ASU communication professor retires after decades of impact
Steven Corman’s narrative-based research legacy to continue through student mentorship, new directions
From left: Sarah J. Tracy, former director of the Hugh Downs School, Professor Steven Corman, and Professor Emeritus Robert McPhee. Courtesy photo
After a distinguished career at Arizona State University’s Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Professor Steven Corman is retiring — but he says his work is far from finished.
Corman, who has been appointed professor emeritus, is best known for founding the Center for Strategic Communication, a transdisciplinary research center that has helped lead and support over $27 million in grant-funded projects.
“It’s unusual for people in our field to get grants at all,” Corman said. “So I’m very proud that we were able to make such an impact.”
But, for Corman, the center’s success goes beyond numbers.
“The grant work has created a lot of opportunities for students and colleagues,” he said. “For students, it looks great on their vitae, especially since grant involvement isn’t common in communication. And it gives them real experience in things like proposal writing, budgeting, project management and working with funders.”
The center's work has also spanned national and international efforts, including high-profile research on the persuasive use of narrative by extremist groups.
One of Corman’s most formative experiences at ASU was collaborating with the late Bud Goodall, a renowned communication scholar.
“He was not only a great colleague, but he got me interested in narrative,” Corman said. That interest led to the center's first major grant project studying how Al-Qaeda used storytelling to influence contested populations or individuals who neither supported nor actively opposed the group. Narrative, he says, has remained a central theme in the center’s work ever since.
While Corman is stepping down from his full-time role, he plans to remain engaged with the Hugh Downs School community. As professor emeritus, he’ll continue to work on research projects, serve on PhD committees and mentor junior faculty.
“I’m happy to provide guidance where it’s helpful,” he said.
Reflecting on his career, Corman has one key message for faculty and students alike: “Being a tenured professor is one of the best jobs imaginable. There are frustrations, of course, but if you get tired of a subject, you can just change directions, and nobody will stop you. What other job is like that?”
As the Hugh Downs School looks to the future, Corman’s legacy continues to shape its research culture, global impact and commitment to student opportunity.