Two new members of the instructional faculty will join the Department of Communication in the fall of 2009—William H. Lawson and Brooke Fisher Liu.

William Lawson is a lecturer who will teach classes in Communication & Gender, Argumentation, and Interpreting Strategic Discourse. Lawson has a Ph.D. from Florida State University. He is a rhetorical critic with interests in civil rights rhetoric, visual rhetoric, and rhetorical agency. His research as appeared in Communication Law Review, Rhetoric & Public Affairs, and the Southern Communication Journal. Lawson also holds a graduate certificate in digital video production and is in the post-production process on two documentary films.

Brooke Fisher Liu is an assistant professor in the department specializing in public relations. Her research examines how government organizations manage communication during crisis and non-crisis situations. Her research has been published or accepted for publication in the Handbook of Crisis Communication, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Journal of Communication Management, Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, and Natural Hazards Review. Dr. Liu’s research has been funded by the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations and the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication. She will teach courses in qualitative research methods and public relations theory.