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Ashley Fitch Blair

Director of the Center for Faculty Development and Associate Professor of Communication Arts

About

Ashley Fitch Blair is the Director of the Center for Faculty Development and a faculty member in the Department of Communication Arts where she coordinates the public relation major, serves as the faculty advisor for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and co-leads the UU in the UK student abroad program. She currently serves as co-chair of the Tennessee Independent College and University Association (TICUA) Faculty Development Collaborative. Ashley was Chair of the Communication Arts department from 2019-2026, and continues to be an active member of the National Communication Association (NCA). Her research interests include organizational communication, classroom pedagogy, and the interpersonal implications of digital identity. Her academic passion is exploring authentic communication as a path to knowledge, connection, and excellence. She fuels these academic passions with a personal one, home roasting and brewing coffee.

In her 25+ years at Union Ashley has received multiple Newell Innovative Teaching awards, was the 2015 Faculty of the Year, received the 2023 Union University Alumni Distinguished Service Award, was a Edelman PR Fellow and President of the Southeast Journalism Conference, and has served as chair of the university’s Faculty Development Committee. Ashley and her husband, fellow Union academic Chris Blair, are Union alumni and enjoy leading study abroad trips together. Their children, Madeline and Seth, as well as their respective spouses are also Union alumni. Together they enjoy travel, comic books, sci fi movies, fantastically long novels, and occasional axe throwing.

Education

  • M.A., University of Memphis

  • B.A., Union University

Scholarship

Articles

Presentations

  • Problems and Solutions: Faculty-led trips at Union University (2019)

    Undergraduate Educators for Global Engagement Conference

  • Professionalism is the New Participation (2017)

    Faculty Workshop keynote speaker, Reinhardt University

  • Professionalism: Student Engagement (2016)

    Faculty Workshop keynote speaker, The King’s College

  • Utilizing the Digital Landscape in and out of the Classroom: How Current Communication Technologies Foster Community and Scholarship (2015)

    National Communication Association, Annual Conference

  • Loving God with Our Minds: Characteristics of Authentic Learning Communities (2015)

    Union University Faculty of the Year Lecture

  • Excellence, Professionalism, and God’s Will for the Future (2015)

    Union University Chapel Service

  • Social Media and The Academy: Pedagogy, Theory & Practice (2013)

    99th National Communication Association, Annual Conference

  • Professionalism is the New Participation (2013)

    Union University Faculty Workshop

  • Technology & the Soul Panel (2012)

    uTech Expo

  • The Whole World as 100 People (2011)

    97th National Communication Association Convention

  • Voices of the Revolution: Tweeting the Bahrain Uprising (2011)

    97th National Communication Association Convention

  • Working Styles as a Tool for Faculty Development (2011)

    Carson Newman University

  • The 140 Character Pitch: How Social Media is Changing the Practice of PR (2010)

    2010 Conference of the Tennessee Communication Association

  • The Challenge of Leadership: Assessing Potential (2009)

    Leadership Jackson sponsored by Jackson Madison County Chamber of Commerce

  • What’s Ethics Got to Do With It? (2008)

    Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association Annual Conference

  • ACT on Ethics: Harassment in the Workplace (2007)

    City of Germantown

  • ACT on Ethics: The Public Trust (2007)

    City of Germantown

  • ACT on Ethics: Conflicts of Interest (2007)

    City of Germantown

Awards

  • Union University Faculty of the Year, 2014-15 (2015)

  • Fellowship Recipient, Edelman Academic Summit (2014)

  • President, Southeast Journalism Conference (2013)

  • Conference Chair, Southeast Journalism Conference (2013)

    "The Power of Narrative: Journalism in the Digital Era"

  • Teaching & Learning Grant Recipient, Union University (2012)

    Disney Institute: Leadership Excellence

  • Newell Innovative Teaching Award, Union University, Honorable Mention (2012)

    COMUnion: Fostering Collaboration and Creativity in Interactive Media

  • Newell Innovative Teaching Award, Union University, Honorable Mention (2011)

    Professionalism is the New Participation