Faculty and Staff
View Staff information
Department Chair -
Roseanna Ross
Office number: WSB 148; (320) 308-2217
E-mail address: rgross@stcloudstate.edu
Faculty
Traci Anderson
Office number: WSB 137; (320) 308-1259
E-mail address: tlanderson@stcloudstate.edu
Jeff Bineham
Office number: WH 201; (320) 308-3253
E-mail address: bineham@stcloudstate.edu
Website: http://web.stcloudstate.edu/jbineham
Degrees held and granting institutions
Ph.D. from Purdue University, 1986
M.A. from Purdue University, 1983
B.A. from George Fox College, Newberg, OR, 1980
Primary and/or current research interests
My writing and teaching is informed by two basic questions. First,
how does communication create reality for people? And second, how can
students best learn to have a voice in the creation and management of
their worlds? My specific research interests are in philosophy of communication,
especially the connections between communication and philosophical hermeneutics,
and in rhetorical theory and criticism, especially the analysis of religious
and political discourse in popular culture.
International Connections
In addition to my travels in Europe and Central America, I taught
in Alnwick, England, during the summer of 2001 and I will direct the St.
Cloud State University program there during the fall of 2006.
Wendy Bjorklund

Office number: WSB 139; (320) 308-1512
E-mail address: wlbjorklund@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Minnesota.
Primary and/or current research interests
I tend to study interpersonal conflict within an organizational context.
Currently, I am looking at how we frame relationships with other parties
affects the way in which we engage in facework during a negotiation.
International Connections
This is a weakness. Other than vacationing in the Caribbean and Mexico,
and doing business in Canada, I have not studied, taught or done research
abroad. This could be why I am such a big proponent for our students to
study abroad.
Bassey A. Eyo
Office number: WSB 153; (320) 308-3033
E-mail address: baeyo@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
Ph.D. – University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
MA – University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point
BA - – University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point
Primary and/or current research interests
- Holistic – Relational Leadership Praxis
- Communication and Relational Wisdom for the New World of Work
International Connections
- Nigeria Universities Network: enhancing capacity in library collections/acquisitions
- Nigeria Universities Network: curriculum development support for communication
education
Other
Dr. Eyo is the Career Advisor for the Communication Studies Department.
Bruce Hyde

Office number: WSB 134; (320) 308-5162
E-mail address: rbruce@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
BS Northwestern, MS University of North Texas,
PhD University of Southern California
Primary and/or current research interests
- Dialogue/nonpolarized and nonpolarizing discourse as a means for discussing
problematic social issues
- I am currently assigned half-time to the Dept. of Theatre, Film Studies
and Dance, where I teach acting and chair the department.
International Connections
In 2007 I will direct the International Program in Alnwick, England
Denee Janda
Office Number: WSB 103A; (320) 308-5279
E-mail address: dajanda@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
BA: University of Nebraska-Lincoln; MA: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Primary and/or current research interests
I am interested in interpersonal communication and mediation and conflict
resolution.
Other
I enjoy playing clarinet and alto saxophone in my free time, including
in several ensembles in the St. Cloud area.
Debra Japp
Office Number: WSB
161; (320) 308-3158
E-mail address: dkjapp@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
BA 1979, MA 1986, PhD 1989 University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Marla Kanengieter
Office Number: EH 205; (320) 308-4981
E-mail address: mkanengieter@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
BA 1982 Colorado State University
MS 1987, PhD 1990 University of Oregon
Judith K. Litterst
Office number: WSB 163; (320) 308-2291
E-mail address: jklitterst@stcloudstate.edu
Website: http://web.stcloudstate.edu/jklitterst
Degrees held and granting institutions
B.A. Central Michigan University
M.A. Bradley University
C.A.S. Northern Illinois University
Ph.D. University of Minnesota
Primary and/or current research interests
My primary research areas are in (1) communication pedagogy, (2) communication
and aging, and (3) nonverbal communication. I have projects I am currently
revising on educational (civic) engagement, redefining/re-conceptualizing
elder care-giving, symbolic significance of the wearing of headscarves
by Muslim women, and broadcaster nonverbal communication during the attack
on the World Trade Center.
International Connections
I have taught on the Alnwick, England program twice and currently
maintain research connections in the areas of nonverbal communication
and communication and aging with colleagues at Anadolu University in Eskisehir,
Turkey.
Other
Dr. Litterst is the CMST advisor for the Communication Arts and
Literature B.S. teaching major. She currently serves as the Chair of SCSU’s
General Education Committee.
Mridula Mascarenhas
Office number: WSB 103B; (320) 308-2273
E-mail Address: mamascarenhas@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
Masters in Communication (2004) University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Masters in Industrial Psychology (2002) Mumbai University, India
Bachelors in Psychology (1997) St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, India
Primary and/or current research interests
I am interested in critical analyses of political and cultural messages, teaching as a form of communication, and organizational communication.
Eddah Mutua-Kombo
Office number: WSB 141; (320) 308-4892
E-mail address: emmutuakombo@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
B.A. 1988, University of Nairobi
M.A. 1992, City University
Ph.D. 2000, University of Wales
Marge Pryately

