TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Dolf Zillmann has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award at The University of Alabama.
Established by Dr. and Mrs. John F. Burnum of Tuscaloosa to recognize and promote excellence in research, scholarship and teaching, the award is one of the highest honors the University bestows on its faculty. It is presented annually to a professor who is judged by a faculty selection committee to have demonstrated superior scholarly or artistic achievements and profound dedication to the art of teaching.
Zillmann, who is senior associate dean for graduate studies and research, as well as professor of communication and psychology, will be presented the award during a ceremony on Monday, March 12, at 4:30 p.m., in 216 Reese Phifer Hall. A reception will follow.
Zillmann holds a doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and is also a fellow of the American Psychological Association. He taught at both the University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University before coming to UA in 1989. Additionally, Zillmann has served as visiting professor at numerous universities across Europe. His exploration of connections between sexuality and aggression spans decades, and he has focused extensively on the emotional aspects of violent and emotional behavior in society and the media.
Most recently, Zillmann has expanded his research on emotion to empathy with others’ emotions. This empathy concept is key to his teaching and research in the psychology and psychophysiology of entertainment, including comedy, erotica, suspense, horror, tragedy, music and even sports. He has worked to find and explain a link between the therapeutic functions of some of these genres and entertainment outlets.
“I am very pleased to have been recognized by my peers at The University of Alabama for this award,” said Zillmann. “Most importantly, this recognition reflects especially well on the type of work and the quality of students we are attracting and teaching in both the College of Communication and Information Sciences, and the department of psychology within the College of Arts and Sciences. We are seeing our graduates go on to do great things in the world of academia and other realms of business, and many of them have been instrumental in returning to help us continue our work and success.”
“Over the last decade, we have joined the ranks of the nation’s elite in providing academic talent. We could not have gotten there so fast or with as much quality had it not been for the leadership of Dr. Zillmann,” said Dr. E. Culpepper Clark, C&IS dean. “Simply put, Dolf brought instant credibility to our efforts when he arrived here from Indiana University and assumed the helm of our doctoral program.”
Zillmann also joins fellow C&IS colleague Dr. Jennings Bryant, director of the Institute for Communication Research at UA, in receiving two of the University’s highest honors. Bryant (who was a doctoral student under Zillmann’s mentorship at Indiana University) was this year’s Blackmon Moody Award recipient.
“What Dolf Zillmann has done for The University of Alabama is remarkable,” said Bryant. “Because his credentials are so impeccable, because his light shines so bright in communication and cognate disciplines, and because his reputation is truly international in scope, when we were able to hire Dr. Zillmann to direct our doctoral program, the academic world took notice.”
Zillmann has written or collaborated on numerous academic publications and also serves as co-editor with Bryant on an academic book series “Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research,” published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (LEA). His latest book “Media Entertainment: The Psychology of Its Appeal,” also published by LEA, is quickly becoming an academic best seller in the United States.
Contact
Lance M. Skelly, UA Office of Media Relations, 205/348-3782