Obituary of Edward L. Fink

Dr. Edward L. Fink
(1945 - 2026)

Today, May 10, 2026, Dr. Edward L. Fink left us.
He was living in a memory care assisted living facility since January due to severe decline related to vascular dementia. Ed will be laid to rest at King Solomon Memorial Park in Clifton, NJ, next to his mother.

On June 15th, the digital version of Festschrift of Edward L. Fink, Ph.D.: The Well-Lived Life of a Scholar (Emerald Publishing) is scheduled to be published, followed by a paperback version published in July. This volume has been a labor of love by so many; it includes more than 50 essays by former doctoral students and colleagues along with Ed's biography.

Dr. Edward L. Fink earned his graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin Madison and his undergraduate degree from Columbia University in Sociology. For more than three decades, he served on the faculty of the University of Maryland College Park, where he was Professor Emeritus and where he served as acting Associatte Dean of Maryland's Graduate School before serving as Chair of the
Department of Communication for ten years.

Upon joining the faculty of Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University in 2015, Dr. Edward L. Fink was recognized for his international scholarly reputation by being named the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Media and Communication. In addition to this appointment, he was Affiliate Professor of Sociology at Temple University. He retired as Professor Emeritus from Klein College in the summer of 2024.

Dr. Fink's research focused on attitude change and social influence, research methods and statistics, intercultural communication, and communication theory. In recognition of his outstanding scholarship, he was named a Fellow of the International Communication Association (ICA), of Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Honor Society, and of the International Academy for Intercultural Research. He was the recipient of ICAs B. Aubrey Fisher Mentorship Award. The ICA Information Systems division created an award in Dr. Finks honor: The Edward L. Fink Research Methods Award, which recognizes significant scholars; significant contributions to research methods used to study media and communication.

For nearly 18 years, Ed was married to Dr. Deborah Cai, Professor and currently Acting Dean of  Klein College of Media and Communication.Together, Ed and Deb published many research articles on intercultural communication, conflict, and persuasion and advised award winning doctoral students.

Ed is survived by his wife of 18 years, Deborah Cai; two daughters, Elana and Rebecca; three stepdaughters, Hana (and her husband, Erich), Laura (and her partner Mark), and Emily; and three grandchildren.

Ed was always very proud to be from the Bronx.

In lieu of flowers, consider contributing to the Edward L. Fink Scholarship to support students in Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University. Checks can be made out to "Temple University" with "Edward L. Fink Scholarship" in the memo line, and mailed to this address: Temple University Institutional Advancement, P.O. Box 2890, New York, NY 10116-2890

We will miss him greatly.

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