
Dr. Shawna Harris
Chair | Associate Professor
Communication
Dr. Shawna Harris
Associate Professor of Communication
B.S., Southern Utah University
M.A., University of Nevada
Ph.D., University of Georgia
Office: Murphy Hall 207 J
Office Phone: (816) 271-4397
Email: sharris15@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
TBA
& by Appointment

Dawn Baker
Administrative
Assistant
Dawn Baker
Administrative Assistant
Office: Murphy Hall 207 A
Office Phone: (816) 271-4490
Email: dbaker@missouriwestern.edu

Dr. Kaye Adkins
Professor
Technical Communication
Dr. Kaye Adkins
Professor
Technical Communication
Ph.D., English, University of Kansas
M.A., English Composition, University of Kansas
B.A., English, Technical Communication – Pittsburg State University
Office: Eder Hall 222J
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: kadkins@missouriwestern.edu
My virtual office
Office Hours:
MW 1:00-4:00
By appointment

Dana Andrews
Instructor
English
Dana Andrews
Instructor of English
M.F.A., English-Creative Writing, Texas State University
B.A., English, The University of Iowa
Office: Eder Hall 212D
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: dandrews1@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
TR 7:25-7:55
W 8:00-11:30
R 12:30-1:30
By appointment

Dr. Jordan Atkinson
Assistant Professor
Communication
Dr. Jordan Atkinson
Assistant Professor of Communication
B.A., Morehead State University
M.A., Morehead State University
Ph.D. West Virginia Univerity
Office: Murphy Hall 207 C
Office Phone: (816) 271-4490
Email: jatkinson3@missouriwestern.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Google Scholar Site
Dr. Jordan Atkinson is an Assistant Professor at Missouri Western State University where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in organizational communication and oral communication. As a communication scholar investigating instructional, family, and organizational communication contexts, Dr. Atkinson’s research has been published in the journals Communication Education, Communication Teacher, and Journal of Communication Pedagogy. Dr. Atkinson has also published book chapters in Communication and Learning, Casing the Family, Communicating Advice, and Casing Sport Communication. Dr. Atkinson regularly presents his research at the National Communication Association (NCA) and the Eastern Communication Association (ECA).
Currently, Dr. Atkinson is serving as the Secretary of the Instructional Development Division at NCA. Dr. Atkinson has served in multiple leadership positions at ECA, including the Chair and Program Planner of the Instructional Communication Interest Group and the Nonverbal Communication Interest Group, the Program Planner of the Graduate Student Poster Session, as an Executive Council member, and a member of the Nominating Committee. Dr. Atkinson also serves as an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Communication Pedagogy and the Iowa Journal of Communication. At Missouri Western, Dr. Atkinson serves on the Graduate Council, the Center for Teaching and Learning Implementation Team, the General Studies Assessment Academy, the Honors Committee, the Three-Minute Thesis Committee, and the department’s Scholarship Committee and Assessment Committee. Dr. Atkinson serves the students of MWSU as the Faculty Advisor of the Communication Club and Lambda Pi Eta. In 2019, he was awarded the Outstanding Student Advisor of the Year at MWSU.
Dr. Atkinson is originally from Pikeville, Kentucky, a region in the Appalachian Mountains full of history, hospitality, beauty, and charm. He completed his Ph.D. in Communication Studies at West Virginia University where he was awarded the 2016 Doctoral Student Teaching Award and the 2015 Doctoral Student Peer Collegiality Award. Dr. Atkinson completed his M.A. in Communication and two B.A. degrees in Secondary Education and Communication from Morehead State University in Kentucky. As an avid college sports fan, you can find Dr. Atkinson cheering on the Kentucky Wildcats or West Virginia Mountaineers anytime they are playing. Dr. Atkinson enjoys teaching at Missouri Western and he hopes to continue to see growth and hard work from his students each semester.
Office Hours:
M 12:00-2:00p & 3:30-4:30p
W 12:00-2:00p
& by Appointment

