VITA

Angela Laird Brenton

Personal Information

Address: 161 Pebble Beach Dr., Little Rock, AR72212

Home Phone: 501-217-8828

Office Address: College of Professional Studies, UALR, 2801 S. University, Little Rock, AR 72204

Office Phone: 501-569-3244

E-mail address:

Education

B. A. in Mass Communication and B.S.E. in Speech Communication, OklahomaChristianCollege (now OklahomaChristianUniversity), 1975

M.A. in Communication, University of Oklahoma, December 1976

Ph.D. in Communication Studies (emphasis, Organizational Communication), University of Kansas, September 1982. Dissertation on Communication and Productivity won national

award from the International Communication Association.

Management and Leadership in Higher Education certificate, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, June 2011.

Administrative Experience

Dean of the College of Professional Studies, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. August 2001 to present. Oversee departments of Audiology and Speech Pathology, Criminal Justice, and Speech Communication, the School of Social Work, the School of Mass Communication, Institute of Government, KLRE-KUAR public radio stations, and the Mid-South Center, responsible for all child welfare training in the state of Arkansas. Oversee 150 faculty and staff with an annual budget of $12 million.

Accomplishments:

  • Lead the University with $7.7 million in annual grants and contracts.
  • Grant success rate of 84%
  • Raised participation of college faculty and staff in the annual campus campaign from 6% to 60%.
  • Helped raise approximately $7.2million in endowments and external support for scholarships, research equipment, clinical programs, and faculty development.
  • Hired 54faculty members in highly competitive fields, including tenAfrican American faculty members and five international faculty members.
  • Helped develop and guide the approval process for three new doctoral programs.
  • Developed two highly successful graduate certificate programs in conflict mediation and nonprofit management.
  • Developed a Leadership Academy to nurture future faculty and staff leaders.
  • Led a number of initiatives within the college aimed at improving race relations within the community, including an annual survey of racial attitudes, a national panel presentation during the Clinton Presidential Library opening on “Bridging the Divide: Racial Reconciliation for the 21st Century, and community conflict transformation training.
  • Developed six centers within the college to serve as a focus for research and community outreach, including the Center for Environmental Criminology, the Center for Senior Justice, the Center for Juvenile Justice, the Center for Stuttering Treatment and Research, the Center for Public Collaboration, and the Center for Nonprofit Organizations.
  • Negotiated the transfer of the Department of Health Services Administration from the College of Professional Studies at UALR to the College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences campus.

Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Provost for Research and Service, Abilene Christian University, August 1998 –August 2001. Oversaw 30 graduate degree programs enrolling over 900 students. Coordinated appointment of graduate faculty, approval of graduate programs and curriculum, graduate program review, graduate recruitment and admissions, and administration of graduate records and degree audits. As Associate Provost for Research and Service, I was responsible for Continuing Education and Institutional Service Outreach. I was also responsible for Research and Sponsored Programs bringing in approximately $6.6 million in annual extramural funding.

Achievements:

  • Developed a graduate certificate in Conflict Mediation enrolling 40 students in first year.
  • Developed an Office of Research & Sponsored Programs, establishing policies on F&A internal fund allocation, IRB policies, and enhanced internal grant competitions.
  • Increased Professional Continuing Education Revenue from $7000 to $50,000 in one year
  • Obtained $300,000 in external gifts as start-up funding for a Center for Conflict Resolution.
  • Obtained $30,000 in external gifts for support of Math/Science Research.
  • Coordinated approval for new graduate programs in Communication Science and Disorders and School Psychology.
  • Coordinated a feasibility study for an MSW program

Department Head, Communication and Mass Media, SouthwestMissouriStateUniversity (now MissouriState), 1997 to 1998. The department included B.A., B.S., B.S.E., and M.A. degrees in a variety of communication sub-disciplines, including speech communication, public relations, socio-political communication, media and multi-media production, media operations, journalism, broadcast journalism, and film studies. The department housed 39 full-time faculty members, 15 part-time faculty members, and 18 graduate teaching assistants. It enrolled 600 undergraduate majors and 60 graduate students. Duties of the position included:

  • Administering the academic programs of the department, including curriculum development and review, assessment, and class scheduling;
  • Administering an annual budget in excess of $4 million;
  • Overseeing and evaluating the work of all 62 faculty members and three professional staff;
  • Coordinating strategic planning for the department;
  • Administering student advisement and degree planning;
  • Coordinating alumni relations, community relations, and external fundraising; and
  • Serving on an administrative team for the College of Arts and Letters.

