Missouri Journalism Associate Dean Receives Outstanding Educator Award

Margaret Duffy Strategic Communication Chair Lee Wilkins Radio-TV Journalism Professor

Links

American Academy of Advertising American Advertising Federation Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Commission on the Status of Women Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute Internet Advertising: Theory and Research Mizzou Alumni Association University of Missouri

Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 18, 2008) -- Missouri School of Journalism Associate Dean Esther Thorson received the 2008 Outstanding Woman In Journalism and Mass Communication Education award at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) held last month in Chicago.

Esther Thorson

Given by Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and AEJMC, the award recognizes a woman who has represented fellow women in the academy through personal excellence and high standards in journalism education. The prestigious award is given for exceptional merit, not on an annual basis.

Cory Armstrong, CSW co-chair, said that Thorson has supported and advocated for women in mass communication through her teaching, research and mentorship.

"She was an exceptional choice for this award," Armstrong said.

Thorson has published extensively on the news industry, advertising, news effects and health communication. Her scholarly work has won many research and writing awards, and she has advised more than 35 doctoral dissertations. She serves on an extensive list of journal editorial boards. Thorson is also the recipient of the American Advertising Federation's Distinguished Advertising Education Award, the American Academy of Advertising's Outstanding Contribution to Research Award, a Mizzou Alumni Association Faculty Award and the University of Missouri Curators' Award for Scholarly Excellence. She is the only female Fellow of the American Academy of Advertising.

Best known for her interdisciplinary work, Thorson has collaborated with scholars around the world during her more than 30-year career. Examples of her interdisciplinary work include:

• Publishing the book Internet Advertising: Theory and Research (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2007) with co-editor David Schumann, business professor at the University of Tennessee;
• Publishing the book Health Communication in the New Media Landscape (Springer, 2008) with co-editor Jerry Parker, associate dean at the University of Missouri School of Medicine;
• Working with Murali Mantrala, an MU business professor, and Shrihari Sridhar, a doctoral student, on a study that has shown how reduction of the size of newsrooms across America is the direct cause of plummeting newspaper advertising revenues-a loss that now raises the threat of bankruptcy for many newspaper companies; and
• Serving as director of research at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, where she is leading a variety of efforts to identify business models that may revive American newspapers.

Thorson's nomination letter was submitted by two colleagues at the School, Professor Lee Wilkins and Associate Professor Margaret Duffy.

"In considering Dean Thorson's astonishing record of achievement, three words come to mind: dedication, brilliance, and leadership," Wilkins and Duffy said in the nomination letter. "She is a committed and tireless teacher and mentor, an exceptional researcher and scholar, and a leader in every aspect of her professional life."

Thorson has been associate dean for graduate studies at the School since joining Mizzou in 1993. During the 2007-2008 academic year, she served as acting dean.

Related

May 27, 2008: Missouri Journalism Faculty and Students Presented 46 Papers at 2008 ICA Conference Missouri School of Journalism researchers presented 46 scholarly papers at the 2008 conference of the International Communication Association, one of the leading communication-related academic organizations. Twenty-eight current students and faculty participated in the conference program. Twenty-six of the School's alumni also had their papers accepted to the program. [More]

Aug. 30, 2007: Missouri Researchers Present 47 Papers, Panel Discussions at Leading Academic Conference Missouri Journalism graduate students and professors showcased their scholarly work in 47 paper presentations and panel discussions at the 2007 meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, which took place August 8-12 in Washington, D.C. Presenting to 14 of AEJMC's academic divisions and numerous interest groups, the Missouri researchers discussed wide-ranging issues in journalism, mass communication, public relations and advertising. Seven papers from the School received top honors at the conference. [More]

April 27, 2007: Dean Mills to Take a Year's Break from Dean's Responsibilities, Provost Announces Beginning June 4, Dean Mills will "step back" from the dean's job for a year, returning to full-time duty in June of 2008, as the School begins its centennial celebration and looks forward to the opening of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Esther Thorson will serve as acting dean. [More]

