Organizational Communication Commons^™

Addressing Corporate Ties To Slavery: Corporate Apologia In A Discourse Of Reconciliation, Claudia Janssen

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Pressured by activists to take responsibility, American corporations recently found themselves in the spotlight for their past ties to slavery. Responding to the issue, they stepped into a complex discourse of reconciliation. Taking a rhetorical approach, this article analyzes the response of Aetna Inc. It explores how corporate rhetoric functions within present discourses about historical injustices and illustrates that Aetna's response informed by common strategies of corporate apologia inhibited meaningful reconciliation. The article thus furthers criticisms of (corporate) apologia in the context of historical injustice and raises questions about the potentialities and limitations of corporate rhetoric for reconciliation.

Addressing Corporate Ties To Slavery: Corporate Apologia In A Discourse Of Reconciliation, Claudia Irene Janssen

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Pressured by activists to take responsibility, American corporations recently found themselves in the spotlight for their past ties to slavery. Responding to the issue, they stepped into a complex discourse of reconciliation. Taking a rhetorical approach, this article analyzes the response of Aetna Inc. It explores how corporate rhetoric functions within present discourses about historical injustices and illustrates that Aetna's response informed by common strategies of corporate apologia inhibited meaningful reconciliation. The article thus furthers criticisms of (corporate) apologia in the context of historical injustice and raises questions about the potentialities and limitations of corporate rhetoric for reconciliation.

Implementing A Discernment Phase For Those Nominated In The Shepherd Selection Process At The Cinco Ranch Church Of Christ, Aaron Walling

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project that implemented a discernment phase for those nominated in the shepherd selection process at the Cinco Ranch Church of Christ. Occurring in the fall of 2010, this project involved nominees in a series of six one-hour, thirty-minute sessions designed to establish the theological foundations for shepherding and to explore its practical expression at Cinco Ranch. For the theological component, this project primarily utilized Ephesians 4:11-16, and for the practical side, it incorporated group interactions with those serving as shepherds along with the review of guiding leadership documents. The project‟s …

Crafting A Congregational Narrative For The College Church Of Christ In Fresno, California, Jason W. Locke

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes a ministry project in the College Church of Christ in Fresno, California. In this project I led the congregation through a narrative crafting process in order to clarify the church’s identity and increase its capacity for mission. In recent decades, the College Church moved away from some of its founding characteristics yet failed to clarify a new sense of identity. It subsequently had difficulty acting with a unified sense of purpose and instead moved increasingly toward fragmentation.

Data for crafting the new narrative came from three weeks of group interviews. My research team conducted these interviews in …

Discerning A Vocational Theology Of Marriage For The Smyrna Church Of Christ, Daniel F. Camp

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this project was to discern a vocational theology of marriage for the Smyrna Church of Christ in Smyrna, Tennessee. Through a group discernment process, the participants studied Genesis 1-3 and 2 Corinthians 5 as a basis for understanding God’s design for marriage at creation, the effects of sin on the vocational aspect of the marriage relationship, and the call of Christ for husbands and wives to participate in the resurrection life through the ministry of reconciliation. At the end of the discernment process, the participants articulated a theology statement for the church that examined our current context …

Shock Rhetoric, David Robert Nelson

Dissertations

Social movements create a public perception of themselves through rhetorical messages and demonstrations. In order to gain the public's attention, some radical groups use any rhetorical means necessary, including offensive remarks and conduct. Groups, such as the Westboro Baptist Church and Bash Back!, rhetorically challenge the boundaries of prudence. The purpose of this study is to identify, depict, and provide insight regarding shock rhetoric. This study will compare protest methods, visual imagery, and language choices used by Bash Back! and the Westboro Baptist Church. This dissertation helps illuminate why and how groups or individuals use shock rhetoric.

