Academic Environment Committee

Committee Charges

1. Maintains ongoing forum discussions with committee members about topics related to academic environment issues.
2. Gathers and disseminates information about workplace issues that are affecting business communication faculty (e.g., class size; teaching load; reappointment, promotion, and tenure (RPT) criteria; etc.) and how ABC can better serve its members in terms of the teaching environment and professional development opportunities.
3. Collects and shares resources that will enable business communication faculty to promote their work and their programs in the academy.
4. Works with other ABC committees and the ABC leadership to identify the appropriate credentials for business communication faculty.
5. Encourages members to develop ABC presentations and journal articles related to academic environment issues.
6. Informs the ABC Board of any AACSB actions or potential actions concerning business communication.
7. Informs ABC members about AACSB policies and procedures that affect or may affect business communication.
8. Works with the Research Committee to assess the status of business communication as an academic discipline and foster the perception of business communication as a discipline with a strong research base.
9. Requests committee members additions/drops by first logging into ABC and then completing the Committee Update Request Form.

Committee Chair

Katherine Ryan (term expires 12/31/2026)

Committee Members

Recent Prior Chairs

Dirk Remley, Kent State University
Paula Lentz, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Holly Lawrence, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Position Paper 2018