[ Distinguished Faculty Award ]
David Barner W ith his rich baritone gracing the Westminster airwaves and the College’s main switchboard message, it’s no wonder that this year’s Distinguished Faculty Award recipient is often referred to as “The Voice of Westminster.” Dr. David Barner, the recipient of the 2020 award, has been a Westminster fixture for nearly four decades. Known as “Dr. B” on Titan Radio, Barner joined the Westminster communication faculty in 1981. He has worked in commercial and educational broadcasting as a disc jockey, news anchor, football/basketball play-byplay announcer, account executive, program director, sales manager and general manager. On campus, he is known as a professor who links theory to practice and has helped guide decades of students to successful careers in broadcasting and communication. Barner’s graduates have gone on to professions in on-air talent for radio and television, studio and field directors, producers, media sales and camera and audio operators. During Barner’s tenure, he has witnessed Titan Radio transition from 45 RPM records to the latest digital technology. He has seen the radio station grow from 100 watts to the current 4,000-watt coverage throughout Lawrence County. The Westminster Cable Network— which was once housed in a small studio in the basement of Orr Auditorium—now has a state-of-the-art facility and a fully-equipped remote truck and serves three cable systems and viewers around the country by a video stream. In 2019, the Presidents’ Athletic Conference presented Barner with the Dow Carnahan Media Award for his role as a distinguished member of the media for his commendable service while covering and promoting the conference’s student-athletes, coaches and programs. The Distinguished Faculty Award is Westminster’s highest teaching award. It is presented to a tenured faculty member who has, over a sustained period of time, demonstrated characteristics of the most outstanding faculty—intellectual vitality, effective communication skills, the ability to motivate or inspire compassion and concern for student success, collegiality and leadership.
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