Frank Waddell’s Research Passion Profiled by His Alma Mater

Frank Waddell, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Journalism associate professor, is featured in “Media and News Research The Route for School of Communications Alumnus” published on the Virginia Tech University website on July 7.

Waddell is an award-winning media researcher with a passion for communication research. “One of the coolest things about being a media scholar is that we all watch television, we all read newspapers, so things start to catch your eye,” Waddell said. “You say, ‘OK, let’s dig a little deeper into this and see if there’s something here that we should pay more attention to.’”

Waddell received his M.A. from Virginia Tech followed by a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.

“You’ve got to love what you’re planning to do,” Waddell said. “You have to ask yourself, ‘Is this topic something that I think I can be excited about for several years or four years at a time?’ That passion is what’s going to draw you through the process.”

He adds “One of the best things about being in academia is you start to give back to the next generation. I had a lot of wonderful mentors at Virginia Tech who poured into me tremendously. That always stuck with me in a very powerful way.”

Posted: July 13, 2022
Category: College News
Tagged as: Frank Waddell