Welcome

The William A. Kern Professorship in Communications was established as an endowment by the Rochester Telephone Company to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the company and to provide a memorial for Mr. Kern, former company president who served as an RIT trustee from 1959 to 1964.

The purpose of the endowment is to provide instruction and research into contemporary communication issues. The Kern Professorship resides in the Department of Communication, College of Liberal Arts.

Previous Kern professors include Dr. Bruce A. Austin, Chair, Department of Communication, RIT and Dr. Michael Prosser, Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia.

I have served as Kern Professor since 1999. During that time I have focused my research and professional activities on visual communication and the rhetoric of social change, with special interests in issues of gender, feminism, and environmental communication.

Each year the Kern endowment provides funding for a scholarly conference. The William A. Kern Conferences on Visual Communication are held every other year. Conferences on issues of communication, gender, and social change are held in the intervening years.

I hope as you explore this site, you will consider participating in upcoming conferences. The 4th biennial Kern Communication Conference on "Visual Communication: Rhetorics and Technology" will be held on April 10-13, 2008 at the Strathallan Hotel in Rochester's cultural district. Please check this site for details as they are posted.

Please visit my page on the Department of Communication website for information on courses I teach and current research.

Welcome!

Diane S. Hope
William A. Kern Professor in Communication
Department of Communication
College of Liberal Arts