Community Group Awards a University of Scranton Faculty Member

The American Advertising Federation of NEPA recognized Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., associate professor of communication and media at The University of Scranton, with the Silver Medal Award at a virtual ceremony on Mar. 12.

An Accredited Business Communicator (A.B.C.), Dr. Smulowitz is president of Smulowitz Communications, a strategic communication and leadership consulting firm. She also serves as executive director of the Eastern Communication Association and education chair of Boost Business NEPA.

At the University, Dr. Smulowitz teaches courses in advertising, leadership and organizational communication. She often includes community-based learning projects for students in her classes, which include developing and pitching marketing-based, integrated advertising campaigns to area organizations. Past clients for the classes have included Scranton Tomorrow, Cedar Bike & Paddle, East Scranton Business Association, Anthracite Heritage Museum and others. In addition, through her academic courses, University students also participate in the American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition.

Dr. Smulowitz also serves as moderator for the University’s Advertising Club, through which students also work with area businesses to gain real-world experiences. Clients the student club has previously worked with include Sno Mountain, Café Sveda, Duffy’s Accessories, Coconut Summer, Stinky’s Chili and Anthracite Bicycle Coalition.

Dr. Smulowitz’s research focus is on theory and strategy for assessing and promoting excellence in organizational leadership. Her most recent book, The communication solution: Leading successful change in higher education, was published in 2021. Her work has also been featured in Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Journal of Intercultural Communication Studies, Measuring Business Excellence, Change Management: An International Journal, The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods and in several books, book chapters and training manuals.

Dr. Smulowitz also volunteers with the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania and serves as a troop leader.

A resident of Shavertown, Dr. Smulowitz earned a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University, a master’s degree from Ithaca College and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University.