Communication Studies Chair Receives National Service Award

Shawn Long, chair of the Department of Communication Studies in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at UNC Charlotte, has received the 2012 Outstanding Service Award from the African American Communication and Culture Division and the Black Caucus of the National Communication Association.

The award honors an individual who exemplifies excellence in service, in recognition of extraordinary works of service by an active NCA member, specifically with an impact on the livelihood of African Americans in academia and in the national and international Black community. He officially received the award during the NCA’s 98th annual convention in Orlando Nov. 15-18.

“I am honored to be chosen for this recognition,” said Long, who is associate professor in communication studies and organizational science, a doctoral program offered in partnership with the Belk College of Business. “Service is an important component of my professional and personal life and I am humbled that this organization would recognize me in such a way.”

Long earned his doctorate in communication from the University of Kentucky and his Master of Public Administration and his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State. His research interests include organizational communication, virtual work, virtual teams, diversity communication, health communication and qualitative research methods. He has authored numerous papers and two books, Virtual Work and Human Interaction Research (2012) and Communication, Relationships and Practices in Virtual Work (2010.)

He has provided extensive service to the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the disciplines. Notable service includes Legislative Assembly membership and serving as chair of the African American Communication and Culture Division with the NCA. He is an editorial board member of the Special Issue of Qualitative Research, Southern Communication Journal  and editorial board member of the International Journal of Cases on Electronic Commerce, the Qualitative Communication Research and Technoculture.

At the university, Long has served as a member of committees of over a dozen doctoral and master’s degree candidates. He has led and served on faculty, department chair and administrator review and search committees. He is developer and inaugural coordinator of the Organizational Science Summer Institute, which focuses on expanding diversity among students in the field. He served on the University Faculty Council. He was a faculty associate with the Arts and Sciences Learning Community and  founding adviser to Lambda Pi Eta-Nu Lambda Chapter, the Communication Studies Honors Society.

The latest honor is one of many Long has received.  He also has been recognized with these awards:

·      2012 Noteworthy Alumnus, Tennessee State University

·      2011 Outreach Award Winner, Southern States Communication Association (SSCA)

·      2010 Minority Recruitment and Retention Award (Graduate Coordinator), SSCA

·      2010 Distinguished Organizational Science Service Award

·      Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund Award

·      Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Teaching, The University of Kentucky

·      Multicultural Summer Teaching Fellowship, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

·      Southern Regional Educational Board Doctoral Scholar

·     Tennessee Man of the Year Award, Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc.

The Black Caucus, the first of its kind in NCA’s history, is the oldest caucus of NCA.  Its mission is to advocate for the socio-political status and understood relevance of its members’ contributions to the communication discipline. The caucus is also concerned with the professional development and support of its members in their academic settings, research foci, and NCA governance and representation.

The African American Communication and Culture Division’s purpose is to promote substantive scholarship, creative and innovative teaching, and improved practice of communication about the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora. Members of the division are usually members of the caucus and are from various ethnic backgrounds that have a genuine interest in attending to issues that impact the people of the African Diaspora.