Office number: WSB 162; (320) 308-4980
E-mail address: mjpryately@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
Ph. D – University of Oklahoma (1989) – Intercultural
Communication
M.A. – Miami University, Oxford, OH (1976) – Organizational
Communication
B.A. – Miami University, Oxford, OH (1975) – General Speech
Communication
Primary and/or current research interests
I have studied service-learning in the U.S. and Japan. I have
also developed training programs for graduate teaching assistants. I am
currently looking at comparative values systems in Japan and Great Britain
and at the “Lost Generation” of first generation immigrants.
Other
Advisor for intercultural minors
Serves on the East Asian Studies Committee
Joanna K. Pucel

Office number: WSB 159; (320) 308-2958
E-mail address: jkpucel@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
MA University of Minnesota (Mpls.)
BS St. Cloud State University
Primary and/or current research interests
Research interests include: communication apprehension, organizational
communication, and health communication—specifically in the area
of cardiac care.
International Connections
Taught through the Center for International Studies: British
Studies Program in Alnwick, England
Diana Rehling
Office number: WSB 164; (320) 308-1693
E-mail address: dlrehling@stcloudstate.edu
Website: http://web.stcloudstate.edu/dlrehling/
Degrees held and granting institutions
BA—U of ND at Grand Forks
MA—U of Illinois at Champaign
Ph.D.—U of Nebraska at Lincoln
Jeff Ringer
Office number: WSB 156; (320) 308-5540
E-mail address: ringer@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
BA, Edinboro State University, 1979
MA, Fairfield University, 1984
Ph.D., Ohio University, 1987
Primary and/or current research interests
Communication and Gay Men’s Intimate Partnerships
Cell Phone Use Among Japanese Students
International Connections
I have conducted several study abroad programs in connection
with Aalborg University in Denmark. I taught English as a second language
at Akita University for three years and taught the basic communication
course at an international university in Japan for two years. I also taught in Ingolstadt, Germany, spring 2007.
Other
I am currently a mediator for the SCSU Campus Mediation Program
and am working to develop a volunteer mediation program for students.
Roseanna Gaye Ross, Department Chair
Office number: WSB 148; (320) 308-2217
E-mail address: rgross@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
BSEd, English with Speech and Theatre minor, Ohio University,
Athens, Ohio
MA, Speech Communication, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
PhD, Communication Theory (interpersonal and small group emphasis), related
areas of study in community counseling and higher education, Ohio University,
Athens, Ohio
Primary research/study interests
Conflict management and mediation, experiential learning theory, internships,
study abroad, professional and organizational development in higher education,
mentoring (in both the profit and nonprofit sectors), story telling, applied
organizational communication.
International Connections
Previous experience in teaching, studying, and/or managing programs
abroad in the following countries: Japan, England, Denmark, and Kenya.
Conducted research in conflict management in England and Denmark; developed
coursework addressing communication and relationship development in Japan.
Collected traditional stories in all of these countries, as well as in
Ireland and Great Britain.
Collette Rubel
Office number: WSB 103D; (320) 308-2903
E-mail address: csrubel@stcloudstate.edu
Loren Schwarzwalter
Office number: WH 307; (320) 308-
E-mail address:
Pam Secklin
Office number: WH 202A; (320) 308-5193
E-mail address: plsecklin@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees
held and granting institutions:
BA
Northern Michigan University 1986
MA University of South Florida 1988
PH.D. Purdue University 1995
Primary
and/or current research interests:
Interpersonal
and Health Communication, the study of intimate relationships across various
contexts. Research and publication interests in ethnographic, auto-ethnographic,
and narrative modes of inquiry. Courses frequently taught at SCSU: Interpersonal
Communication; Special Topics in The Dark Side of Close Relationships;
Health Communication; Family Communication.
Other
Dr. Secklin is the Graduate Advisor for the Communication Studies Department.
Jennifer Anderson Senchea

