FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 30, 2021
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University communication studies Instructor Prairie Endres-Parnell has completed an unusual two-year presidency of the International Society for Educational Biography.
Endres-Parnell, the organization’s 35th president, never planned on back-to-back one-year terms. “When COVID-19 emerged, I realized we couldn’t ethically hold an in-person conference, which meant not voting in new leadership, so the executive team all agreed to extend our service.”
The international group began in 1982 with a call for researchers to value educational biographies. The organization promotes the study of the lives of educators and their contributions to pedagogical theory and practice.
ISEB will honor the outgoing president at the annual conference Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in St. Louis, Mo.
Others from Tarleton will present at the conference — Dr. Delwin Richey, Department of Communication Studies, on “Assault on Laughter: Mark Twain Learning the Lecture Business, 1866-1868”; Dr. Elizabeth Wallace, Director, Student Affairs Assessment and Strategic Initiatives, on “Exploring the Journey: Being Seen, Unseen, and Seen Again in a Higher Education Context”; and Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason, Dr. Christy Tabors and Dr. Sarah Maben on “Ascending Women: Challenging the One-Way Career Path in Higher Education.”
Of her year at the helm, Endres-Parnell said she is most proud of holding the organization together despite the complications of being international in a global pandemic.
She joined the Tarleton faculty in 2009, teaching everything from beginning speech courses to persuasion, intercultural communication and communication theory on the Stephenville and Fort Worth campuses.
She holds an MFA in acting and directing and an MA in communication studies from Texas Tech University. Her research focuses on LGBTQ issues, rhetoric and performativity.
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.