History

School History

The School of Communication Studies (COMS), one of five schools in the Scripps College of Communication, was renamed in 2002 from the School of Interpersonal Communication (InCo). The program, in some fashion, has been part of the fabric of Ohio University since 1808 when the first courses on logic (dialectic) and persuasion (rhetoric) were taught in English.  The School of Interpersonal Communication was created in 1964 as one of three programs in the newly created College of Communication. Since then our scholarly instruction and research in organizational and interpersonal communication, health and relational communication, public advocacy and cultural studies in a globally and technologically advanced society continues to explore the challenges inherent to human communication. 

For a review of our contemporary program, please explore both the Undergraduate, Master's degree and Doctoral pages to gain a better understanding of our curriculum, as well as the Faculty/Staff Directory to review the scholarly interests of our faculty.

Recognition

Honoring visionaries and trailblazers is a longtime COMS tradition, and a cherished part of our ever-evolving history. We are proud to recognize scholars, Paul H. Boase and Elizabeth G. Andersch, through two unique awards.

Paul H. Boase delivering class lecture

Paul H. Boase was regarded as a visionary in the field of communication.The founding director of what was then called the School of Interpersonal Communication, Boase led a faculty charged with developing a distinct niche for the study of human communication within Ohio University’s new College of Communication. Ahead of his time in many ways, Boase—whose specialty, like many communication scholars of the time, was public address—helped create a school in which scholars could explore facets and forms of communication beyond public speaking. As a result of his founding leadership of the School from 1964-1981, COMS today is internationally known for engaging questions of communication that span a variety of contexts. Dr. Boase died December 13, 2000. The Boase Prize for scholarship was created to, in the words of his wife Connie, “keep his name alive” in the field.  Befitting his legacy, the award is given annually to scholars who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship in any area of communication.

Past winners of the Boase Prize:

  • 2025 - Dr. Walid Afifi
  • 2024 - Dr. J. Kevin Barge
  • 2016 - Dr. Ronald C. Arnett
  • 2015 - Dr. Karen Foss
  • 2014 - Dr. Karen Tracy
  • 2013 - Dr. Kent A. Ono
  • 2011 - Dr. Brenda Allen
  • 2010 - Dr. Barbara Sharf
  • 2009 - Dr. David Seibold
  • 2008 - Dr. Bonnie J. Dow
  • 2007 - Dr. Carole Blair
  • 2006 - Drs. Robert Hariman and John Lucaites
  • 2005 - Dr. Gerry Philipsen
  • 2004 - Dr. Martin Medhurst
  • 2003 - Dr. James Andrews
Elizabeth G. Andersch - Headshot

Elizabeth G. Andersch joined the faculty at Ohio University in 1943 and was the first woman to be accorded tenure and promotion to Full Professor within the school. Dr. Andersch was recognized for her efforts to promote women and other historically excluded voices at Ohio University and beyond through teaching and mentorship. As described by Paul Boase, the School Director who established the Elizabeth G. Andersch Award in 1973, the award honors “the tradition of excellence in teaching, research, and service she embodied as a member of our faculty.”

Past winners of the Andersch Award:

  • 2014 - Dr. Arvind Singhal
  • 2012 - Dr. Ann Bainbridge Frymier
  • 2011 - Dr. Larry Frey
  • 2010 - Dr. Ronald C. Arnett
  • 2007 - Dr. Sandra Petronio
  • 2006 - Dr. Art Bochner
  • 2005 - Dr. Fredric M. Jablin
  • 2004 - Dr. Karlyn Kohrs Campbell
  • 2003 - Dr. Gustav Friedrich
  • 2002 - Dr. Larry Grossberg
  • 2001 - Dr. Eric Eisenberg
  • 2000 - Dr. Robert Scott
  • 1999 - Dr. Sue DeWine
  • 1998 - Dr. Leslie Baxter
  • 1997 - Mr. Matt Lauer
  • 1996 - Dr. Julia Wood
  • 1995 - Dr. Steve Duck
  • 1994 - Dr. Jesse Delia
  • 1993 - Dr. Erwin Bettinghaus
  • 1992 - Ms. Nancy Cartwright
  • 1991 - Dr. Linda Putnam
  • 1990 - Dr. Everett Rogers
  • 1989 - Dr. Walter Fisher
  • 1988 - Dr. W. Barnett Pearce
  • 1987 - Dr. Ray E. Wagner
  • 1986 - Dr. L. Edna Rogers
  • 1985 - Dr. Don Faules
  • 1984 - Dr. Samuel Becker
  • 1983 - Dr. Robert G. Gunderson
  • 1982 - Dr. Gerald R. Miller
  • 1981 - Dr. Loren Reid
  • 1980 - Dr. Paul H. Boase
  • 1979 - Dr. W. Charles Redding
  • 1978 - Dr. Jeffrey Auer
  • 1977 - Dr. Virginia Hahne
  • 1976 - Dr. Bowler Aly
  • 1975 - Dr. Barb Leib-Brilhart
  • 1974 - Dr. Mary Ellen Ludlum
  • 1973 - Dr. Ruth A. Wilcox