Office number: WSB 142
Phone:
(320) 308-3230
E-mail address: jasenchea@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees
held and granting institutions:
B.A. (Speech
Communication) - California State Univ., Bakersfield - 1989
M.A. (Speech Communication) - Miami Univ., Oxford, Ohio - 1990
Ph.D. (Interpersonal Communication) - Univ. of Iowa - 1998
Primary
and/or current research interests:
The social
construction and performance of gender; the 'bureaucratization' of marriage
in U.S. immigration policy; pedagogical techniques in communication studies
courses; student perceptions of academically dishonest practices.
International
Connections:
I am currently
a member of an interdisciplinary research team investigating student perceptions
of academic dishonesty in central European, post-communist countries.
We are currently collecting data in Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Russia
.
Tami Spry
Office number: EH 205; (320) 308-5253
E-mail address: tlspry@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
PhD Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
MA Eastern Michigan University
BS Eastern Michigan University
Primary and/or current research interests
She teaches courses in performance studies and communication
theory. Dr. Spry performs her autobiographical and autoethnographic
work around the country, focusing on issues of gender violence, mental
illness, race relationships, shamanic healing, and loss. Tami is
currently working on a book, Paper and Skin: Writing and Performing
the Autoethnographic Life. Her publications appear in Text
and Performance Quarterly, Qualitative Inquiry, and Women and
Language as well as chapters in various anthologies, most recently
in Voices Made Flesh: Women and Autobiography.
International Connections
Chile and Peru: Ethnographic work with Mapuche and Peruvian shaman
on the performative dimensions of healing rituals.
Other
Director of Players Performance Group
Suzanne Stangl-Erkens

Office number: WSB 160; (320) 308-2208
E-mail address: erkens@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
M.A. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Primary and/or current research interests
I am interested in the research of language as a social creation;
the influence of language on thought and action; and how special interest
groups manipulate language to portray their worldviews. I am also interested
in pedagogical research.
Renee Strom
Office number: WSB 140; (320) 308-1291
E-mail address: restrom@stcloudstate.edu
Paula S. Tompkins
Office number: WSB 154; (320) 308-4982
E-mail address: pstompkins@stcloudstate.edu
Website: web.stcloudstate.edu/pstompkins
Degrees held and granting institutions
BA 1978 (English), University of Kansas
M.A. 1980 (Speech Communication and Human Relations)
PhD 1987 (Speech-Communication) University of Minnesota—Twin Cities
Primary and/or current research interests
The questions I find interesting to study are questions communication
ethics in our public or rhetorical communication. Most recently I have
been looking at issues of justice, civility, and integrity in our public
discourse.
International Connections
I have taught in the SCSU British Studies program in Alnwick, England.
Other
In my other lives outside of academia I read science fiction and spend
time in the “current” Middle Ages.
David Tschida
Office number: WSB 136; (320) 308-1254
E-mail address: datschida@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
Ph.D. - University of Missouri (2004)
M.A. - University of Nebraska (1996)
B.A. - St. Cloud State University (1994)
Primary and/or current research interests
My primary teaching and research interests are in critical or rhetorical studies of the media (primarily television) and in communication in environmental issues. Recent topics of interest include the representation of the environment in television programming/documentaries, the representation of the environment in national park publications and websites, and on political content in entertainment television.
Other
I am the co-advisor of Comm. Club
Jennifer Tuder
Office number: WSB 135; (320) 308-3125
E-mail address: jltuder@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions:
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre; University of Northern Iowa; 1996.
Master of Arts in Communication Studies; Arizona State University; 1998.
Doctor of Philosophy in Speech Communication with Performance Studies
Emphasis; Southern Illinois University; 2002.
Primary and/or current research interests
I am interested in performance as a way of knowing the world
(performance methodology), the performance of grieving and loss, performance
art and artists, performative writing, and performance of identity.
Other
I am also the interim co-director of the Players Performance
Group. Currently, I am writing and developing a one-woman show, Sex
Across the Curriculum, for performance in Spring 2005.
Erika Vora

Office number: WSB 152; (320) 308-3240
E-mail address: ewvora@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
Ph.D. State University of New York at Buffalo
MS. University of Bridgeport
M.A. University of Bridgeport
Primary and/or current research interests
Dr. Vora’s primary research interests include reducing
prejudice, the nonviolent conflict management approaches of Mahatma Gandhi
and of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, intercultural
listening, and intercultural marriage.
She is currently writing a book entitled, “Daughters of the Fatherland”.
It is based on the experiences of German women who had to flee from their
homes during World War II. Erika has just finished writing "
A Contingency Framework for Listening to the Dying" (with Ariana Vora, Harvard University). The Journal of International Listening, Volume 22, No.1, 2008.
International Connections
Dr. Vora was a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan, Republic of China,
and visiting professor in South Africa, People’s Republic of China,
Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, India and Australia. She has frequently directed
international studies programs in Germany.
Other
Dr. Vora was a President of the Fulbright Association, Minnesota
Chapter. She is the advisor to the International Students Association.
Dave Warne

