offerings vary widely in title and scope, reflecting production, writing, history, theory, and survey orientations. Nearly half of departments offer graduate …

A Second National Survey Of Faculty Salaries In Radio And Television, Garland C. Elmore

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article reports results from a national survey of faculty salaries in undergraduate radio and television programs during the 1984 to 1985 academic year. Responses from one hundred ninety four departments yielded data for seven hundred twenty eight full time faculty, making it the most comprehensive salary profile in the field at the time. Salaries were analyzed by rank, institutional type, campus size, geographic region, and departmental structure. Findings indicate mean ten month salaries of approximately forty one thousand five hundred for full professors, thirty one thousand seven hundred for associate professors, twenty five thousand two hundred for assistant professors, …

Censorship On College And University Campuses, David W. Weiss

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article contends that censorship is present in higher education, although its form and extent vary according to institutional type, mission, and community context. Drawing on examples from public and private universities, particularly in Alabama, the discussion explains that public institutions are bound by First Amendment protections, whereas private colleges may legally prohibit productions that conflict with institutional values or religious commitments. Illustrations from urban universities demonstrate the ability to stage controversial works involving nudity, strong language, and provocative themes, while contrasting cases from religious colleges reveal stricter control over theatrical content. The article reviews legal standards for obscenity and …

Censorship In The Private Church-Related College, Philip G. Hill

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article examines censorship in theatre programs at private church related liberal arts colleges, distinguishing these institutions from narrowly doctrinal religious schools. The author defines censorship along a continuum that ranges from artistic judgment exercised within theatre programs to external administrative or community pressure that compels changes to scripts or productions. Internal decisions regarding cuts, staging, and play selection are characterized as professional judgment rather than censorship when made collaboratively by trained theatre personnel. However, administrative or external intervention that overrides departmental authority constitutes censorship and threatens academic freedom. The article acknowledges that theatrical work is uniquely visible and therefore …

The Impact Of Communication Apprehension On Student Retention And Success: A Preliminary Report, James C. Mccroskey, Steven K. Payne

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article reports preliminary results from a longitudinal investigation of how communication apprehension influences academic performance and student retention in college. Data were collected from 1884 incoming freshmen at a large public university, who completed a standardized communication apprehension measure during orientation. Official academic records over four consecutive semesters provided grade point averages, credits earned, and enrollment status. Analyses reveal that students with high communication apprehension consistently earned lower grade point averages and completed fewer credits than moderate or low apprehensive students. Retention patterns also differed. High apprehensive students were substantially more likely to withdraw from the university over the …

Minutes Of The Aca Executive Committee February 15, 1986 Tucson

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

Minutes of the ACA Executive Committee held in Tucson Arizona on February 15, 1986.

Bulletin Of The Aca, Index To Issue #53 Through Issue #56

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This document is the 1986 index for the Bulletin of the American Communication Association, covering issues 53 through 56. It provides article titles, authors, and page references for work published during this period, along with listings of organizational materials such as meeting minutes, committee rosters, and book reviews. The index reflects the scholarly focus and professional concerns of the discipline in the mid nineteen eighties and serves as a historical reference to major themes, contributors, and institutional discussions of that time.

The Relationship Between Class Activity Levels And Stated Attitudes Toward Physical Activity, Edwin Warner Kinney

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of the class activity level to the stated attitude toward physical activity for community college students. The subjects for study were community college students enrolled in their first college level physical education classes. The activity level of each class was classified by the instructor as being either no aerobic activity, moderate aerobic activity or high aerobic activity. A modified version of Keynon's Attitude Toward Physical Activity was the instrument used as a pretest and again as a posttest at the end of the one-semester classes. The A.T.P.A. consists of 54 …

An Investigation Of Career Development By Community College And University Women : Importance Of Contributors To Advancement Into Higher Education Administration, Lynda A. Kuyper

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Surveys of women in higher education administrative positions that identified factors which may contribute to career development have been conducted. However, the literature revealed little information regarding the importance placed on those factors by women in higher education administrative positions. The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of selected contributors to career development of women in higher education administration. Data were gathered by a mailed questionnaire to a sample of women administrators employed in Florida state supported community colleges and universities. The 343 useable returned questionnaires represented a 65.5% response rate and 51.3% of the total population. …

A Survey And Analysis Of The Beginning Teacher Program In Florida And Its Relationship To Effective Education, Joanne Mullins Olson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine whether there were significant factors contributing to a teacher's ability to perform effectively in the classroom. An approximate 5% stratified random sample was selected from 9,401 possible subjects in Florida's Beginning Teacher Program between 1982 and 1985. A comparison of descriptive and reportive data was performed for teachers who completed and teachers who did not complete the program.

Statistical measures included the use of contingency tables, chi-square statistic, frequency distributions and t-tests. Results suggested that a teacher's possibility of successfully completing Florida's Beginning Teacher Program was influenced by the participant's age, grade point average, …

Student Characteristics Affecting Student Attitudes To The Evaluation Of Instructors, John P. Callahan

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Declining enrollments and continuing tuition increases are having major impact on all universities. It is a commonly accepted fact that the quality of a university can be directly related to the quality of its faculty. With this assumption in mind, a university must then determine the best method for evaluating the teaching effectiveness of its faculty members. The study is an examination of certain student characteristics that might affect the attitudes of students when evaluating instructors. Seven individual student characteristics (sex, age, academic level, major, nationality, teaching preference and leadership experience) were examined to determine if there was any relationship …

A Study Of Job Satisfaction As Perceived By The Certified Staff In Florida Public Elementary Schools, George A. Taylor

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to survey the subject certified staff of Florida public elementary schools to determine how elements of Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory were perceived as being met in their current school employment. The descriptive study utilized an instrument that listed each of the 16 job factors in Herzberg’s theory. The instrument was designed to allow subjects to mark each job factor as contributing to their job satisfaction, neutral, or contributing to their job dissatisfaction. The instrument also had areas to record various biographical data regarding the subjects. The survey was conducted on a randomly selected subject group …

Minutes Of The Aca Executive Committee November 6, 1985 Denver

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

Minutes of executive meeting of the Association for Communication Administration held in Denver on November 6, 1985.

