Dr. Andrew S. Rancer honored with distinguished scholar award

The Ohio Communication Association (OCA) recently announced that Dr. Andrew S. Rancer, professor emeritus of communication at The University of Akron (UA), will be honored with its 2020 Distinguished Scholar Award. The award recognizes those faculty who “have demonstrated a consistent record of excellence in scholarship and have contributed significantly to the field of Communication.”

To be recognized for research and scholarship is “something all professors aspire to during their careers,” Rancer said of this achievement. “It is a great honor for me to be the recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award from this prestigious organization.”

Rancer’s devotion to the field spans more than 40 years. A dedicated and enthusiastic scholar of communication, his achievements include co-authoring six books, contributing numerous book chapters and publishing research in scholarly journals, including Communication Monographs, Communication Education, Communication Quarterly and Communication Research Reports, among others. Rancer’s research focuses on traits of argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness in communication as well as ways to avoid destructive communication and improve conflict management.

His work in the field has garnered admiration from his peers and colleagues. Dr. Heather Walter, director of UA’s School of Communication, explained, “Our school has always been fortunate to have Dr. Rancer’s wisdom and research expertise. He is highly respected worldwide for his contributions to the field, and yet, he has always been humble, available and willing to engage students in his research.”

Rancer will accept the award virtually at this year at OCA’s annual conference on Oct. 3.

Media contact: Lisa Craig, 330-972-7429 or lmc91@uakron.edu.