Communications Professor Earns Pair of Awards
Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of The University of Scranton’s Department of Communications and Media, earned awards this year from the Eastern Communication Association and the International Leadership Association. Dr. Smulowitz has been a Scranton faculty member since 2009. Dr. Smulowitz, left, is pictured accepting the ECA award from Jordan Atkinson, president of ECA.Two prestigious communication and leadership associations recently recognized a University of Scranton professor for her outstanding contributions to education.
Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Communications and Media, was honored as the Eastern Communication Association’s Ecroyd Teaching Excellence Award winner.
The Ecroyd Award is given to a full-time educator who has a demonstrated record of employing communication principles as the foundation for constructing pedagogical principles applied in teaching practices. Dr. Smulowitz is the first Scranton professor to earn the Ecroyd Award since it was first handed out by the ECA in 1989. She accepted the award earlier this spring at the ECA Convention in Buffalo, New York.
Dr. Smulowitz was also selected as the recipient of the Outstanding Practice with Local Impact Award, presented by the Women & Leadership Executive Leadership Team of the International Leadership Association. The award will be formally recognized at the organization’s upcoming conference on June 13 in Claremont, California.
“This esteemed award recognizes your exemplary contributions to the field of Women and Leadership,” Vicki Wuolle, Ph.D., chair of the ILA Women and Leadership group, said in a congratulatory letter. “Your unwavering tenacity, profound commitment and enduring passion for advancing scholarship and practice have significantly enriched the discipline and inspired countless others.”
Dr. Smulowitz has been at the University since 2009 and currently teaches courses in advertising, leadership and organizational communication. No matter the subject, Dr. Smulowitz often integrates real-world experience within academic courses. One such example of Dr. Smulowitz’s community-based learning approach was the Scranton team that competed — and earned a “Best” award — at this year’s National Student Advertising Competition.
In addition to her vast work at the University, Dr. Smulowitz is president of Smulowitz Communications, a strategic communication and leadership consulting firm. She is the executive director of the ECA and a member of the American Advertising Federation and the International Association of Business Communicators.
Dr. Smulowitz is the author of “The Communication Solution: Leading Successful Change in Higher Education,” and her research interests include theory and strategy for assessing and promoting excellence in organizational leadership. A former Girl Scout troop leader and Girl Scout who continues working with the organization in an advisory role, Dr. Smulowitz’s passion is paving the way for girls to have equality and unimpeded leadership opportunities.
Dr. Smulowitz holds a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University, a master’s from Ithaca College and a Ph.D. from Rutgers.
