Ryan Neville-Shepard Wins Award for Mid-Career Excellence in Mentoring

University of Arkansas

Ryan Neville-Shepard

Ryan Neville-Shepard, associate professor in the Department of Communication in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, has been named the 2022 recipient of the John T. Warren Mentorship Award from the Central States Communication Association.

The Warren Award honors a mid-career scholar exhibiting excellence in all aspects of their career, including research, teaching, service and engagement. Most importantly, recipients of the award must demonstrate excellence as a mentor.

Neville-Shepard's research focuses on the rhetoric of political "outsiders" in the United States and their influence on democratic norms. His work has been published in journals such as Critical Studies in Media Communication, Argumentation and Advocacy, Women's Studies in Communication, Communication Quarterly, Southern Communication Journal, Communication Studies, American Behavioral Scientist, Western Journal of Communication and Feminist Media Studies. He has been named the recipient of the Judith S. Trent Award for Early Career Excellence in Political Communication by the Central States Communication Association and has won the Eastern Communication Association Article of the Year Award and the Aubrey Fisher Outstanding Article Award from the Western States Communication Association.

Since joining the U of A in 2016, Neville-Shepard has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in argumentation, political communication, presidential rhetoric, rhetorical criticism, freedom of speech, legal communication and conspiracy rhetoric. He has regularly advised M.A. theses and capstones, as well as undergraduate honors theses, with many of his students going on to win prestigious national awards. For his work with the Department of Communication's M.A. program, Neville-Shepard recently received the Outstanding Mentor in Master's Education Award from the National Communication Association.

Neville-Shepard's former students note that he stands out as a lifelong mentor. Ashley Clayborn, who is now the director of UA Little Rock Downtown, wrote in her letter of support, "His teaching philosophy, lecture style and enthusiastic support for intellectual curiosity in students and peers alike embodies the best of what the field of communication can be." But most importantly, Clayborn added, "He is a powerful mentor who remains on his students' team wherever they go in life."

James O'Mara, who was Neville-Shepard's student at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, noted that his teaching was outstanding. Pointing out that he took eight classes with Neville-Shepard in three years, O'Mara explained in his letter of support, "His teaching style motivated me to read, attend class and learn. He fosters an environment for students to find their voice. He does everything he can to keep topics interesting and to challenge everyone to be a better version of themselves." Now a doctoral student at Colorado State University, O'Mara praised Neville-Shepard for remaining a mentor beyond the classroom, explaining, "I once thought that everyone had met a professor like Ryan who helped them make it in their careers. But I now realize his mentorship is unique. I met him during my first semester as an undergraduate student, and he continues to mentor me today as I finish my Ph.D."

Neville-Shepard will receive his award during a ceremony on April 1 during the annual convention of the Central States Communication Association in Madison, Wisconsin.

About the Central States Communication Association: The Central States Communication Association (CSCA) is an academic organization of communication professionals including college and university professors, students and K-12 educators. The organization was founded in 1931 to promote the communication discipline in educational, scholarly and professional endeavors. CSCA has grown to become the largest regional communication organization in the United States and the fourth largest academic communication association in the world. For more information, visit www.csca-net.org.