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In its 80th year as a discipline on the Â鶹ÊÓƵ campus, the School of Communication Studies is proud to honor three area communication professionals at its annual Homecoming awards ceremony. The school will recognize renowned scholar and alumnus Dominic Infante, Ph.D., with the Centennial Award, established in conjunction with the university’s 2010 centennial, for both his contribution to the field of communication and the School of Communication Studies.
 
Deborah Easton-Bentley, M.A., will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award, and Adam Earnheardt, Ph.D., will be honored as an Outstanding Young Professional. Student awards to be presented include Outstanding Doctoral Student Award to Jenny Rosenberg, Outstanding Master's Student Award to Kaitlin Banduch and Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award to Daniel Smith.
 
Alumni and friends of the school are welcome to attend the awards reception, which will be held on Oct. 19 at the Kent Student Center Ballroom Balcony at 5 p.m. with awards to follow at 6 p.m.
 
RSVP at kentcomm@kent.edu or 330-672-2659. Visit www.kent.edu/comm or Facebook (Â鶹ÊÓƵ School of Communication Studies) for more information and announcements about this event and the 80th anniversary of the School of Communication Studies. Interested alumni can provide career updates and accomplishments by going to www.kent.edu/comm/anniversary/index.cfm.
 
About the Award Winners:
 
Dominic A. Infante, Ph.D., professor emeritus of communication studies, is a widely published and internationally renowned scholar and researcher on argumentativeness, verbal aggressiveness, personality and communication, interpersonal communication, family violence, spousal abuse and a myriad of other topics. The school's Centennial Award, established in conjunction with the University's 2010 Centennial, is the highest honor given by the School of Communication Studies. It recognizes those associated with the school who are nationally and/or internationally recognized for their preeminent contributions to their profession or life's work as they relate to the field of communication.
 
Deborah Easton-Bentley, a nationally known communication skills consultant/trainer for 30 years, provides audiences with practical and effective advice for communicating with colleagues, customers or direct reports. Easton-Bentley has conducted programs for a variety of corporations and organizations, including health care, manufacturing, public utilities, insurance, social services, finance, technology and telecommunications. The Distinguished Alumni Award honors alumni with more than 15 years of professional experience since graduation who have made a significant contribution to the field of communication with demonstrated success in a chosen career.
 
Adam Earnheardt, Ph.D., is chair of the Department of Communication at Youngstown State University. In 2009, he was recognized as one of the top 40 professionals under the age of 40 by the Mahoning Valley Professional (MVP) 20/30 Club in Northeast Ohio, and selected as one of the top five MVPs. Earnheardt is executive director of the Ohio Communication Association. The Outstanding Young Professional Award honors alumni with five to 15 years of professional experience since graduation who have made a significant contribution to the field of communication with demonstrated success in a chosen career.