NSC Professor Wins Distinguished National Award

With a growing body of revered research on risk and crisis communication, one of the newest faculty members at the Nicholson School of Communication (NSC), Timothy Sellnow, Ph.D., recently won National Communication Association’s Gerald M. Phillips Award for Distinguished Applied Communication Scholarship.

First presented in 1994, the Gerald M. Phillips award is given to scholars responsible for authoring bodies of published research and creative scholarship in applied communication. Previous winners of the award include Everett M. Rogers, originator of the Diffusion of Innovations Theory.

Sellnow joined NSC’s faculty this fall as a professor of Strategic Communication. His primary research and teaching focus is on risk and crisis communication. Much of his recent research focuses on comprehension of risk messages and strategic communication for mitigating the impact of and maintaining resilience in response to crises.

A past editor of the Journal of Applied Communication Research, Sellnow has co-authored five books and published many refereed journal articles focusing on strategies for effective risk and crisis communication. His most recent book, co-authored with Matthew Seeger, is titled, Theorizing Crisis Communication. He has served as a risk and crisis communication adviser for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, National Academy of Sciences, United States Geological Survey and the United States Department of Agriculture.

“I’m humbled and honored to receive this award,” Sellnow said.  “Some of the most influential mentors in my career, such as Everett Rogers, Julia Wood, Gary Kreps and Phil Palmgreen, have won this award. As a risk and crisis communication scholar, I’m convinced that the right words at the right time can save lives. I can only hope that my applied research contributes meaningfully to our understanding of how to develop and share the right messages.”

In offering congratulations to Sellnow, NSC’s associate director Boyd Lindsley, Ed.D. said, “The achievement underscores Dr. Sellnow’s immeasurable contributions to the communication discipline through his continued excellence in crisis communication research, teaching and service.”

“NSC is indeed privileged to have Dr. Sellnow among our faculty and we look forward to his contributions to NSC’s body of research, as well as preparing our students for research and careers in communication,” Lindsley added.

Sellnow will be formally recognized at an award ceremony during the NCA 101st Annual Convention in Las Vegas on Nov. 21.

Original story posted on Nicholson News.