Dr. Adam Earnheardt

Professor
Dr. Adam Earnheardt - profile photo

Dr. Adam Earnheardt

Professor

Communication

Bliss Hall 2013

phone: (330) 941-1845

acearnheardt@ysu.edu

www.adamearn.com

Bio

Dr. Adam C. Earnheardt is a professor in the Department of Communication and general education coordinator at Youngstown State University. He served as the Department's chairperson from 2012-2020 and most recently served as special projects assistant to the University Provost and director of the graduate program in professional communication.

Research Interests

Dr. Earnheardt has authored or co-authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles, encyclopedia entries, and book chapters. Earnheardt has served as an expert source on media communication, social media, parenting, sports and fandom on various television and radio programs, and in several publications including Parade Magazine, Psychology Today, Playboy, and several newspapers and magazines including the Baltimore Sun Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Vancouver Magazine and others. He served as the resident social media expert for WFMJ-TV (Youngstown, OH NBC affiliate). He most recently appeared on Vice TV's series Dark Side of Football where he discussed sports fandom motivations and controversies.

Teaching Interests

Dr. Earnheardt is a communication generalist. This means he can teach broadly in various communication-related sub-disciplines. He has taught in all four of the Department of Communication's programs including communication studies, journalism, media communication, and the graduate program in professional communication. Adam enjoys teaching courses that connect students with their communities, identifying solutions to neglected problems while giving students opportunities to fully explore their interests. Dr. Earnheardt is best-known for creating the University's first social media communication curriculum (before it was even called "social media"), revamping the Department's internship program, and helping to shepherd the Department's sports communication and media offerings.

  • Education
    • 2007

      Ph D, Communication

      Kent State University

    • 1999

      MS, Communication

      Clarion University of Pennsylvania

    • 1995

      BS, Communication

      Clarion Universty of Pennsylvania

  • Awards and Honors
    • April 2023

      Youngstown State University

      Distinguished Professor for Scholarship

    • October 2016

      Ohio Communication Association

      Service Award

    • April 2016

      Youngstown State University

      Watson Merit Award – Distinguished Chair

    • April 2016

      Youngstown State University

      Diversity Leadership Award – Campus Leadership

    • April 2016

      Youngstown State University

      Distance Education Course of the Year: Final Four (CMST 2630)

    • November 2015

      National Communication Association, Mass Communication Division

      Service Award

    • October 2013

      National Society of Collegiate Scholars

      Distinguished Member

    • December 2012

      Ohio Magazine

      Excellence In Education

      https://www.ohiomagazine.com/ohio-life/article/2012-excellence-in-education-honorees

    • April 2012

      Youngstown State University

      Smith-Murphy Award for Outstanding Teaching

    • April 2012

      Kent State University

      Outstanding Young Professional Award

    • April 2011

      Youngstown State University

      Student Services Award

    • April 2010

      Youngstown State University

      Mentor of the Year Award

    • April 2010

      Youngstown State University

      Distinguished Professor for Public Service

    • November 2009

      Mahoning Valley Professionals

      40 Under 40 Award Recipient & Top 5 MVP Award

    • May 2007

      Kent State University

      Outstanding Dissertation Award

    • June 2004

      Duquesne University

      Graduate Student Fellowship

    • November 2003

      National Communication Association, Training & Development Division

      Top Student Paper

    • March 2001

      Society for Collegiate Journalists

      President’s Award

    • May 2000

      Clarion University of Pennsylvania

      Excellence in Service Award

    • November 1998

      USA Online!

      Travel and Tourism Web Award (for Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad web design)

  • Administrative Assignments
    • 2022 - present

      Coordinator

  • Intellectual Contributions
    • 2023

      "How much longer: One family's journey through two years of hell, healing, and hilarity"

      1090 Books, p. 1-132

    • 2022

      "Important tasks for social media interns"

      , issue 54, p. 14-16

    • 2021

      "The best Pittsburgh podcasts"

      Very Local Pittsburgh

    • 2021

      "Exploring media entrepreneurship education at the masters level"

      Journal of Media Education, volume 12, issue 3, p. 5-17

    • 2021

      "Social media: Influencers and listeners"

      Kendall Hunt, issue 1, p. 381-403

    • 2019

      "How ESPN came to lead the world of sports apps"

      Peter Lang

    • 2019

      "ESPN and the Changing Sports Media Landscape"

      Peter Lang, volume 2, p. 1-394

    • 2017

      "The modern communicator: Applications and strategies for interpersonal communication, group communication, and public speaking"

    • 2016

      "Public speaking in the age of technology"

    • 2016

      "Ohio networks: Roots in community, culture and communication"

    • 2015

      "The modern communicator: Applications and strategies for interpersonal communication, group communication, and public speaking"

    • 2015

      "The ESPN effect: Scholarly reflections on the 35 year history"

    • 2015

      "The end of men and the rise of women: Book review"

    • 2014

      "On becoming a (pro)social media sports fan"

    • 2012

      "Telephone"

    • 2012

      "ports fans, identity and socialization: Exploring the Fandemonium"

    • 2012

      "Morse code"

    • 2011

      "Super Bowl"

    • 2011

      "Sports networks"

    • 2011

      "Pittsburgh Penguins"

    • 2011

      "Pennsylvania"

    • 2011

      "Ohio"

    • 2011

      "New England Patriots"

    • 2011

      "National Hockey League"

    • 2011

      "Motive typologies of the sports fan"

    • 2011

      "Media audience"

    • 2011

      "Fan networks"

    • 2011

      "Cleveland Indians"

    • 2011

      "Cleveland Browns"

    • 2011

      "Baltimore Ravens"

    • 2010

      "Exploring sports television viewers’ judgments of athletes’ antisocial behaviors"

    • 2009

      "The modern communicator: Applications and strategies for interpersonal communication, group communication, and public speaking"

    • 2009

      "Checkered flags and mediated friendships: Parasocial interaction among NASCAR fans"

    • 2009

      "An examination of fan-athlete interaction: Fandom, parasocial interaction, and identification"

    • 2008

      "Sports mania: Essays on sports fandom in the 21st century"

    • 2008

      "Judging athlete behaviors. Exploring possible predictors of television viewer judgments of athlete anti-social behaviors"

    • 2008

      "Development and test of an internet search and evaluation measure"

    • 2007

      "Geocaching in the basic course: Teaching group roles and phases of group development"