Communally Discerning A Covenant Of Hospitality For The Care Of Children At Westview Boys' Home, Ron Bruner

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed the lack of a covenant defining the practice of hospitality towards children for team members of Westview Boys’ Home. The purpose of the project was to facilitate the creation of such a covenant. The Westview ministry team already claimed hospitality as a strength; the hope was that reframing the ministry around this strength would improve the quality of care for children and the quality of life for the community. Invited into a communal discernment process (the methodology), the ministry team invested weeks in the examination of biblical texts, theological tradition, personal and communal narratives, cultural trends, psychological …

Totally Devoted: Developing A Holistic Spiritual Formation Course For Western Christian College, Stanley N. Helton

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports research results from a learning community composed of faculty, support staff, ministry leaders, and students who collaborated in a professor’s development of a new course proposal in Christian spiritual formation at Western Christian College in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The professor used qualitative research methods in the analysis and evaluation of the data produced by the group. The outcome of the project was ethnographic data that informed the creation of the course proposal that included new course application, course syllabus with course schedule, planned activities, bibliography, initial classroom assignments, and initial assessment tools.

Ua3/9/5 Wku Energy Policy Announcement, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Remarks and announcement by WKU president Gary Ransdell regarding WKU's energy policy and enumerating conservation efforts.

Developing A Model For An Incarnational Ministry At The Webb Chapel Church Of Christ, L. Bert Alexander

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project to promote the development of an incarnational ministry at the Webb Chapel Church of Christ. This intervention employed a team of Webb Chapel opinion leaders representative of various subgroups of the congregation. In the fall of 2008, this group met for eight sessions to discuss the self-emptying practices of Jesus and the need for his followers to emulate those self-emptying practices in their individual lives. Through interaction in the eight sessions, the group developed a model by which self-emptying practices could be implemented at Webb Chapel. Evaluation of the …

Ua3/9/5 Presentation To Joint Committee On Education, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Presentation by WKU president Gary Ransdell to the Kentucky Joint Committee on Education. Data regarding WKU enrollment, tuition, degrees awarded, student retention, graduation statistics, transfer students, Applied Research & Technology Program, Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM), SKy Teach, student financial aid, Finish WKU, Division of Extended Learning & Outreach (DELO), WKU Glasgow, WKU E-town/Radcliff/Ft. Knox, WKU Owensboro, Gatton Academy of Mathematics & Science and doctoral programs.

Ua3/9/5 Faculty & Staff Opening Convocation, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell at fall convocation. He discusses achievements, budget cuts, strategic planning, tuition, construction and degree productivity.

The Rhetorical Strategies Of Pregnancy Support Centers Including The Visual Rhetoric Of Fetal Ultrasound Technology, Raymond Kyle Jones

Dissertations

This study examined the rhetorical strategies, including verbal and visual rhetoric, of pregnancy support centers that provide clients with fetal ultrasounds to persuade those who may be considering abortion as a means of resolving their unplanned pregnancy to carry to term. Qualitative data were gathered from 12 interviews of directors and ultrasound personnel from 7 states as well as from television advertisements and printed material. Eighteen research questions investigating the rhetorical transactions between centers and clients were answered. Rhetorical analyses were performed on the verbal and visual messages used in client interactions.

The grounded theory approach of inquiry resulted in …

Ua3/9/5 Skyteach Announcement, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Program and remarks used by WKU president Gary Ransdell's announcement of WKU's participation in the UTeach national initiative.

Ua3/9/5 Academy Of Math & Science Dedication, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Program and remarks used by WKU president Gary Ransdell at the Academy of Math & Science dedication ceremony.

Ua3/9/5 Faculty-Staff Convocation, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell at fall convocation. He discusses achievements, donations, athletics, WKU centennial, budget cuts, enrollment, tuition, commercialization of intellectual property, physical plant and construction.

Blessing And Sending The Church Into The World For The Sake Of The World, Using Congregational Blessings As A Missional Enterprise, Michael Harbour

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project equipped the elders to function as a community of men called and authorized by God to bless and send his people into the world for the sake of the world. They were equipped through seven sessions of theological reflection on Scripture and reflection on narratives of those who have offered pastoral blessings. The sessions also included an examination of templates and the opportunity to practice writing and speaking blessings. The elders have been speaking a shepherd’s blessing as the last liturgical act of the Sunday assembly. In this project, missional and textual focus was given to the …

Ua3/9/5 Budget Remarks, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Remarks delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell regarding the budget process in 2006. It includes a list of critical needs for 2006 to 2008.

