Dinah Tetteh is New Vaughn Endowed Professor in Liberal Arts and Communication
JONESBORO – Dr. Dinah Tetteh, a member of the Arkansas State University faculty since 2016, has been selected as the new Vaughn Endowed Professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication.
“I am pleased to announce Dr. Tetteh as the new Vaughn Endowed Professor,” said Dr. Carl M. Cates, dean of the college. “Her research record over the last five years is outstanding and includes a solo authored book and six refereed articles in journals, along with nearly 20 competitive papers and poster sessions.”
Her appointment began effective at the beginning of the fall semester and extends for a five-year period. Tetteh was promoted this year to associate professor in the Department of Communication. Her research and teaching specialties include health communication, interpersonal communication and women’s health.
"I am honored to be named recipient of the Vaughn Endowed Professorship. I appreciate the Vaughns for their generosity. I am also grateful for the support of Dean Cates and my colleagues in the college and in the Department of Communication," Tetteh commented. "I hope to use the resources available to me through this professorship to extend my research agenda and also mentor, support and enrich my students’ research experiences."
In addition to her extensive research and publishing achievements, she teaches graduate-level courses in communication theory, interpersonal communication, and qualitative research methods. Her undergraduate courses include interpersonal communication, health communication, conflict resolution and oral communication.
Tetteh completed her doctoral degree in communication studies in 2016 at Bowling Green State University. Her dissertation was “Stories of Teal: Women’s Experiences of Ovarian Cancer.”
She earned her master’s degree is in professional communication at East Tennessee State University, and her bachelor’s degree at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana.
The professorship is one of three created through an estate gift from the late James E. and Wanda Lee Vaughn. Earnings from the endowment are available to the professorship holder to conduct research, create special learning opportunities for students, and support other facets of their academic pursuits.
Inducted in 1999 into the university's Legacy Society for donors of planned gifts, the Vaughns strongly believed in the importance of higher education and its potential to positively impact young peoples' lives. Both A-State alumni, Mr. Vaughn earned a master's degree in education and Mrs. Vaughn earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
Tetteh succeeds Dr. Cherise Jones-Branch, the initial holder of the Vaughn Professorship, who is now dean of the Graduate School.
