HR1324 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1324 LRB098 23170 MST 62168 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Dr. Larry W. Long on the occasion of his retirement as the Executive Director of the Illinois State University (ISU) School of Communication; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Long has served ISU for 19 years and has served the last 13 years as the founding Executive Director of the School of Communication; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Long helped develop the first public relations major in Illinois during the 1980s, and, in 2013, it became the first public relations academic program in the State, and one of only 40 public relations academic programs worldwide, to be accredited with a Certification in Education for Public Relations by the education branch of Public Relations Society of America; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Long's support has kept ISU's TV-10 and WZND radio station as the leading student broadcast education programs in the State; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Long has expanded the School of Communication's journalistic and entertainment footprint with the addition of the WGLT radio station and Vidette Online to the school's media portfolio; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Long has engaged School of Communication alumni and other professionals with the creation of the school's Alumni Advisory Board and the expansion of the school's internship program; and

WHEREAS, During Dr. Long's tenure, the School of Communication's innovative Communication Studies program has expanded opportunities for specialized studies in a variety of communication disciplines, the graduate program was recognized nationally as the top program of its kind by the National Communication Association in 2013, and the undergraduate program received the Outstanding Undergraduate Communication Program Award from the Central States Communication Association in 2014; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Long's efforts to develop and build the Social Media Analytics Command Center (SMACC) gives School of Communication students, faculty, and the entire university, access to one of the 3 campus-based facilities of its kind in the nation; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Long has inspired and motivated award-winning student success and faculty achievement at unprecedented levels of teaching, research, and service; and

WHEREAS, In December 2014, Dr. Long will be concluding a distinguished 40-year career as a communication scholar, leader, and innovator to join his wife and collaborator Dr. Penelope Long in retirement; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Dr. Larry W. Long on his retirement as the Executive Director of the Illinois State University School of Communication, and we wish him the best in all his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Long as an expression of our esteem and respect.