The University of Memphis awarded 682 degrees during its summer Commencement on Sunday, Aug. 16, at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.

The commencement speaker was Dr. Robyn Cox, U of M professor of audiology and director of the Hearing Aid Research Laboratory.  This past spring, Cox received the Willard R. Sparks Eminent Faculty Award, the University’s highest faculty honor. The award recognizes exceptional and sustained contributions to scholarly-creative achievement, teaching and service, and bringing recognition to the University.

Cox is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, an honor afforded to only about one percent of the organization’s members. She belongs to numerous professional groups and regularly publishes and presents papers about hearing aid issues. Her publications have appeared in top peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Ear and Hearing, and the Journal of Speech and Hearing Research.

Dr. Robyn Cox

She is an accomplished instructor and adviser and is a prolific researcher, making noteworthy contributions to her field and increasing the understanding of human behavior related to hearing. Her research focuses on improving methods for fitting hearing aids on older adults and measuring hearing aid performance and benefits.  Her laboratory has produced numerous tools that are used internationally in both clinical and research settings.

Cox received a Ph.D. degree in audiology from Indiana University in 1974. She joined the U of M faculty in 1977.

Founded in 1912, the University of Memphis is a comprehensive metropolitan research university that is recognized nationally and internationally for its academic, research, and athletic programs. With more than 20,000 students, the U of M offers more than 254 areas of study for those seeking bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. It also offers the juris doctor (law) and education specialist degrees.