Dr. Timothy J. Brown is a professor and the Department Chair of West Chester University’s Department of Communication Studies. He attained both his B.A. and M.A. in communication studies from WCU and his Ph.D. in rhetoric from Ohio University.
Dr. Brown has been teaching for 15 years. He taught for five years at Buffalo State College, and has taught for 10 years at WCU. He has been Department Chair for five years. Dr. Brown teaches Rhetorical Theory and Criticism, Public Speaking, African American Culture and Communication, Communication Theory. He also teaches two graduate courses, Rhetoric and Leadership and Culture, Media and Representation.
When asked what his favorite part about WCU is, he said, “I would say the people and the students. You always get to engage and talk with them and see what’s on their minds. So that’s the part that I enjoy. And then seeing people grow and develop over their time here.”
Dr. Brown said that he loves his job because he’s always adapting day-to-day. “It’s always changing. I’m juggling a lot of different demands at the same time, so each day is always different. That’s the fun part.”
He stated that one of his biggest academic accomplishments would certainly be being elected by his colleagues as the Communication Studies Department Chair. He also received an award from the Eastern Communication Association for his service and research that he has done. (Two students in Dr. Brown’s department will be presenting this April at the Eastern Communication Association Annual Convention.) Dr. Brown said he is just as proud of achieving professor status, having tenure, and having the ability to teach on campus.
Along with being a husband and a father, his biggest personal accomplishment is having matured and he realized that, “a lot of it’s not about you. It’s about the other folks. For most of your life, you grow up, and you’re doing things for yourself. And then you take on these other things, which you have to learn to mesh.”
A goal that Dr. Brown would like to accomplish is changing his focus from immediate, day-to-day tasks to figuring out his long-term goals.
When asked to share something that few people know about him, Dr. Brown said, “I’m actually a little bit of an introvert, and I’m a homebody. If you asked me what is the best thing I could do, I would say to just be home. A lot of people think that because you’re a chair, and you’re this, and you’re teaching and you’re going places…but it’s taken me a while to get comfortable in that role. If it was up to me, I would just like to be home and just not be bothered. But I find in my life that you have all of these competing demands that want to pull you out of that shell.”
His advice for students is to “take advantage of the many opportunities that you have here and to develop your skills while you have the opportunity to do it.” He also said that students should “put all of your heart and your mind into your studies. Even if you’re not sure what major you want to be, finish it, because most of the time you’re going to change occupations after you get done. So the most important thing is to put your energy into what you’re doing, do well, finish your degree, and get involved.” He also suggested getting to know professors and workplace supervisors and to accomplish personal goals.
Carol Fritz is a third-year student majoring in communication studies. She can be reached at CF716022@wcupa.edu.