McGreavy named 2022 J. Robert Cox Award winner
University of Maine professor Bridie McGreavy has won a prestigious honor in the field of environmental communications.
Dr. McGreavy, Associate Professor of Environmental Communication in UMaine’s Department of Communication and Journalism, is the recipient of the J. Robert Cox Award in Environmental Communication & Civic Engagement for 2022 from the Environmental Communication Division of the National Communication Association.
From the International Environmental Communication Association website:
“The Cox Award is a means of recognizing the substantial environmental achievements of members of the NCA Environmental Communication Division that are performed in tandem with their work in the academy. Such achievements include working with various publics on environmental concerns such as leading environmental non-profits, developing communication materials, engaging in creative artistic performances, and related activities.”
McGreavy’s focus is on how communication shapes sustainability and justice efforts in coastal shellfishing communities, river restoration and freshwater conservation initiatives, and diverse collaborations to address complex problems. She teaches courses in environmental communication, communication research methods, rhetorical theory and method, and sustainability science and has published in a wide array of interdisciplinary journals.
She has worked closely with Maine’s indigenous peoples, fostering deep and ongoing partnerships through scholarship and pedagogy in an effort to put forward civic and ethical engagement through programs such as the Removing the Blinders project. Other partnerships include seeking resilience and justice for coastal communities and supporting equity in state-wide climate adaptation with the Maine Climate Council, always with the goal of centering community-focused teaching and research.
But while her academic qualifications are clear, McGreavy’s fundamental suitability for this award is perhaps best encapsulated by the final paragraph of the nominating letter sent to the selectors by her peers:
“Bridie McGreavy has given her life to civic engagement on behalf of the environment, justice, and building a better world. One could not ask for more of a colleague or for a greater role model of engaged scholarship in environmental communication.”
Or, in the congratulatory words of Stephen P. Depoe, professor emeritus in the School of Communication, Film and Media at the University of Cincinnati:
“Bridie is a wonderful role model for grad students and early career scholars to follow. I can see her modest but beaming smile break forth now!”
McGreavy, along with fellow award winners, will be officially recognized at the NCA ECD’s annual convention, set to take place November 17-20 in New Orleans.