Several members of the Penn State liberal arts community were honored during two College of the Liberal Arts alumni awards ceremonies, which took place remotely April 13 and 15.
Denise Solomon, Liberal Arts Professor and head of the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, received the Welch Alumni Relations Award. Solomon holds master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University and is a gifted scholar whose research focuses on communication experiences in personal relationships. She is co-author of two books and dozens of articles in top scholarly publications; she is also a fellow of the International Communication Association and the International Association of Relationship Research and a distinguished scholar of the National Communication Association. A master of alumni engagement, Solomon frequently communicates with alumni through periodic letter updates, brings alumni experts on as judges for the department’s annual public speaking contest, and connects alumni to the department through her “CAS-FAN” network. Solomon has presented to volunteer alumni boards and has traveled to California to represent the college at alumni events. When she was the college’s associate dean, she hosted volunteer groups in her home, met with alumni, and articulated the case for graduate student support.