Megan Wise, a senior at Ashland University and resident of North Canton, Ohio, was chosen as the recipient of the 2012 Ohio Communication Association Distinguished Undergraduate Student Award. This award is given to stellar students who excel not only in the classroom but at a state and national level as well. This is the highest student honor offered by the organization.
Wise, who was honored on Oct. 5 at the annual meeting of the Ohio Communication Association in Kent, Ohio, is the daughter of Warren and Margaret Wise of North Canton. She graduated from Hoover High School in 2009 and is now majoring in speech communication at Ashland University.
"Wise is not only an unbelievable talent in the classroom, but she is also extremely accomplished within the field of Communication Studies for someone so young. We are extremely proud of her and see her as most deserving of this honor," said Dr. Theodore Avtgis, professor and chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Ashland University.
On campus, Wise is also the president of the national academic honorary Lambda Pi Eta, Alpha Alpha Rho chapter of the National Communication Association and president of the Accent on PR club, which is a public relations club housed within the Department of Communication Studies.
"I am extremely honored to receive such a prestigious award. When Dr. Avtgis told me the good news, I was completely surprised and humbled. I am sure many students were deserving of this award and I am grateful to be chosen as the recipient," Wise said.
In Wise’s time here in the Department of Communication Studies at Ashland University, she has presented research at conferences and developed the teaching materials for a national book on Organizational Communication. She is currently the editorial assistant for the scholarly journal, Communication Research Reports, which has international readership.
"Ashland University and my professors have given me a myriad of experiences to further my studies in the field of communication. From presenting at conferences to implementing public relation campaigns, the opportunities have been extremely valuable and they have helped introduce me to the multiple facets of communication," Wise said.
Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2013, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.
