One of Mercer’s own recently received a distinct and unexpected honor to give the keynote address at a national conference in June 2015.
Dr. Frank Macke, a professor of communication studies, said he was surprised and honored when he read the email asking him to give the lecture at the Second National Philosophy of Communication Conference.
“It is a national conference with different lectures and various English speaking sessions,” Macke said. “There will be representatives from various countries there to learn and hear other professionals discuss issues.”
At the conference, the division of philosophy and communication will examine and explore the overlap, intersections, and complements between philosophy and communication. The division provides an academic home for work that addresses communication from a philosophical orientation and/or philosophy from a communication perspective.
The event will be at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this coming June.
“Duquesne University has one of the larger programs that deals with philosophy and problems with human communication,” Macke said. “It is going to be a great location to have the conference.”
Macke said he doesn’t know what he is going to talk about quite yet, but he has plenty of ideas. He said that once he knows more about the audience and who will be in attendance he will have better idea of what his speech will be about.
“After the fall semester, I will have several weeks to focus on the lecture once I turn in my final grades,” Macke said, “I want to devote my full attention exclusively to the speech.”
He said he has been writing a book for a while that will be coming out this year. He said he has an expertise in problems of understanding language and meaning. His career has always dealt with the dedicated mind and thought process.
“I am definitely going to use some of the same themes that come from my book in the address,” Macke said.
The keynote speaker is a distinct honor for prestigious and accomplished scholars in the field.
Macke said that given the nature of the conference, this is an accomplishment that has built over a long period of time.
“I am pleased to know that people appreciate and enjoy my work,” Macke said. “I have been writing and publishing for a number of years now, and after some time you have no idea of who is actually taking the time to read your thought and published work or even if they like it that much.”
Mercer's own Frank Macke chosen for unexpected honor