Associate Dean, College of Professional Studies, University of Arkansas at Little Rock 1989 - 1994. The College included graduate and undergraduate programs in Social Work, Public Administration, Health Services Administration, Gerontology, Criminal Justice, Human Communication, Journalism, Radio Television and Film, and Communicative Disorders. Duties included:

  • Coordinating strategic planning for college, including systematic surveys of

constituent groups and alumni;

  • Directing programs for faculty and chair development;
  • Overseeing educational technology, assessment, internships and applied learning

activities, and in-service training in College;

  • Assisting departments in external fund-raising; and
  • Coordinating weekend course offerings and continuing education efforts

Director, Baum Decision Support Center (An electronic meeting center), University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 1994-1997. Responsible for planning and facilitating meetings in center, training and supervising faculty facilitators, marketing the center, overseeing an annual budget of $50,000

Employment chronology

Professor, Organizational Communication, and Dean, UALR, 2001 to present.

Inaugural Faculty Member, Clinton School of Public Service, 2002 to 2004

Adjunct Professor, Pepperdine University School of Law, 1999 to present

Adjunct Professor, Southern Methodist University Center for Dispute Resolution, 2003- present

Professor, Organizational Communication, Dean of the Graduate School and Assistant Provost for Research and Service, Abilene Christian University, 1998 to 2001;

Professor, Organizational Communication, and Department Head of Communication and Mass Media, Missouri State University, 1997 to 1998.

Professor of Organizational Communication and Associate Dean, UALR 1989-1997.

Associate Professor, Organizational Communication, Pepperdine University, 1988-89.

Assistant/Associate Professor, UALR 1982-1988.

Assistant Instructor, University of Kansas, 1979-82.

Instructor, Oklahoma Christian College, 1976-9.

Teaching Assistant, University of Oklahoma, 1975-6.

Courses Taught

Graduate Courses

Foundations of Organizational Communication Theory

Organizational Communication Culture

Organizational Communication Assessment

Communication Processes and Conflict Transformation

Research Methods

Interviewing

Communication and Conflict

Mediation

Communication Theory

Training and Development

Facilitating Multi-Party Conflicts

Conflicts in Schools

Undergraduate Courses

Organizational CommunicationSmall Group

Organizational Communication AssessmentLeadership

Conflict Management/MediationDebate

Female/Male CommunicationPublic Speaking

Communication Research MethodsInterviewing

Other Teaching Responsibilities

  • Coached debate for seven years including three years as an assistant coach with Dr.

Donn Parson at the University of Kansas.

  • Advised 41 master’s papers and served on 28 other committees.

Student Teacher Ratings

At the University of Kansas, on a 7-point scale with 7 high, my overall ratings

for teaching effectiveness averaged 6.78.

At UALR on a 5-point scale with 1 high, my ratings for overall effectiveness have

ranged from 1.2 to 1.4.

At Pepperdine, on a 5-point scale, with 5 high, my ratings ranged from 4.6 to 5.0.

Honors and Awards

Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International, 2004.

Outstanding Community Service, 2003. Award given by Metroplan regional planning group for work in facilitating creation of a regional water distribution district in Saline County, merging 17 water providers in regional cooperation.

Faculty Excellence Award in Public Service, 1991. College of Professional and Public Affairs. Selected by the College Faculty Senate.

Harold McDaniel Outstanding Member Award, 1991. Selected from the 200 professional members of the Arkansas chapter of the American Society for Training and Development.

James E. Wallace Award, 1992. Selected as the outstanding member of ASTD, Region 7, consisting of five states and 15 chapters.

Graduate Faculty Member of the Year, Speech Communication Department, UALR. An award voted by graduate students in the Master's of Interpersonal and Organizational Communication program.

Award for Distinguished Scholarship, 1986. Granted by the Organization for Research on Women and Communication, Western Speech Communication Association for best published research article of year.

Outstanding Colleague Award, 1985. Voted by faculty of Speech Communication department for research contributions and professional service.

Redding Dissertation Award, International Communication Association, Organizational Communication Division, honorable mention (2nd place), dissertation competition, 1982.

