Longtime educator and former State of Tennessee legislator Michael McDonald was awarded the department’s first Distinguished Alumni Award. McDonald (MA, ’71; PhD, ’76, speech communication) returned to campus to receive the award in this year’s departmental Illinois Tradition Awards ceremony.
The award was created to honor outstanding graduates who embody a commitment to the values and mission of the Department of Communication through exceptional professional achievements or meaningful service to their community or profession.
McDonald was a faculty member and director of debate at Austin Peay State University, and would go on to teach for 24 years at Volunteer State Community College, where he would serve as a chair of the Department of Communication and advisor to the speech and debate team and college newspaper.
In addition to being an educator, McDonald spent 16 years as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives serving on and chairing several committees.
“Mike was a tireless advocate for the natural environment, earning awards from Sierra Club of Tennessee, Tennessee Conservation Voters, and the Tennessee Trust for the Future,” said Leonard Assante, his colleague from Volunteer State.
Even after retiring, he continues to serve on the Tennessee Election Commission. The State House of Representatives recognized his exceptional service to the people of Tennessee in a joint resolution in 2012.
“Dr. Michael McDonald has had a successful career in higher education and community service, utilizing and advocating for the skills and knowledge he learned at Illinois,” Assante wrote in his nomination letter.
“I can think of no better nominee for your award.”