Turning Points In Relationships With Disliked Co-Workers, Jon A. Hess, Becky Lynn Omdahl, Janie M. Harden Fritz

Communication Faculty Publications

Although most people begin their employment with the education and on-the-job training to handle the tasks their jobs entail, few long-term employees boast that they feel competent in dealing with all the difficult people they encounter in the workplace. Unpleasant coworkers range from annoying nuisances to major sources of job frustration and career roadblocks. Given that periodic preoccupation with unlovable coworkers is nearly a universal feature of organizational life, it is not surprising that such relationships are given due attention in the media and popular press (e.g., Bramson, 1989; Topchik, 2000). What is surprising is how little scholarly attention has …

Ua3/9/5 Faculty-Staff Convocation, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell at fall convocation. He discusses achievements, growth, curriculum, cooperation, WKU spirit, international study programs and optimism.

Ua3/9/5 Special Unveiling Of Granite Panels On The Guthrie Bell Tower, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Program and talking points used by WKU president Gary Ransdell at the unveiling of the granite panels on the Guthrie Bell Tower honoring WKU servicemen and veterans.

Ua3/9/5 Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (Crep), Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Talking points used by WKU president Gary Ransdell regarding WKU's partnering with Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.

Ua3/9/5 Sygen Announcement, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Program and talking points used by WKU president Gary Ransdell when announcing $2.5 million gift from Sygen and the creation of the Sygen Chair in Biotechnology.

Ua3/9/5 Wku Owensboro Campus Ribbon Cutting, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Talking points used by WKU president Gary Ransdell at WKU Owensboro ribbon cutting.

Ua3/9/5 Dedication Complex For Engineering & Biological Sciences, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Talking points used by WKU president Gary Ransdell at the dedication of the Complex for Engineering & Biological Sciences.

Living Waters: An Invitation To Contemplative Spirituality For The Quail Springs Church Of Christ, Wyatt E. Fenno

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed an acknowledged need for ministry action to promote and facilitate communal spiritual formation in the present and future life of the Quail Springs Church of Christ. The focus of the project was to present a model of contemplative spirituality determined to be accessible to the ministry context at Quail Springs. In addressing the problem of community fragmentation at Quail Springs, this model was offered as a means of grace to deepen faith and strengthen relationships in church life at Quail Springs. A pilot group of six women and six men served as the working group for this …

Ua3/9/5 Mass Media & Technology Hall Dedication, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Program and notes used by WKU president Gary Ransdell at the Mass Media & Technology Hall dedication ceremony.

Ua3/9/5 Hall Of Distinguished Alumni Luncheon, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Program and notes used by WKU president Gary Ransdell at the 2004 Hall of Distinguished Alumni luncheon honoring Herman Donovan, Jerry Humble and Paul McDaniel.

Ua3/9/5 Veterans Day Rotc Ceremony, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell at the 2003 WKU Veterans Day ROTC ceremony.

Ua77/1 Alumni, Wku Alumni Relations

WKU Administration Documents

WKU's alumni magazine. Contents:

• Ransdell, Gary. Fellow Alumni: Thank You!
• 3 New Regents Join WKU Board
• Forensic Team Makes Unprecedented Sweep
• Darrin Horn Returns to Alma Mater as Coach
• Campus Safety Task Force
• Victory 2003
• Endowed Faculty Positions
• Alumna Left $3.5 Million to WKU for Scholarships – Mary Hutto
• Bucks for Brains
• Hattie L. Preston Intramural Sports Complex
• WKU Dedicates Guthrie Bell Tower, Celebrates Freedom
• Campus Beautification an Important Goal for Campaign
• Campaign Timeline
• More Than $5 Million in Private Gifts Support Western’s Engineering Program
• Gifted Studies
• Other Innovative Programs at WKU
• The Legacy of the Campaign - Honor Roll …