Dr. Cynthia Bartels
Instructor
English
Dr. Cynthia Bartels
Instructor of English
Ph.D., English, University of Missouri-Columbia
M.A., English, University of Arkansas
B.A., English, minor in Art and Art History, Missouri State University
Office: Eder Hall 222Q
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: cbartels@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
R 9:30-12:30
T 10:00-12:00 (on Zoom)
By appointment

Dr. Stacia Bensyl
Professor
English
Dr. Stacia Bensyl
Chair & Professor of English
Ph.D., English, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
M.A., Anglo-Irish Literature, University College Dublin
B.S.E., English, Northwest Missouri State University
Office: Eder Hall 222C
Office Phone: (816) 271-5936
Email: bensyl@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MWF 10:00-12:00
TR 2:00-3:30
By appointment

Dr. Christopher Bond
Associate Professor
Communication
Dr. Christopher Bond
Associate Professor of Communication
B.S., University of Southern Mississippi
M.S., Mississippi College
Ph.D., University of Memphis
Office: Murphy Hall 207 L
Office Phone: (816) 271-4490
Email: cbond3@missouriwestern.edu
Curriculum Vitae (coming soon)
Dr. Bond is also the director of the Conference on Applied Learning in Higher Education (CALHE). For more information on the conference or the Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education, please click here: https://www.missouriwestern.edu/appliedlearning/
Spring 2020 Teaching Schedule:
COM 104 | 40 | Online | ||
COM 104 | 02 | MW | 8:00-9:20a | Popplewell 302 |
COM 311 | 01 | MW | 2:00-3:20p | Murphy 220 |
COM 416 | 01 | MW | 11:00a-12:20p | Murphy 224 |
Office Hours:
MW 9:30a-11:00a &
Th 10:00a-12:00p
& by Appointment

Dr. Mike Cadden
Professor
English
Dr. Mike Cadden
Professor of English, Director of Childhood Studies
D.A., English Studies, Illinois State University
M.A., English, Virginia Tech
B.A., Elementary Education, Virginia Tech
B.A., English, Virginia Tech
Office: Eder Hall 212B
Office Phone: (816) 271-4576
Email: cadden@missouriwestern.edu
Website
Office Hours:
W 10:00-3:00
By appointment
Professional Interests:
Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Narrative Theory, Ursula K. Le Guin

Dr. James Carviou
Assistant Professor
Journalism
Dr. James Carviou
Assistant Professor of Journalism
Director of Digital Media Master’s program
Griffon Yearbook Adviser
Ph.D., University of Iowa
M.A., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
B.A., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Office: Murphy Hall 207 D
Office Phone: (816) 271-4490
Email: jcarviou@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MW 11:00a-12:00p
MW 2:00a-3:00p
Th 2:00-3:30p
& by Appointment

Dr. F. Eduardo Castilla-Ortiz
Assistant Professor
Spanish
Dr. F. Eduardo Castilla-Ortiz
Assistant Professor of Spanish
Ph.D., Contemporary Peninsular Literature, University of Utah
M.A., Spanish Literature, University of Utah
B.A., Spanish, University of Utah
Office: Eder Hall 222H
Office Phone: (816) 271-4317
Email: fcastillaortiz@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
M 9:00-11:00
WF 9:00-10:30
By appointment

Dr. Michael Charlton
Professor
English
Dr. Michael Charlton
Professor of English
Director of Graduate Studies
Ph.D., English, University of Oklahoma
M.A., English, University of Oklahoma
B.A., English, University of Oklahoma
Office: Eder Hall 222E
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: mcharlton@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MW 12:30-2:00, 3:30-4:30
By appointment

Dr. William Church
Associate Professor
English
Dr. William Church
Associate Professor of English
Ph.D., English with concentrations in African-American literature, William Faulkner, and Creative Writing, University of Kansas
M.A., English/Professional Writing, University of Missouri – Kansas City
B.A., English/Writing, Missouri Western State University
Office: Eder Hall 222O
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: church@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MWF 2:00-3:00
TR 11:00-12:00
By appointment
Professional Interests:
African-American Literature, Modernism, the Beat Generation, Postcolonial and Cultural Studies, Contemporary Creative Writing, Poetry and Prose.
His current scholarship includes a book proposal for The Narrative of the Neo-Slave: African-American Writers and Post-Reconstruction Enslavement of the Emancipated. He is circulating poems among literary journals, working on a novel, and revising a collection of stories. Recent publications include fiction in Coal City Review and Steam Ticket.

