WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., March 24, 2022 — The annual Hughes Lecture program will feature author and media personality, Dr. Jeremy C. McCool, at 3:30 p.m., Thursday, April 21. The presentation is free and open to the public and will take place in the Boyle Conference Center, located in the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex (ASRC).
McCool will speak for about 45 minutes and then take questions from the audience. The lecture will be followed by a 4:30 p.m. meet and greet reception with the author, also in the Boyle Center.
McCool is a professor, consultant, scholar and author from Chicago, Ill. A well-known lecturer at universities and organizations on topics such as media influence, racial bias, hip-hop and interpersonal communication, his lecture is entitled, “Don’t Rock the Boat: The Silencing of Socially Conscious Music in America.”
McCool will evaluate the history of music and social issues in America. He will dive into the subconscious avoidance of opposing viewpoints, as well as the backlash and criticism that socially conscious music has, and continues to receive.
“We look forward to welcoming Dr. McCool to the Hughes Lecture and hearing his important presentation on this poignant topic. Dr. McCool is the perfect fit for this year’s lecture, as his multidisciplinary expertise that spans writing, broadcasting, and music will appeal to both students as well as faculty whose interests lie in the many disciplines that are now housed in the new College of Liberal and Creative Arts,” said Dr. William Scott Hanna, WLU English professor who is the chair of the Hughes Lecture committee. (WLU’s former College of Liberal Arts combined with the former College of Arts and Communication recently.)
McCool is the co-creator of a children’s book series called McCool & McBride Books. This series began with a book entitled “Princess and The Power of Melanin” that was released in 2018. This book was created to uplift young girls and combats the notion that dark skin is a detriment.
The series then followed with “The Adventures of Darrius: The Hall Monitor in 2021.” The book series creatively tackles social issues such as bullying and prejudice, and contains Black lead characters.
McCool joined the faculty of West Chester University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia area) as an assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Media in 2021. He earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Western Illinois University in Broadcast Journalism and Communications, respectively.
He went on to earn a Ph.D. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in Communication Media and Instructional Technology, all the while teaching courses to undergraduates.
At 17, he co-hosted a radio morning show at Western Illinois University and at age 18, he became the station’s Music Director. He later interned at 99.1 WSMK in Niles, Mich. His work in radio motivated his dissertation research, which examines how different races perceive socially conscious hip hop music.
The Hughes Lecture Series began in the 1970s and is named after Dr. Raymond Grove Hughes, a beloved teacher who joined West Liberty in 1931. His generous endowment gift established a fund managed by the West Liberty University Foundation and known as the Hughes Lecture Series Endowed Fund.
Thanks to this fund, the series has brought a wide range of authors and speakers to WLU, including: David Sheff, author of “Beautiful Boy,” Jeannette Walls, author of “The Glass Castle;” Dr. Ralph Abernathy, confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Eugene McCarthy, U. S. Senator and presidential candidate in 1968 and NASA scientist Homer Hickam.
The Hughes Lecture takes place during the College of Liberal and Creative Arts celebration week which marks the unification of two WLU colleges (College of Liberal Arts and College of Arts and Communication). The celebration includes art exhibitions, musical performances, creative writing events, the Hughes Lecture, and the Student Literary and Arts Journal “Threshold” launch.
For more information, please contact the College of Liberal and Creative Arts at 304.336.8061.