(Posted April 12, 2004)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Lynn Cockett, assistant professor of communication at Juniata College, will speak on "Alone at the Top: Exploring a Committee Chair's Approach to Authority" as part of the Bookend Seminar series at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 14 in Neff Lecture Hall in the von Liebig Center for Science on the Juniata campus.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Her talk is part of the Bookend Lecture Series, which features afternoon lectures each month by Juniata College faculty.

Cockett will explain and explore the structure and content of the verbal communication spoken by the chair of an academic committee on campus. The talk will focus on the chair's interaction with others on the committee as they work through a decision-making process. The talk also will address how spoken communication relates to the concept of authority and how a micro-analytical approach to communication is relevant to everyday situations.
Cockett earned a bachelor's degree in English with a secondary teaching certification from Messiah College in 1989. She went on to earn a master's degree in library science in 1993 and a doctorate in communication in 2000, both from Rutgers University.

Previously, she worked as an assistant professor and director of undergraduate studies at Rutgers from 2001 to 2001. She also worked as an instructor in Rutgers' communication department from 1999 to 2000.

Her research interests focus on group interaction, particularly how professional work practices relate to issues of identity. She has taught courses in Group Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Communication and Information Theory, and Interaction.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.