Dr. Leroy G. Dorsey, professor and chair of the Department of Communication, was elected Rhetoric and Public Address Chairperson for the Tennessee Communication Association. As chairperson, Dr. Dorsey will be responsible for planning and proposing programs related to his interest group’s specialized area of communication.

Affiliated with the National Communication Association, TCA is a professional organization comprised of members from institutions across the state, which serves as the voice of communication scholars, faculty, and students in Tennessee.  

Appointment to this position is a great honor that acknowledges Dr. Dorsey’s authority on the topic of rhetoric and public speech. His research examines symbols used by political figures to promote their legislative agendas, shape their identities as morally sound advocates, and transform their audiences into seemingly active agents poised to support particular agendas.  

Dr. Dorsey’s most notable contributions involve public speech of the presidency. His most recent book, We Are All Americans, Pure and Simple: Theodore Roosevelt and the Myth of Americanism, examined Roosevelt and how he used the frontier myth of national origin to create standards for non-whites and immigrants to achieve before they could be identified as Americans in his recent book.