Clemson professor Joseph Mazer named editor of leading national communication journal

CLEMSON, South Carolina — Joseph Mazer, professor and chair of Clemson’s communication department, has been named to a three-year term as editor of Communication Education, a flagship journal published by the National Communication Association and the nation’s premier publication for research in the field. The journal publishes international scholarship that is committed to the advancement of communication, teaching and learning broadly defined as instructional communication and communication education.

Mazer has been a member of the journal’s editorial board since 2011 as well as a frequent contributor. He considers the appointment to editor to be a major career milestone for a scholar in the field of communication and he looks forward to taking the lead in advancing the understanding of the role of communication in teaching and learning.

“I am thrilled to serve as editor of a journal I have admired and contributed to for years,” Mazer said. “Communication Education is the gold standard for researchers in communication and learning. It means a great deal to me both personally and professionally to assume this important disciplinary leadership role.”

Mazer said he hopes to build upon the work of former Editor Jon Hess and current Editor Deanna Dannels by continuing to incorporate practices designed to create better dialogue and healthy debate about important issues in the field made possible in the journal’s successful forum section. He wants to encourage researchers to follow up and continue conversations begun in the journal.

Mazer has admired how the journal has expanded its focus and direction to invite greater diversity of thought, method and perspective. Mazer hopes to build on the great work of Hess and Dannels by opening the doors to manuscripts that might not have had serious consideration in years past.

“In my opinion, another editorial term characterized by openness to diverse thought, method and perspective is necessary to solidify the trajectory of the journal and move forward the work of the current and prior editors,” Mazer said. “I am committed to moving the journal forward in a manner that embraces diverse perspectives while maintaining the journal’s strong reputation.”

The journal welcomes scholarship from diverse perspectives and methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative and critical/textual approaches. Mazer will play a key role in ensuring that all submissions are methodologically rigorous as well as theoretically grounded and geared toward advancing knowledge production in communication, teaching and learning.

Eric Muth is the associate dean for research and graduate studies in Clemson’s College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, which is home to the communication department. Muth said Mazer’s appointment to editor of the journal elevates not only Mazer’s status as a scholar, but that of the department, college and university.

“It is the willingness of faculty such as Dr. Mazer to serve in these types of roles that increases Clemson University’s visibility and ultimately its research reputation,” Muth said.

Mazer’s own scholarly agenda focuses on communication in teaching and learning, new communication technologies/social media and course design and assessment. He comes to the editorial role as one of the most prolific communication scholars of the last 10 years. In 2017, he was ranked among the top 10 most productive scholars in communication nationwide, according to a study published in Communication Education. The ranking placed Mazer in the top 1 percent of prolific scholars in the discipline in the previous 10 years. This distinction came shortly after Mazer was also recognized in the journal’s list of the top five influential scholars, specifically in the field of instructional communication.

Mazer is currently finishing a three-year term as editor of the Basic Communication Course Annual; he served as that journal’s associate editor from 2010-2013. He also served as consulting editor for forums for Communication Education and completed a term as associate editor of the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Mazer currently serves on the editorial boards of 10 journals in the discipline.

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Communication Education
Communication Education is a quarterly academic journal that publishes research related to the role of communication in teaching and learning contexts. It is published on behalf of the National Communication Association, the world’s largest professional organization of scholars, educators, students and practitioners dedicated to studying and promoting effective and ethical communication.

Clemson University Department of Communication
Clemson University’s Department of Communication offers bachelor’s degrees and minors in communication and sports communication, a graduate certificate in health communication and a master’s degree in communication, technology and society. Housed in the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, the department is affiliated with Clemson University’s Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute, a multi-disciplinary platform for the academic study of sport sciences across the University, and houses the Charles Campbell Professorship in Sports Communication. The department is also home to several facilities and co-curricular activities including WSBF 88.1 FM, The Tiger newspaper, Tigervision TV network, the Social Media Listening Center, Communication Center and Research Lab, a nationally and internationally-recognized debate team and student study abroad programs.