West Chair of Excellence in Communication and Public Affairs
The George R. West, Jr. Chair of Excellence in Communication and Public Affairs was established at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1986 through the Westend Foundation, in honor of its founder. The chair's charge is to prepare students to analyze public affairs critically and to communicate about them truthfully, effectively, and responsibly.
Forty years on, that charge has only grown more demanding. Americans now conduct much of their public and private life through mediated channels, which makes the question of who to believe a practical problem rather than an abstract civic one.
The chair pursues that problem on two fronts. It supports original research on trust, communication competence, and the social effects of technology; and it brings leading scholars and practitioners to campus for public lectures open to the community.
The West Chair is held by Brandon Bouchillon, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Communication.
Upcoming: Common Ground
