Erica Scharrer, professor and department chair of communication, was officially inducted as a fellow of the International Communication Association (ICA) at the ICA’s annual conference in Paris in May. The highest honor in the field of communication, the ICA Fellowship is primarily a recognition of distinguished scholarly contributions to the broad field of communication. Candidates are nominated by ICA members and must receive both a majority affirmative vote from current fellows and approval by the Board of Directors to achieve fellow status. As of August 2021, living ICA fellows account for 4.5% of the organization’s overall membership.

Scharrer’s research involves the study of media content, opinions of media, media effects and media literacy, particularly regarding gender and/or aggression. She also studies the role of the media in the lives of children and adolescents, and young people’s responses to media literacy education. Her most recent book is “Quantitative Research Methods in Communication: The Power of Numbers for Social Justice” (2021).