Minutes Of The Aca Business Meeting November 7, 1985 Denver

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

Minutes of the annual business meeting of the Association for Communication Administration. The meeting was held in Denver on November 7, 1985.

The Power Of Program Setting: Liberal Arts Vs. Fine Arts, Bobby R. Patton

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This brief essay introduces a forum on how the institutional placement of theatre programs influences authority, resources, and leadership practices. It establishes persuasion and influence as central mechanisms for academic power and notes that theatre units often reside either within liberal arts or fine arts structures. The author argues that these settings carry distinct assumptions and operational logics that shape expectations for faculty work, program identity, and administrative relations. The essay does not advance a singular claim but instead frames the discussion by highlighting the importance of organizational context and by previewing three subsequent perspectives from faculty and administrators positioned …

Conservatory Training Within The Academic Institution, M. E Comtois

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This essay argues that conservatory style training for theatre artists is fundamentally distinct from liberal arts education and must be understood and administered as a separate enterprise within the university. It contends that liberal arts structures emphasize independent intellectual development, while artistic training requires tightly sequenced, skill based instruction under master teachers using an apprenticeship model. The author maintains that conflating the training of scholars and artists undermines both, and that the failure to differentiate between these goals has hindered the status of theatre education in the United States. The discussion outlines the characteristics of conservatory training, including selective admission, …

Speech Communication As Seen From The Top: University Presidents Look At The Discipline, Donald N. Dedmon

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This essay presents a university president’s reflection on the state and identity of speech communication as an academic field. The author observes that despite decades of growth, the discipline still lacks consensus on its core definition and intellectual boundaries. Journals demonstrate increasing sophistication, yet the author questions whether specialized language risks insularity and diminished public relevance. Drawing analogies to sociology and computer science, the essay warns against excessive internal focus and argues that communication must cultivate clearer relevance to contemporary social questions and professional practice. The author notes that subfields once housed within communication, such as communication disorders and theatre, …

The Phd In Theatre — A Vanishing Degree?, Richard Hornby

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This essay examines the decline of doctoral study in theatre and argues for the continued necessity of the PhD as the primary academic credential in the field. The author documents a significant reduction in PhD programs, student enrollments, and degree completions since the late 1970s, and attributes this trend to both broader reductions in humanities hiring and the rapid expansion of MFA programs. The essay contends that many MFA graduates enter academic positions for which they lack sufficient academic and historical preparation, particularly in areas of dramatic literature, theory, and non realistic performance styles. The author asserts that this shift …

Training In Organizations: Career Opportunities For Communication, Jan W. Kelly

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article examines career opportunities in organizational training as an emerging professional path for communication graduates amid declining academic employment prospects. It contextualizes the rise of corporate training within broader shifts in higher education and labor markets, noting that employers increasingly provide internal instruction and invest substantial resources in employee development. A telephone survey of 109 trainers in Silicon Valley was conducted using both open and closed question formats, and the resulting data were analyzed through frequency counts and qualitative categorization. Findings indicate that most respondents work as in house trainers and hold college degrees, yet relatively few possess academic …

Speech Communication In The General Education Curriculum, Isa N. Engleberg

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article discusses strategies for establishing speech communication as a central component of general education curricula, drawing on the author’s participation in a community college task force charged with redefining core requirements. It situates the effort within a broader national movement toward strengthening general education to preserve academic quality while maintaining open access and institutional relevance. The discussion emphasizes that departments cannot rely on disciplinary legitimacy alone but must actively engage in institutional processes and cultivate cross campus support to secure a place in the curriculum. Recommended strategies include serving on general education committees, assembling evidence from diverse academic and …

Professional Development For The Two-Year College Instructor, Emilie-Marie Rausch

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This article examines the evolving importance of professional development for two year college communication faculty in light of significant shifts in higher education during the previous two decades. It argues that growth in the two year sector, diversification of student populations, and heightened demands for accountability require instructors to pursue ongoing professional learning to ensure instructional quality and responsiveness to non traditional students. The discussion identifies misconceptions, structural constraints, and cultural assumptions that hinder faculty development, including narrow definitions of scholarship, heavy teaching and service loads, limited sabbatical opportunities, constrained funding, and extensive reliance on part time instructors. The article …

The Ata Placement Service Survey, J. Robert Willis, Amy Mohwinkel, Greg Holland

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This report analyzes theatre employment vacancies listed in the American Theatre Association Placement Bulletin across a twelve month period from June 1984 through May 1985. The review includes 930 separate listings, most of which concern higher education positions yet also encompass roles in secondary schools, community theatre, children’s theatre, professional companies, and arts administration. Of the total listings, approximately 62 percent represent full time faculty appointments, with the majority categorized at entry level ranks such as instructor or assistant professor. Data reveal a pronounced emphasis on design and technical theatre roles, although the descriptions frequently request generalists capable of teaching …