June 10, 2003 – Dr. John S. Leipzig, chancellor of the University of the Virgin Islands St. Thomas campus, was recently honored with two emeritus designations by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, where he served for 20 years before moving to UVI last summer.
He was named professor emeritus of communication and dean emeritus of the UAF College of Liberal Arts. The last four years he spent at Fairbanks were as dean of the college.
In order to be considered for emeritus status, a UAF faculty member must be nominated by three fellow faculty members and must have been a professor at the university for at least 10 years. The nominee's record of achievement is then reviewed by the chancellor.
Leipzig traveled to Fairbanks to attend the May 11 UAF commencement exercises, where he was one of eight persons to receive professor emeritus status. "The trip provided closure for me," he said. "It was the completion of my academic career at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It was a very special time for me."
A native of Wisconsin, Leipzig holds bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in communication. He has done extensive research and training in organizational and small-group communication and has been published widely in books and academic journals. As dean of the UAF College of Liberal Arts, according to a UAF publication, he was committed to enhancing the role of the faculty and to promoting the value and potential of the college.
"It is not an easy route to emeritus status," UVI Provost Gwen-Marie Moolenaar said, noting that UVI has conferred such honors on former president Dr. Orville Kean, Dr. Marilyn Krigger and Dr. Charles W. Turnbull, governor, "for their outstanding contributions." Moolenaar added: "We are therefore very proud that Dr. John Leipzig has received such recognition from his former institution and is bringing his considerable academic talents to UVI."
Leipzig's research interest is in communication ethics and organizational transformation in higher education. His latest article, "Managing on the Edge: Stories on the Diagonal from Alaska to the Virgin Islands," will be one of four featured papers presented at a conference on corporate communication in Wroxton, England, later this month. The paper will be published in the conference proceedings by the Corporate Communication Institute at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
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