UTPB Department of Communication Visiting Professor Dr. Carl Cates has been named the 2024 President of the Southern States Communication Association. The first president of the association served in 1930.
“Becoming president means I have been entrusted with the leadership and welfare of an old and storied professional association,” said Dr. Cates.
SSCA hosts annual meetings to present research and publishes the Southern Communication Journal.
Dr. Cates will become a full-time professor at UTPB in the fall! His first full-time faculty appointment was in 1992.
Dr. Cates, in addition to teaching, served as the department chair for 30 full-time faculty at Valdosta State University for 16 years. He most recently left Arkansas State University where he was the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communications for seven years.
“Returning to my hometown and then being asked to help at UTPB has been an interesting experience. The best part has been to work with a great faculty and to return to teaching,” said Dr. Cates.
Next Year Dr. Cates says he hopes to explore how he can help further advance the mission of the University.
“I have really enjoyed the return to teaching after over 25 years in full-time administration. It reminds me of the work, seen and unseen, that is done by the dedicated faculty members as they serve the students. I am glad to be a part of that group of faculty,” said Dr. Cates.