March 27, 2007: Strategic Communication Summit Highlights Evolving Media, Technology and Research Today's successful strategic communicator must be able to navigate as many platforms as possible, from print, radio and television media options to Web and online venues to viral marketing efforts. A group of Missouri School of Journalism alumni, faculty and other industry professionals recently addressed how this conclusion and other media challenges affect student training at the School's second Strategic Communication Summit held Feb. 27-28. [More]

March 14, 2007: Journalism Doctoral Student Wins Competitive $15,000 International Scholarship Tayo Oyedeji has been named a prestigious Harvey Fellow by the Mustard Seed Foundation based in Arlington, Va. The Foundation is a Christian organization that encourages graduate students in premier educational and research programs to pursue leadership positions in strategic fields where Christians tend to be under-represented. [More]

Feb. 15, 2007: Newspaper Study: Investing in the Newsroom is Good for Business Murali Mantrala and Esther Thorson, director of research for the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute and associate dean for graduate studies in the Missouri School of Journalism, recently examined the profitability of newspapers. Their research revealed that news quality most directly affects the bottom line. [More]

July 17, 2006: Journalism Students and Faculty to Present 31 Papers at 2006 AEJMC Conference Thirty-one scholarly papers - including five receiving top recognitions - will be presented at this year's Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference by Missouri School of Journalism faculty and current and recent graduate students. Their work covers an impressive breadth of topics including advertising, public relations, newspaper journalism, international communications, media ethics and media law. Scheduled for Aug. 2-5 in San Francisco, Calif., the annual meeting is held to encourage academic, industry professionals and students to investigate field trends and issues as well as to create and expand personal networks. [More]

May 25, 2006: Missouri Journalism Faculty and Students to Present 31 Papers at 2006 ICA Conference in Germany The Missouri School of Journalism will be well represented at this year's International Communication Association (ICA) conference with 31 papers accepted, which were written or collaborated by faculty and student authors from the School and with other professors from the University of Missouri-Columbia and other universities. The 56th annual ICA convention will be held June 19-23 in Dresden, Germany. [More]

Nov. 11, 2004: Media's Attitude Significantly Affects Individual's Social Connectedness, MU Researcher Finds This week, U.S. citizens throughout the country had the opportunity to vote for the President of the United States. However, some people decided not to vote because they were upset by the media's negative coverage of the campaign. Their lack of interest could have been caused by the lack of social connectedness, or social capital, they felt toward their country, which may have been brought on by the media. The media's effect on a person's social capital was the focus of a new study by a Missouri School of Journalism researcher. [More]

June 2, 2004: Esther Thorson Named 2004 Distinguished Educator by American Advertising Federation Esther Thorson, associate dean of graduate studies at the Missouri School of Journalism, will receive the 2004 Distinguished Educator Award from the American Advertising Federation for her outstanding contributions to advertising education. The Distinguished Educator winner was first awarded in 1987. The second award winner was S. Watson Dunn, also a professor at the Missouri School of Journalism. Thorson is only the second woman to receive the award. [More]

Oct. 25, 2003: Journalism School Faculty and Alumni Recognized by MU Alumni Association Two of the 17 outstanding faculty and alumni recently honored by the MU Alumni Association are from the Missouri School of Journalism. Esther Thorson, dean of graduate studies, and Art Holliday, B.J. '76, received a Faculty-Alumni award during the recent 36th annual Faculty-Alumni Awards Ceremony in Columbia. [More]

April 13, 2003: Esther Thorson Receives Prestigious AAA Award Esther Thorson, PhD, associate dean for research and graduate studies at the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia, has received an Outstanding Contribution to Research Award from the American Academy of Advertising (AAA) for her 20 years of contributions to the field of advertising research. She is the 11th person to win the award since it began being given in 1992 and the second woman to win it. [More]