(Eric Eisenberg was first)

Margaret Anderson Teaching Award, Department of Speech and Drama, University of Kansas, 1982. This award honors the outstanding assistant instructor in the Department of Speech and Theatre, including Divisions of Communication Studies, Radio-Television-Film, Speech Pathology and Audiology, and Theatre.

Buehler Award, University of Kansas, 1980. This award honors the outstanding first-year teaching assistant in the basic speech communication course.

Selected Publications and Convention Papers

Managerial Communication

Organizational culture in action, Sage, 2005. (a textbook with co-author Gerald Driskill). 2nd edition 2011.

Risk-taking communication, Leadership Journal, 19, January 1991, 10-15. (With John Gray).

The relationship of communication to productivity and job satisfaction. Handbook of Organizational Communication. Eds. Gerald Goldhaber and George Barnett, 171-212. Norwood, N. J.: Ablex Publishers, 1988 (With Cal Downs and Phil Clampitt).

Effective performance appraisal: A view from managers. Journal of Business Communication, 22, 1985, 49-58. (With Phil Clampitt -- competitive paper, blind review).

Identification and organizational decision making. Top four paper in Organizational Communication, Speech Communication Association annual meeting, Washington, D. C., 1983. (With Mike Hemphill).

A comparison of structural properties of rules regarding communication and productivity in two organizations. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Dallas, 1983. (Competitive paper with Cal Downs and Ken Johnson).

The cultural understanding of productivity among women in corporate organizations. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Speech Communication Association, Louisville, 1982.

Conflict Management

Conflict in academic departments: Multiple views. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Chicago, 2004.

Creating a graduate certificate program as a bridge to professional communities. MetropolitanUniversity Journal, Spring 2004.

Facilitating community disputes: case study of creation of regional cooperation on water. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Coalition of Urban and MetropolitanUniversities, Detroit, 2003.

Mediator Credentialing: A Report to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, May 2002. (With Ruth Craw and Tim Joiner).

Demystifying the magic of language: A critical linguistic analysis of authority, Journal of Applied Communication Research, 21, August 1993, 227-244.

When brother takes brother to court: An analysis of religious conflict styles. Mission Journal, Jan/Feb. 1986, 19-24. (With Jerry Butler).

Sexual spillover in the workplace: Testing the appropriateness of male-female interaction. Women's Studies in Communication, 9, Fall 1986. (Competitive paper with Mike Hemphill.)

When does a compliment become a lawsuit? paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Honolulu, 1985 (Competitive paper.)

Communication Theory

Using the OCA to analyze religious communication: A case study and critical assessment. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Speech Communication Association, Chicago, 1990. (Competitive paper with Dwayne VanRheenen and David Lowry).

Congregations as organizations: Research, theory and analysis. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Speech Communication Association, Chicago, 1990. (Competitive paper with Dwayne VanRheenen).

The role of cultural paradox in shaping identity: A comparative organizational analysis. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, San Francisco, 1989. (Competitive paper).

Summary of research in organizations using the Coordinated Management of Meaning rules theory. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Speech Communication Association, Boston, 1987

A rules approach as a supplement to organizational communication research. Top three paper in Applied Communication, Central States Speech Convention, Milwaukee, 1982.

Higher Education Administration

Summary of a leadership identification and training effort for academic leadership. Article published on the department chair resource page, American Council on Education, 2004.

Assessing student outcomes in graduate programs. One school’s experience. Invited paper, annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools, Washington, D.C., December 1999.

Seeing our discipline through a new lens: Speech Communication in a professional college.

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration, 1996, 78.

Becoming accountable to community constituents: A review of a community-based planning process. Competitively selected paper presented to the annual meeting of the Society for College and University Planning, Washington, D.C., July 1996.

Assessing higher education needs through the use of focus groups. Competitively selected paper presented to the annual meeting of the Society for College and University Planning, Washington, D.C., July 1996.

Community-centered university planning: Case study of a two-year process. Competitively selected paper presented at the annual meeting for the Society of College and University Planning, San Antonio, 1995.

