February 20, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama Board of Trustees has established a $50,000 endowed scholarship in honor of University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) communication studies Senior Lecturer John W. Wittig, Ph.D.

The Board of Trustees established the Dr. John Wittig Public Relations Alumni Endowed Presidential Scholarship in the UAB Department of Communication Studies during its February 3 meeting. The board created the scholarship in recognition of Wittig’s years of service to the UAB School of Arts and Humanities and the Department of Communication Studies as well as to students and alumni.

Since 1981, Wittig has been a member of the UAB Department of Communication Studies where he also directs the department’s public relations program. He is an acclaimed scholar, lecturer and author who has published numerous books and journal articles in the fields of communication studies and public relations.

Wittig has received numerous awards, including the Public Relations Practitioner of the Year Award by the Public Relations Council of Alabama in 1989 and the Communications Award by the Birmingham Area Chapter of the American Red Cross in 1987. In 1990, the student chapter of the Public Relations Council of Alabama was renamed as the John W. Wittig Chapter in recognition of his leadership.

Wittig is a 1965 graduate of Carson-Newman College. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Florida in 1967 and his doctorate from Southern Illinois University in 1981.