Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry

Donald Treadwell earned his master’s degree in communication from Cornell University and his

PhD in communication and rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

He developed and taught communication research classes in classroom and online settings

and also taught courses in organizational communication, public relations, and public relations

writing. He is the coauthor of Public Relations Writing: Principles in Practice (2nd ed., Sage,

2005).

He has published and presented research on organizational image, consumer response to

college names, health professionals’ images of AIDS, faculty perceptions of the communication

discipline, and employers’ expectations of newly hired communication graduates. His research

appears in Communication Monographs, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Public

Relations Review, Journal of Human Subjectivity, and Criminal Justice Ethics.

He is professor emeritus, Westfield State University, and has international consulting experience

in agricultural extension and health communication.