Biography
Robert “RB” Bookwalter has been a dedicated member of the Marshall University community since arriving in 1987 as a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies. His scholarly interests include conflict management, interpersonal communication, group process and leadership, and language and discourse analysis.
Dr. Bookwalter served as the department chair of the Communication Studies department from 2008 to 201. He was appointed interim dean of the College of Education in June 2010. He served as the interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts in 2013 and was named dean of the College of Liberal Arts in June 2014, a position he held until 2024. During his time as dean, he has been instrumental in advancing the college’s academic programs and fostering a student-first philosophy.
Dr. Bookwalter led the university’s revision of general education in 2014 and is currently the chair of the general education revision committee in 2024. He was a co-founder and facilitator for the John Marshall Fellows Program from 2019 to 2024, a program which supports the leadership growth of exceptional faculty and staff from across campus.
Dr. Bookwalter earned his B.A. in Speech Communication from Fresno State University in 1979, his M.A. in Interpersonal Communication from the University of Montana in 1982, and his Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas in 1989.