Cecil
A. Blake is an Associate Professor and
Chair of the Department of Africana Studies. He is from Sierra Leone and is
a nationally and internationally recognized scholar in communication, and communication
and African national development. His areas of expertise include public relations,
international and development affairs with particular emphasis on Africa, rhetorical
theory and analysis, and intercultural communication. Prior to his appointment
at the University of Pittsburgh in September 2004, Professor Blake was a faculty
member in the Department of Communication Studies, and the Institute of Ethnic
Studies at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and a Fellow of the University
Studies Program. He also served as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the
Department of Communication Studies.
He earned his B.S. in Public Relations at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, his M.A. in International Relations at the University of Chicago, and his Ph.D. in Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin. He is a recipient of outstanding awards in research, and teaching at the national level. Professor Blake has published numerous peer-reviewed articles widely in his field. He is author and co-editor of five books in the field of communication and related areas of scholarship.
He served in the Cabinet of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, of the Republic of Sierra Leone as Minister of Information and Broadcasting, and Chief Government Spokesman from May 2001 to May 2002 when the life term of the Government came to an end following national elections. He is immediate past Chairman, Department of Communication, Indiana University Northwest. Prior to his present position, Professor Blake also held senior research and administrative positions at the United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan and at the International Development Research Center in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was responsible for policy/research and training in the information and communication sectors in twenty-two countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. He has taught in various academic institutions including the State University of New York at Buffalo, New York; Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois, Bayero University in Kano, Nigeria and Howard University, Washington, D.C.
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: cblake@pitt.edu |
