Every member of our faculty merits laurels of one sort or another, but some names may be more familiar than others — names such as Donald L. Shaw, one of the two "fathers" of agenda setting, or Jane Brown, an internationally recognized expert on the effects of media on adolescents. Public opinion researchers have given their highest award to Emeritus Knight Professor Philip Meyer, author of the influential book “Precision Journalism,” which was named one of the 35 significant books on journalism and communication of the 20th century. Dan Riffe is editor of Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly — a post previously held by Dean Jean Folkerts and professor Donald Shaw.

Many other names are also familiar because they appear on the fronts of books. Paul Caudros’ book, “A Home on the Field,” was selected for the UNC 2009 summer reading program for incoming freshmen. The book explores class and ethnic conflict through the story of a Latino high school soccer team in Siler City, N.C.

Other faculty books include:

• “Sexual Teens, Sexual Media: Investigating Media’s Influence on Adolescent Sexuality,” co-edited by Jane Brown
• “Managing the Media Monster: The Influence of Media (from Television to Text Messages),” edited by Jane Brown
• “Web Search Savvy: Strategies and Shortcuts for Online Research” and “From the Battle Front to the Bridal Suite: Media Coverage of British War Brides, 1942-1946” by Barbara Friedman
• “Videostyle in Presidential Campaigns: Style and Content of Televised Political Advertising,” co-authored by Anne Johnston
• “North Carolina Media Law Handbook,” co-edited by Cathy Packer
• "Pillow Fight: Pacific Coast Feather’s Rise to No. 1,” “Show Me the Money: Writing Business and Economic Stories for Mass Communication” and “A Century of Progress: Celebrating Progress Energy’s History of Service” by Chris Roush
• “Communication and Democracy: Exploring the Intellectual Frontiers in Agenda-Setting Theory,” co-authored by Donald Shaw
• “Broadcast News Handbook: Writing, Reporting, and Producing,” co-authored by Charlie Tuggle
• “Women Faculty of Color in the White Classroom” by Lucila Vargas
• “Insult Laws: An Insult to Press Freedom” by Ruth Walden
• “An Introduction to News Reporting: A Beginning Journalist’s Guide,” co-authored by Jan Yopp

Faculty members also excel at teaching. Two current faculty members — senior associate dean Dulcie Straughan and professor John Sweeney — have won the University’s prestigious Tanner Award for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence, and associate professor Deb Aikat won the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction. Former dean Richard Cole received the Freedom Forum Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Journalism-Mass Communication Administration.

The school’s faculty members are well respected in the university community and nationally. In July 2009, Ruth Walden was selected by the university’s provost as the director of the UNC Center for Faculty Excellence. Dean Folkerts is a representative on the executive committee of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication. Former dean Richard Cole served a term as president of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and was president of ASJMC.

• Professor Jane Brown was elected chair of the UNC faculty from 1994 to 1997, and received the Cornelia Phillips Spencer Bell Award in March 2002 for outstanding contributions to the University and the Harold L. Nelson Award for distinguished achievement in the field of journalism education by her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin, in 2006. Brown also received in 2008 the Faculty Mentoring Award from the Carolina Women’s Leadership Council.
• In 2005, Pat Davison, who teaches courses in photojournalism, won the University’s Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Excellence.
• In 2006, AEJMC awarded Don Shaw the prestigious Paul J. Deutschmann Award for Excellence in Research.
• Ryan Thornburg received a Ueltschi Service-Learning Course Development Grant in 2008 from the University’s APPLES Service-Learning Program.
• Andy Bechtel was elected to a three-year term to the executive committee of the American Copy Editors Society (ACES), beginning June 2009.
• Anne Johnston serves on the Administrative Board of the Graduate School.
• Michael Hoefges is serving a three-year term on the University Copyright Committee, until July 2011.
• Craig Carroll won the 2008 Educator/Research Expert of the Year award from PR News.
• Elizabeth Dougall was honored by PR News for her work in teaching crisis communication and for her co-efforts with a five-year, $7 million social marketing campaign focusing on Shaken Baby Syndrome.
• Lucila Vargas was invited to join the editorial board of The Communication Review.
• Jock Lauterer was named point person on community journalism by the National Newspaper Association (NNA) for the trade association’s nationwide membership primarily of non-daily newspapers.

Faculty members are also active internationally.

• Professor Cathy Packer and Richard Cole organized a project, funded by the U.S. State Department that enabled Jordanian journalists to come to Chapel Hill and North Carolina journalists to go to Jordan to explore the role of the print media in both developing and well-established democracies.
• Packer also is a member of the Fulbright Program Regional Committee for Southeastern Europe and lectured in Albania on freedom of the press as a Fulbright scholar.
• Lucila Vargas spent a year as professor-in-residence at the University of North Carolina’s Sevilla Study Abroad Program in Spain.
• Ruth Walden was a member of the U.S. delegation to the 2000 human rights implementation meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Warsaw, Poland, where she presented the U.S. statement on freedom of expression.
• Pat Davison has conducted summer courses in photojournalism in countries such as Chile, Thailand and China.
• Xinshu Zhao is serving as dean of Hong Kong Baptist University. He is active in American-Chinese relations and building partnerships with Chinese universities and was named one of the top 100 Chinese public intellectuals of 2006.