September 10, 2004

Lanigan elected association vice president

by Beth M. Hartke

CARBONDALE, Ill. - - Richard L. Lanigan, distinguished scholar and professor of communicology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is the newly elected vice president of the International Association for Semiotic Studies.

Lanigan, a member of SIUC's speech communication faculty, was among five vice presidents chosen to represent various regions of the globe at the 8th World Congress of the IASS in July.

The congress brought 51 national semiotic societies and their members together at the Lumiére campus of the University of Lyon 2 in Lyon, France.

As vice president for North America, Lanigan is responsible for research coordination and communication in the region prior to the next world congress in five years. His new position is an extension of his duties as a member of the IASS Executive Bureau and Scientific Committee for congresses.

Lanigan has been active in the IASS since its founding in 1969. Last March, he was one of two Americans invited to present a plenary paper at the International Congress on Semiotics and the Humanities hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, China.

Recruiting and retaining nationally and internationally recognized faculty engaged in teaching, research, and service are among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.