Academic, 1977-1983

John Michael Kittross, born in 1929, has served many roles in the field of communications. Kittross's career includes titles such as professor, editor, dean, and writer. Kittross is also a notable and active member of the Broadcast Education Association. Kittross received a Bachelor of Arts in creative arts-drama at Antioch College and subsequently attended Boston University of a masters in communication arts, and later earned his Ph.D. at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1959. Kittross joined Emerson College officially in 1984 after being a consultant for Emerson in earlier years. His first official role was Academic Dean, and later became Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. In 1987 Kittross elected to serve as professor in the communications department instead of administrate, and did so for six years. Underlying his tenure at Emerson, Kittross contributed to a number of notable works in the communications fields, notable titles including: Administration of American Telecommunications Policy (1980) and Stay Tuned: A Concise History of American Broadcasting (now in its third edition, 2002). After his time at Emerson, Kittross coauthored another book entitled Controversies in Media Ethics (1999). This preoccupation with ethics in media blossomed into Kittross assuming the role of editor at Media Ethics magazine, where he is still serving as editor.