Michigan State University Press is pleased to announce the next editor for Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Catherine “Katie” Langford.
Dr. Langford is associate professor of Communication Studies at Texas Tech University. She received a B.S. in Political Science and an M.A. in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University and completed her doctorate at Penn State University. She has served as the editor-in-chief for two scholarly publications, Argumentation and Advocacy and Communication Law Review, and has served as an editorial board member and reviewer for many other publications.
The R&PA editorial search committee and the press were pleased at the strong candidates from which to choose. Our discussions and decision centered around three major factors:
- Innovative vision for the journal;
- Record of research in rhetoric; and
- Record of experience as an editor and project manager.
Dr. Langford brings to the table recognized scholarship, broad experience in the management of scholarly journals, and dedication to diversity and inclusion. As stated in her application, she welcomes the opportunity to expand the voices and perspectives that are included in R&PA’s pages while maintaining the journal as the foremost outlet for rhetorical criticism.
MSU Press would like to thank the following scholars for serving on the editorial search committee and providing their invaluable guidance: Jeffrey A. Bennett (Vanderbilt University), Karma R. Chávez (University of Texas, Austin), Kundai Chirindo (Lewis & Clark College), Zornitsa D. Keremidchieva (University of Minnesota), and John M. Murphy (University of Illinois).
The press would also like to thank Mary E. Stuckey, Lisa A. Flores, and the interim editorial team for keeping R&PA running during the transitional period of the past year. A special double issue entitled “The Future of R&PA,” edited by Dr. Stuckey and Lisa M. Corrigan, will be released in spring 2021, with publication of regular issues continuing after that.
Over the course of the fall, MSU Press will be working with Dr. Langford to enact structural updates to the management of R&PA, including policies for the executive and editorial boards as well as designing the editorial succession process. These policies will be posted publicly as they are finalized. Dr. Langford and the new board will begin overseeing peer review in January 2021.
Submissions to R&PA remain open. See msupress.org /rhetoric-and-public-affairs/ for the updated mission statement and submission guidelines.