Dr. Jennifer Jackson
Assistant Professor
Communication
Dr. Jennifer Jackson
Assistant Professor of Communication
Ph.D., University of Memphis
M.A., University of Cincinnati
B.A., Otterbein College
Office: Murphy Hall 207 K
Office Phone: (816) 271-4490
Email: jjackson63@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
T Th 3:30-4:30p
W 9:00a-10:30a, 1:00-3:00p
& by Appointment

Dr. Cynthia Jeney
Professor
English
Dr. Cynthia Jeney
Professor of English
Ph.D, Rhetoric & Composition, Arizona State University
M.A., English, Arizona State University
B.S.,English, Northern Arizona University
Office: Eder Hall 222K
Office Phone: (816) 271-4447
Email: jeney@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MW 12:00-1:00
TR 3:00-5:00
By appointment

Brooksie Kluge
Advanced Instructor
English
Brooksie Kluge
Advanced Instructor of English
M.A., English – Literature, Missouri State University
B.A., English – Literature, Missouri State University
Office: Eder Hall 212C
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: bkluge@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:50-10:50 a.m. and 2:00-2:30 p.m.
By appointment

Dr. Marianne Kunkel
Assistant Professor
English
Dr. Marianne Kunkel
Assistant Professor of English
Ph.D., English, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
M.F.A., English (Poetry), University of Florida
B.A., Poetry, Auburn University
Office: Eder Hall 212A
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: mkunkel1@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
W 1:00-4:30
R 10:00-12:30
By appointment

Dr. Susan Martens
Associate Professor
English
Dr. Susan Martens
Associate Professor of English
Director of Prairie Lands Writing Project
Ph.D., English, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
M.A., English, University of South Dakota
B.A.E., English and History, Wayne State College
Office: Eder Hall 201B
Office Phone: (816) 271-4315
Email: smartens@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
M 11:00-1:00
TR 11:00-12:30
By appointment

Dr. David McMahan
Professor
Communication
Dr. David McMahan
Professor of Communication
A.S., Vincennes University
B.S., M.A., Indiana State University
Ph.D., University of Iowa
Office: Murphy Hall 207 O
Office Phone: (816) 271-4490
Email: mcmahan@missouriwestern.edu
Spring 2020 Teaching Schedule:
COM 104 | 05 | T TH | 2:00-3:20p | Murphy 205 |
COM 304 | 01 | T TH | 12:30-1:50p | Murphy 109 |
COM 345 | 01 | T TH | 9:30-10:50a | Murphy 108 |
Office Hours:
W 11:00a-1:00p
T Th 11:00a-12:30p
& by Appointment

Amy Miller
Instructor
English
Amy Miller
Instructor of English
M.S.Ed., Learning and Instruction, University of Missouri
B.S.Ed., English Education, Missouri Western State University
B.A., English, Missouri Western State University
Office: Eder Hall 222D
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: amiller12@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MWF 11:00-12:00
R 9:00-11:00
By appointment

Dr. Robert G. Nulph
Associate Professor
Journalism
Dr. Robert G. Nulph
Chairperson & Associate Professor of Journalism
Ph.D., University of Kansas
M.S., Clarion University of Pennsylvania
B.S.E., Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Office: Murphy Hall 207 F
Office Phone: (816) 271-5605
Email: rnulph@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MW 11:00a-1:00p
T Th 9:30-11:00a
& by Appointment

Dr. Miguel Rivera-Taupier
Associate Professor
Spanish
Dr. Miguel Rivera-Taupier
Associate Professor of Spanish
Ph.D., Spanish Literature, University of Virginia
M.A., Spanish Literature, Tulane University
B.A., Spanish Linguistics and Literature, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru
Office: Eder Hall 222L
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: mriverat@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MWF 1:00-2:00
R 9:00-11:00
By appointment

