The purpose of the academy is to give honor and recognition to a select group of our outstanding graduate and undergraduate alumni. It is with great pride and enthusiasm that we honor them – and thank them for their willingness to give back to our school.

School of Communication
2002 Alumni Academy Inductee

Carl Botan

Carl Botan graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Arts & Sciences in 1970. After his studies at Western, Botan earned an M.A. in 1982, and a Ph.D. in 1985, both from Wayne State University. Currently, Botan is an Associate Professor of Communication at Purdue University where he is a noted scholar in public relations and electronic surveillance in the work place. Professor Botan is both a noted teacher and scholar. He was cochair of the 1998 National Communication Association Summer Conference on Public Relations Education, was the 1997 Australian National Eminent Scholar/Practitioner, and has been recognized by the National Communication Association with the Presidential Citation. His international research record, which includes over 25 essays and six books, is well recognized, as evidenced by his invited presentations in such diverse areas of the globe as Romania, Brazil, Australia, Egypt, Austria, and Germany. His second book, Public Relations Theory, co-authored with Vincent Hazelton, was awarded the NCA Public Relation Division’s Pride Award as the top book published in 1989. Investigating Communication, written by Botan and co-authors Larry Frey and Gary Kreps, has gained recognition as one of the two most used texts on research methods written in the communication disciplines. Carl and his wife, Jennifer McCreadie, live in Zionsville, a suburb of Indianapolis. Jennifer is Director of Research, Evaluation and Assessment for the Indianapolis Public School System. In addition to simply valuing down time from their careers, both enjoy selected fitness activities and travel, and Carl has a sports car that he enjoys working on and is working toward earning his racing license.