HPU Honors Journalism Professor with 2023 Ruth Ridenhour Scholarly and Professional Achievement Award
HIGH POINT, N.C., June 6, 2023 – Dr. Nahed Eltantawy, professor of journalism and associate dean of the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, recently received the Ruth Ridenhour Scholarly and Professional Achievement Award. This annual award recognizes a full-time faculty member with at least three years of employment at HPU for exceptional contributions to his or her professional discipline.
Since Eltantawy joined the HPU family in 2008, she has been a consistent and prolific researcher and presenter, with an intentional arc of scholarship that successfully serves a worldwide audience. She has authored important social scientific and cultural studies work, surrounding the media representation of Arabs and Muslims, and mediated communication within the Middle East.
“It’s such a great honor to be selected by my fellow colleagues for the Ruth Ridenhour Scholarly Award,” said Eltantawy. “This recognition makes all my hard work over the years to produce meaningful research worthwhile, and it motivates me to work even harder.
Eltantawy has presented her research at 27 national and international academic conferences, including six invited presentations at institutions such as the Columbia University School of Journalism, the University of Toronto, and the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Eltantawy has published an edited book and seven book chapters, with prestigious academic publishers. In addition, she has published 12 peer-reviewed manuscripts in top-tier communication journals that include but are not limited to New Media and Society; Information, Communication & Society; Journal of International Women’s Studies; Political Communication, and the Journal of Media Literacy.
Eltantawy has also received a Fulbright Scholar award and a Fulbright Specialist award. As part of her Fulbright Specialist award, she served as a Fulbright Scholar for five years and taught workshops at the University of Economics in Izmir, Turkey.
In addition to her scholarly work, Eltantawy is an active journalist. Over the past 10 years, she has published 10 news articles in publications ranging from the Piedmont Triad’s local News & Record to native Egyptian newspapers. She also has made four media appearances ranging from HuffPost Live to the local CBS affiliate, WFMY News. According to the Ridenhour award proclamation, news outlets respect Eltantawy. They know her standards, integrity and consider her to be a trusted source on issues pertaining to Egypt, the Middle East, and Arab Americans. Such work shows that Eltantawy remains active and engaged with her field and works to share knowledge gained from her research with a larger audience. Such work also benefits HPU students in the classroom and through opportunities for experiential learning.
Eltantawy’s scholarship informs her work in the classroom. Support letters from current students and alumni express gratitude for her mentorship and give her credit for their success in journalism. Students talk about Eltantawy’s commitment to the importance of including diverse voices in news, how she taught them the importance of researching a story in depth and how that has made them better reporters.
Eltantawy’s scholarship not only informs her work in her own classroom. Because of her international reputation, other professors incorporate and cite her research in their courses. Her manuscripts have been assigned as readings in courses at universities in both the United States and internationally. For example, her work is regularly included in courses taught at the University of New Hampshire, the University of Illinois and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Also, her scholarship is incorporated in courses taught within international universities such as the University of Calgary, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the AMIDEAST institute in Jordan.