West receiving Brommel Award

Professor Richard West of Communication Studies is receiving the 2014 Bernard J. Brommel Award for Outstanding Scholarship or Distinguished Service in Family Communication from the National Communication Association (NCA) on Saturday, November 22.

The annual award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the area of family communication.

“The communication discipline has a long tradition of exceptional scholarship,” said Nancy Kidd, NCA executive director. “We’re proud to recognize Dr. West’s contributions with this well-deserved award.”

West, who has authored several books and journal articles on family communication, is currently conducting a study on the relationship between public schools and families with gay fathers and lesbian mothers. He has already interviewed 20 parents in three states. Further, West is preparing a book for Cambridge University Press on the history of the communication field.

West will also chair the Eastern Communication Association’s Presidential Task Force on restructuring the organization’s affiliates. ECA is the oldest professional communication organization in the world. 

In addition to teaching at Emerson, West is faculty advisor to the Emerson College Republicans student organization.

“This award recognizes Rich’s dedication to researching and writing about family communication,” said Phillip Glenn, interim dean of Emerson’s School of Communication. “From original research to textbooks and reviews, Rich has helped advance our understanding of interactions in the family context—the primordial site for interpersonal communication and close relationships.”

According to the NCA, the Brommel Award recognizes contributions that may include research published in a scholarly publication or leadership in instructional areas. Scholarship is broadly defined to include the spectrum of scholarly writing found in articles published in any journal or by members publishing in major research journals sponsored by other associations or organizations, or in book or monograph form.

West is the co-author of five books in multiple editions (IPC: Interpersonal Communication, Gender and Communication, Understanding Interpersonal Communication: Making Choices in Changing Times, Perspectives on Family Communication [4th edition], and Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Applications [5th edition]. He is also co-editor of The Family Communication Sourcebook, which was awarded as an Outstanding Book by the National Communication Association (Family Communication Division) in 2013.

West is the 2014 recipient of the Irma and Norman Mann Stearns Distinguished Professor Award.