SAMUEL L. BECKER DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Selection Committee: Judith Trent, University of Cincinnati (Chair); Frank E. X. Dance, University of Denver; Lawrence Frey, University of Colorado at Boulder

This coveted award is presented annually to an NCA member who has given outstanding cumulative service in research, teaching and/or service to both NCA and the profession. The 2005 recipient is:

James L. Gaudino

Kent State University

James Gaudino's service to the National Communication Association during the 15 years he was its Executive Director was not just exemplary, it personifies the description of what "distinguished service" means in the description of the Samuel L. Becker Distinguished Service Award. During the time that Gaudino was Executive Director, NCA expanded its membership by more than 16 percent, its net worth by more than three times, and its convention attendance by more than 30 percent. The "outreach" efforts that were conducted by Jim and others have been significant, with NCA becoming a member of the American Council of Learned Societies, engaging in leadership positions in the Consortium of Social Science Associations and the National Humanities Alliance, and with the naming of Communication as a Carnegie Discipline. It was also Jim's presence, and the confidence placed in him by NCA's membership, that helped the Association weather perhaps the greatest crisis in its history. When fire destroyed the Annandale office just prior to the move into Washington, financial records, materials for the upcoming convention and membership lists were lost. While the National Office staff performed heroically, it was Gaudino's leadership that provided the stability and optimism that made recovery possible in an extraordinarily short time. Jim’s steady leadership, affection for and engagement with NCA and its members, his ability to work with, inspire and give confidence to diverse groups of people, and his consistent dedication to the "task at hand" combine to make it most appropriate to recognize, acknowledge, and express appreciation for Jim's dedication to the National Communication Association by bestowing upon him the Samuel L. Becker Distinguished Service Award.

For more information visit NCA's Web site: http://www.natcom.org/nca/Template2.asp