Office number: WSB 151; (320) 308-5415
E-mail address: dlwarne@stcloudstate.edu
Website:
Warne Class Page
Website
is used for class syllabus distribution and is not a personal but more
of a professional web space.
Degrees
held and granting institutions:
Alumni
of South Dakota State University and Dakota State College, SD.
Currently
enrolled at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Organizational Leadership
Program
Primary
and/or current research interests:
Current
interests include those topics explored in Saint Mary's coursework. Currently,
I am studying organizational change in higher education institutions and
faculty action (and perhaps more importantly reaction) prompted by the
institutional assessment processes.
International
Connections:
I
am not currently involved professionally with any formal international
programs. Connections are personal friends and academic colleagues from
a variety of locations representing many provocative perspectives.
Scott Wells
Office number: WSB 155; (320) 308-3000
E-mail address: sdwells@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees held and granting institutions
B.A. 1993, M.A. 1995, Wichita State University
Ph.D. 2001, University of Oklahoma-Norman
Primary and/or current research interests
Civic engagement, service-learning, campaign strategy, grassroots political
communication, speechwriting, forensics pedagogy
Other
Dr. Wells also serves as Director of SCSU Speech & Debate
(Forensics). To learn more about forensics, visit http://studentorg.stcloudstate.edu/forensics/forensics.html.
Frequently Taught Courses
CMST 192 Introduction to Communication
CMST 211 Public Speaking
CMST 213 Small Group Communication
CMST 323 Speechwriting.
Selected Recent Publications
- Spiker, J. A., Lin, Y., & Wells, S. D. (2003). The voice of young
citizens: A study of political malaise in Campaign 2000. Edited by L.
L. Kaid, J. C. Tedesco, & M. S. McKinney in The Millennium Election:
Communication in the 2000 Campaign. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers.
- Allen, M., Bourhis, J., Mabry, E., Emmers-Sommer, T., Titsworth, S.,
Burrell, N., Mattrey, M., Crowell, T., Bakkar, A., Hamilton, A., Malyshev,
Y., Robertson, T., Scholl, J., & Wells, S. (2001, Fall). Meta-analysis
comparing student satisfaction with distance education and traditional
classrooms: A preliminary analysis. Journal of Distance Education
- Hall, T., Brown, K., Ferguson, M., Hughes, K., Wells, S., & Zuckerman,
D. (2001). Communication and Sharing--An Introduction to Speech Communication:
Student Workbook. Carrollton, TX: Alliance Press.
- Robertson, T., Froemling, K., Wells, S., & McGraw, S. (2000, Summer).
Sex, lies and videotapes: An analysis of gender in campaign advertisements.
Communication Quarterly, 47 (3), 333-341.
Dan Wildeson
Office address: WH 201A; (320) 308-4868
E-mail address: dlwildeson@stcloudstate.edu
Degrees
held and granting institutions:
Ph.D.
University of Oregon
MA
Colorado State University
BA Biola University
Primary
and/or current research interests:
The interest
area that informs my teaching and research is rhetorical studies with
respect to the following topics: ethics, language, argumentation, and
communication problematics.
International
Connections:
I
taught for two years at Akita National University, Akita, Japan. I taught
for a semester at the International College of Beijing, Beijing, China,
in their joint program with the University of Colorado at Denver. In addition
to this I have lived and traveled in 17 countries.
Staff
Diana Leither
Office Address: WSB 129; (320) 308-3210
E-mail address: dcleither@stcloudstate.edu
Website: http://web.stcloudstate.edu/dcleither/
Hobbies/Interests/Other information
I am the academic assistant for the department. I assist the chairperson
in preparing the semester course schedules and assist the professors with
classroom and professional materials. Outside interests include being
the troop leader for my daughter’s girl scout troop.
Nancy Michael

Office Address: WSB 129; (320) 308-2216
E-mail address: nkmichael@stcloudstate.edu
Hobbies/Interests/Other information
Serves as the Administrative Assistant to the Communication Studies
Department; the department chair, faculty, committees, students and the
general public. Manages the department budget, administrative materials,
class enrollment figures, and numerous reports.
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