Communiqué
WOUB’s Partner Dr. Lynn Harter Wins a National Engaged Scholar Award
By: Tom Hodson
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Dr. Lynn Harter, co-director of the Barbara Geralds Institute for Storytelling and Social Impact and professor in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University, was awarded the 2015 Engaged Scholar Award at the National Communication Association (NCA) Annual Convention in Las Vegas last week.
The award honors academics who have demonstrated both outstanding teaching and external engagement that has resulted in significant community transformation. It is presented by the Organizational Communication Division of NCA.
Harter has been extremely active both in the classroom and outside. She has partnered with WOUB Public Media in 2015 to present two full-length 60-minute documentaries: A Beautiful Remedy and Creative Abundance. She also partnered on a short documentary trailer called Going Gold. This is a precursor to a full-length hour-long documentary about the fight against pediatric cancer.
Harter also worked with students to produce a radio and podcast series called Hometown Heroes, featuring interviews with unsung heroes in the Athens region.
Harter is the primary creator of the new Storytelling Institute as part of the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University. The institute in currently involved in several storytelling projects across different media and partnerships with WOUB and several academic units throughout the university. The Institute involves both undergraduate and graduate students in its projects.
The Engaged Scholar Award recognizes the partnership between theory and practice. It celebrates and honors scholars who extend their scholarship beyond the normal demands of the classroom or institutional service to participate in community renewal, according to NCA.
It focuses on the economic, political or social empowerment of those without voice and collaborations with students in ways that foster deeper civic engagement and academic learning.
“The Service Engagement Award is a prestigious honor from one of the National Communication Association’s most active divisions. As Director of the School of Communication Studies, I am delighted to see Dr. Harter’s service recognized in this way,” Michael Butterworth, director of the School of Communication Studies says.
“It reflects her passion and commitment to multiple communities and embodies Ohio University’s mission to create ‘the nation’s best transformative learning community.’ We are tremendously proud of Dr. Harter’s contributions to both the School and the communication studies discipline.”