10/21/09 Stephenson appointed acting associate dean in liberal arts

Michael T. Stephenson

Highlights:

• Michael T. Stephenson, associate professor of communication, has been appointed acting associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts, effective immediately.

• He replaces Pamela R. Matthews who has accepted the position of interim associate provost for undergraduate studies.

• Stephenson’s primary areas of responsibility are undergraduate programs and interdisciplinary programs, including oversight of the Undergraduate Student Services Office and the College Honors Program.

Michael T. Stephenson, associate professor of communication, has been appointed acting associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts, effective immediately.  Stephenson replaces Pamela R. Matthews who has accepted the position of interim associate provost for undergraduate studies.

Stephenson’s primary areas of responsibility are undergraduate programs and interdisciplinary programs, including oversight of the Undergraduate Student Services Office and the College Honors Program. He also will serve on the college’s Executive Council. In his capacity as acting associate dean, Stephenson will work with directors and department heads to enhance the undergraduate experience, strengthen interdisciplinary studies, and develop international programs.

A respected teacher and researcher in the Department of Communication, Stephenson most recently served as graduate coordinator in the department. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky and came to Texas A&M University in 2002. His research interests are health communication campaigns and quantitative research. Stephenson has taught six courses in the communication department and has won a Student Led Award for Teaching Excellence (SLATE) and an Association of Former Students College-Level Teaching Award.

He serves as the principal investigator on a Center for Disease Control grant titled “Implementing and Evaluating Sabemos in Two Texas Colonias: Examining Interpersonal and Media Influences on Parenting Tobacco-free Hispanic/Latino Youth.” Stephenson has previously served as a co-investigator on a Division of Transplantation-sponsored grant titled “University Worksite Organ Donation Promotion Campaign” and on a National Institute on Drug Abuse-sponsored grant called “Effective Media Strategies for Drug Abuse Prevention.”

Stephenson’s research has been published in Human Communication Research, Communication Monographs, Communication Research, Health Communication, American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Communication, Journal of Applied Communication Research, and elsewhere. He also contributed to Public Communication Campaigns (3rd ed.) and Public Health Communication: Evidence for Behavior Change.

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10-21-09