Consulting Activities

Management Consulting

Services have included facilitating strategic planning, conducting large-scale employee surveys and communication audits and advising management on results, conducting focus groups, teambuilding, making suggestions for internal communication efficiency, and designing training curriculum. Selected clients have included:

City of AbileneGrace Cultural Center

Systematics, Inc.(now Alltel)Arkansas Dept. of Education

Twin City Bank Arkansas Dept of Higher Education

Heifer InternationalL’Oreal

UAMSSouthwestern Bell

HardingUniversity administrationCJRW Advertising Agency

Saline Memorial HospitalFrost & Co. Accountants

A T & TFayettevilleSchool District

Arkansas BusinessAR Foreign Language Teachers Assoc

AETNAbilene Chamber of Commerce

Fifty for the FutureReynolds Center on Aging, UAMS

Hot SpringsCity Board of DirectorsCentral Flying Service

Arkansas Women's Leadership ForumPulaskiTechnicalCollege

Little RockCity Board of DirectorsEureka Springs

Arkansas Department of HealthArkansas Dept. of Human Services

Eastern AR Private Industry CouncilSunnybrook Children’s Home

StaffmarkFederal Mediation and Conciliation Service

Communication Training/Mediation/ Facilitation

Criminal Justice InstituteLittle Rock Police Department

Association of Internal AuditorsCenters for Youth & Families

Arkansas Special Education Resource CenterAR Assoc of Student Councils

Arkansas Credit Union LeagueArch Ford Educational Coop

IDSUAMSMedicalCenter

Arkansas Probation Officers AssociationVeteran's Hospital

Convatec (division of Squibb Pharmaceuticals)TRW

Worthen BankQualchoice Insurance

Arkansas Department of Higher EducationASTD

Blue Cross/ Blue ShieldNorth Little RockSchools

Griffin-Leggett-Healy-Roth Funeral HomesPulaski County Schools

Arkansas Mental Health AssociationSouthwestern Bell

Arkansas PostmastersLittle Rock Housing Authority

Bekaert Steel Wire CorporationFEMA

Arkansas GazetteTransworld Airlines

Communication Workers of AmericaMedicalTechnologistsState Assoc

Arkansas Psychological AssociationAR Assoc. of Master’s in Psych

Service Activities

Service to Academic Profession

Peer evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission of North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Secretary of the Arkansas Dean’s Association, a three-year leadership commitment that will end by serving as President in 2013-2014 and hosting the annual conference at UALR.

Program reviewer for the National Communication Association, with reviews at the following institutions:

Northeastern Oklahoma University, Tahlequah, OK -- master's program

SoutheastLouisianaStateUniversity, Hammond, LA -- communication department

Otterbein College, Westerville, OH. -- communication program

Bowling GreenStateUniversity – Department of Human Services

Elected for three years to be a paper reader for competitive papers in the Organizational Communication division of the Speech Communication Association. Five readers are selected each year from a division that now numbers around 400 professionals. About 100 papers are submitted each year.

Served as a respondent on competitive paper panels at national convention on five occasions

Community Service

Worked with the Director of the Division of Youth Services of the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services on facilitating a two-year process to develop a comprehensive plan for juvenile justice reform in the state of Arkansas, 2009-11.

Worked with the chancellor and cabinet at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences on a campus-wide strategic planning process involving scenario building for the future of the campus in an era of health care reform, ongoing Also assisted with strategic planning for other UAMS units including the Arkansas Aging Initiative, College of Medicine, Research Council, and the UAMS Library, 2010-11.

Rotary district service committee on conflict and peace studies, ongoing

Board of Directors, Vine and Village, a non-profit organization dedicated to social support of individuals in the University District. Outreach efforts include a Food Pantry, support for juveniles who “age out” of the foster care system, sports mentorship programs for youth that provide a 10-year relationship with a youth cohort, immigration support services, and support groups for teenage single mothers. 2011 to present.

Arkansas Women’s Leadership Forum, 1994 - present. President, program chair

Board member, St. Vincent Health System Board of Directors, 2008 to 2010 Also served as chair of the Women’s Health Advisory Board, 2001-2010

Served as an inaugural faculty member in the Clinton School of Public Service, developing a teaching a class in Communication Processes and Conflict Transformation Also served as chair of the curriculum committee for the Clinton School for two years, 2003-4.

Led a community project to develop a solution for vehicular traffic congestion in a high-tech corridor which competes with recreational and conservation concerns at the request of the major and city manager, 2007

Project Director, Saline County Water Study Task Force, 2002. Led eight committee members in a seven-month study of collaborative water solutions for the 14 water purveyors in SalineCounty The study resulted in creation of a regional water distribution district, and ended 40 years of litigation within the county. The study effort was honored by an award from Metroplan for regional cooperation.