ORAL COMMUNICATION’S FACULTY

Meet the Faculty of Oral Communication (to see your educator click on the professor’s or instructor’s name.)

The Instructional Faculty Members are: Dr. Melissa Beall, Dr.April Chatham-Carpenter, Dr. Roberta Davilla, Penny O'Connor Dr. Archana Daya Shankar, Marilyn Shaw, Dr. Paul Siddens, Dr. Leah White, Bruce Wickelgren Graduate Teaching Assistants are: Mark Baas, James Campbell, Kim Hartz, Marijo Wendling

THE MUG SHOTS click on the professor's to access their homepage

Dr. Melissa Beall Hi! Let me tell you about myself. For many years I taught both at the high school and college/university level at the same time. Then, something made me decide it was time to teach in only one setting, so I moved to Cedar Falls and began teaching at UNI. My areas of interest are communication education, the basic communication course, intercultural communication, listening, thinking, communication theory, and public speaking. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is my almamater and I am a Husker fan as well as a UNI Panther fan.
I grew up on a Nebraska farm near a small, rural community in Northeast Nebraska about 300 miles due west of Cedar Falls. My hobbies? I am a avid reader and love to garden and travel. My travels have taken me to all but one of the fifty states in the United States, to most of the Canadian provinces, To all U.S. Territories except Guam, and I have actually traveled around the world even though I still have Antarctica, Africa and Australia left to visit. In my classes, Itry to bring in my own experiences as well as call upon the experiences of others as we learn more about "effective communication." Communiation is a difficult process, and all of us can still learn more about being more effective in our communication efforts. Even those who know most about the complexity of communication have problems at times. For this reason, I believe that communication is a critical area for study.

Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter One of the things I have liked the best about teaching is the potential relationship developed between student and teacher. I enjoy conversing with students outside of class about their academic and non-academic interests. Because I value the development of relationships, teaching the mass lecture, is challenging for me. In class of 20-30 students, everyone can get to know one another, but this is not true for the mass lecture situation. Therefore, I rely on the lab instructors to encourage an atmosphere of supportiveness and relationship in their perspective labs, in the process of learning and applying theoretical concepts and principles covered in the mass lecture and textbook.
My personal life has become more exciting since I moved here in 1991. The summer before I moved
here I met a man who was later to become my husband in 1993. We had a long-distance relationship for a year and a half before finally getting married---a hard decision for two never-been-married single persons. We since have become a "family," with the addition of Torrey Malcolm Noel and Barometric Pressure (Barry), our very own Lhasa Apso dogs.

Dr. Roberta Davilla

Dr. Archana Daya Shankar

Dr. Paul J. Siddens    Hi. My name is Paul Siddens, and this is my tenth year teaching at UNI.    I have only lived in states that begin with an "I" and I have steadily moved west.     I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana; and I finished my Bachelor's Degree at Indiana University at Indianapolis in 1976 (A double major in Speech and Theatre).    After my bachelors work I held several jobs including; a claims adjuster for an insurance company, working in a warehouse, being a filmmaker and video producer for the Indiana University School of Medicine, and owning and operating my own theatre company.

    In 1984 I began my Master's work at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.    I finished my Master of Science Degree in 1985 (A double major in Interpersonal Communication and Performance Studies), and immediately began work on my Ph.D. degree, which I finished in 1989 (A double major in Communication Theory and Performance Studies).    At Southern Illinois I was a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and I was Technical Director for the Calipre Stage.

    In 1988 I left Southern Illinois to come to UNI.    For my first three years at UNI I was an Adjunct Instructor of Performance Studies.    From 1991 to 1996 I was an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and a graduate faculty member, and I am now an Associate Professor of Communication Studies with Academic Tenure and I still enjoy being a graduate faculty member.

    Here at UNI I teach the basic communication course, and other courses such as Introduction to Literature, Interpersonal Communication, Nonverbal Communication and Business and Professional Public Speaking.    My research currently centers on the impact of modern technology on interpersonal communication and relationships.    I love classroom teaching and find it to be the most exciting and rewarding part of my job.    I really enjoy talking with students and learning from them, as well as teaching them about communication.    I like to use films, novels and poetry in my classes, and to encourage lots of discussion about course concepts and things going on in the world in general.

    In my time away from school I enjoy playing guitar, writing songs and poetry, reading, gardening and cooking.    I also enjoy watching and talking about all kinds of movies, and doing local theatre.    I am professionally experienced as a film and stage director, actor, designer, carpenter and electrician, and I like to work with theatre groups around the Blackhawk County area.

Syllabus | Schedule | Listening/Persuasion Assignment | Outline Samples
Group Problem Solving

Penny O'Connor

Marilyn Shaw I grew up in a small town in Iowa. While in high school, I was very active in Speech and Drama activities and decided early in my high school years thatteaching was going to be my career. I chose communication because I firmly believe that it is essential to the development of a well-rounded human being. It is the core to getting along, not only in the work environment, but in everyday life.
Family is an important element in my life. My husband and I have four daughters, two who have or are attending UNI and two who are in high school. In fact, I continue to work with high school speech and debate because I think a good foundation in communication begins while you are still in your elementary and secondary educational programs. Theatre has always been a favorite of mine and I try to attend as many productions as possible. I also enjoy reading, although time doesn't seem to permit a great deal of it!

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