In 2024, the Department of Communication celebrated five faculty, whose combined years of service total 170 years. Their commitment to our students over the decades have transformed thousands of students’ lives and shaped our mission and vision for years to come. Scroll down to learn more about these five outstanding faculty.
Robert Brady – 45 Years of Service
Robert “Bob” Brady being presented certificate by Meredith Neville-Shepard
About Dr. Brady:
Robert Brady joined our department in 1979. Brady is the longest serving chair in department history, having served from 2000 to 2020. In 1994, he received the Fulbright College’s Outstanding Advisor Award and, in 1996, was named the “Faculty Member of the Year” by the University’s Panhellenic Council. He is the Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies program (IDSTBA) in Fulbright College. He has worked extensively as a consultant and instructor for management training programs in manufacturing, retail, governmental, and non-profit organizations, including The U.S. Marine Corps, Arkansas Department of Health, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Army Air Force Exchange Service, Simmons Industries, Kawneer Inc., Arkansas Municipal Clerks Association, and the Arkansas Bankers Association. Brady’s research has been published in the American Communication Journal, Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of Business Communication, Communication Monographs, Western Journal of Communication, Journal of Language and Social Psychology, and Social Behavior and Personality. He teaches several courses in our online program including Introduction to Communication Research, Persuasion, and Visual Communication.
Frank Scheide – 45 Years of Service
About Dr. Scheide:
Frank Scheide being presented certificate by Meredith Neville-Shepard
Frank Scheide joined our department in 1979. Scheide actively researches in the fields of film history and criticism, documentary film, and Native American history, culture, and politics. Professor Scheide co-edited, with Hooman Mehran, the books Chaplin: The Dictator and the Tramp and Chaplin’s Limelight and the Music Hall Tradition. He is the author of a textbook entitled Introductory Film Criticism: A Historical Perspective, and his catalog of out-takes from films made by Charles Chaplin between 1916 and 1952, has been published online by the British Film Institute in London, England. Scheide’s research has been published in Free Speech Yearbook, Journal of Communication Studies, and The Velvet Light Trap Review of the Cinema. He was project director for the award-winning PBS documentary, The Keetoowahs Come Home. He teaches courses including Film Lecture, American Film Survey, and International Film, and has played an active role in mentoring student projects at the Bentonville Film Festival.
Robert Wicks – 30 Years of Service
About Dr. Wicks:
Rob Wicks with Rome Study Abroad 2024 Cohort
Robert Wicks joined our department in 1994. His research areas include media, audiences, human information processing, and political communication and campaigns. He also has interests in mass communication theory and research. Wicks is the author of a book on media processing titled Understanding Audiences: Learning to Use the Media Constructively and the co-author of a recently published book, From Legacy Media to Going Viral: Generational Media Use and Civic Engagement. His research has been published in Communication Yearbook 15, Communication Yearbook 19, Communication Research, American Behavioral Scientist, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Journalism Quarterly, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Media and Religion, Revista Iberoamericana de Communication, Journal of Communication, and Mass Communication and Society. He teaches courses that include Seminar in Television, Media and Presidential Elections, Political Communication, and Mass Media Cognition. Wicks is also passionate about providing study abroad opportunities to communication students and has led three semester-long study abroad programs at the University of Arkansas Rome Center in Italy.
Trish Amason – 30 Years of Service
About Dr. Amason:
Trish Amason receiving certificate from Meredith Neville-Shepard
Trish Amason joined our department in 1994. Amason researches interpersonal communication, focusing on the interface of the interpersonal communication process and health. Amason’s research has been published in many journals including Communication Yearbook 10, Communication Studies, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Health Communication, Journal of Family Communication, Communication Research Reports, and Journal of Thought. Amason teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate level in topics surrounding interpersonal communication, small group, theory, and health communication. She has held multiple executive leadership positions in the Southern States Communication Association and currently serves as the department’s undergraduate director.
Peggy Catron-Ping – 20 Years of Service
About Dr. Catron-Ping:
Peggy Catron-Ping receiving certificate from Meredith Neville-Shepard
Peggy Catron-Ping joined our department in 2004. She currently serves as an instructor and teaches the following courses, Interpersonal Communication, Small-Group Communication, and Public Speaking. In addition to teaching, she is currently pursuing a JD at the University of Arkansas School of Law.
Written by Lacie Bryles, marketing and programs specialist
Photos by Lacie Bryles, marketing and programs specialist
Photo submitted by Rob Wicks