Dr. Ian F. Roberts
Professor
English
Dr. Ian F. Roberts
Professor of English
Ph.D., English, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
M.A., English, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
B.A., Philosophy, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Office: Eder Hall 222G
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: robertsi@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MW 8:30-11:00
By appointment
Professional Interests:
Composition, Lit in English 1860-1914, Lit. Theory and Criticism, Lit. Realism and Naturalism, Lit. and Science, and Philosophy.

Dr. Kay Siebler
Professor
English
Dr. Kay Siebler
Professor of English
Ph.D., Composition and Rhetoric, Miami University, Miami, Ohio
M.A., English, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
B.A., Journalism, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Office: Eder Hall 215A
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: ksiebler@missouriwestern.edu
Office hours:
T 2:00-5:00
R 8:00-11:00
By appointment

Dawn Terrick
Advanced Instructor
English
Dawn Terrick
Advanced Instructor of English
Director of Developmental Writing & Placement
M.A., English, Clarion University of Pennsylvania
B.A., English, Allegheny College
Office: Eder Hall 222F
Office Phone: (816) 271-4313
Email: terrick@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
TR 2:00-4:00
F 12:00-1:45
By appointment

Dr. Mei Zhang
Professor
Communication
Dr. Mei Zhang
Professor of Communication
B.A., Zhejiang University
B.A., Fudan University
M.A., Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
Office: Murphy Hall 207 E
Office Phone: (816) 271-4490
Email: meizhang@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MW 2:00-4:30p
& by Appointment
Part-Time Faculty

Meredith Katchen
English
Meredith Katchen
Instructor of English
M.A., English Composition Theory and Pedagogy, California State University, Fresno
B.A., English, California State University, Fresno
Office: Eder Hall 222P
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: mkatchen@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
M 2:00-3:00
T 9:00-11:00
R 10:00-12:00
By appointment

Mike Kelley
English
Mike Kelley
Part-Time Instructor of English
M.A.A. in Technical Communication, Missouri Western State University
B.S. in History, Minor in Biology, Missouri Western State University
Office: Eder Hall 222-N

Lori Listopad
Communication
Lori Listopad
Part-Time Instructor of Communication
Office: Murphy Hall 207
Office Phone: (816) 271-4490
Email: llistopad@missouriwestern.edu
Spring 2020 Teaching Schedule:
COM 104 | 43 | Online | ||
COM 104 | 44 | Online |
Office Hours:
8:00a-4:30p By Email

Donell Murray
Communication
Part-Time Instructor of Communication
Office: Murphy Hall 207
Office Phone: (816) 271-4490
Email: dmurray7@missouriwestern.edu
Spring 2020 Teaching Schedule:
COM 104 | 45 | Online | ||
COM 104 | 46 | Online |
Office Hours:
By Email

Samantha Fidler-Newby
English
Samantha Fidler-Newby
Part-Time Instructor of English
M.A., English
M.A.A., Written Communication
B.A., Communications with an emphasis in Journalism from MWSU
Office: Eder Hall 222T
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: sfidlernewby@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
TR 8:30-10:30
By appointment

Beth Ann Reinert
English
Beth Ann Reinert
Part-Time Instructor of English
Ed.S., Education Leadership, Northwest Missouri State University
M.S., Education Leadership, Northwest Missouri State University
B.A., English Secondary School Education, Metropolitan State College of Denver
Office: Eder Hall 222T
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: breinert1@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
TR 6:30-7:30
By appointment

Nila Schneider
Communication
Nila Schneider
Part-Time Instructor of Communication
Office: Murphy Hall 207 N
Office Phone: (816) 271-4490
Email: nschneider3@missouriwestern.edu
Spring 2020 Teaching Schedule:
COM 104 | 06 | T TH | 12:30-1:50p | Murphy 205 |
COM 104 | 08 | T TH | 2:00 – 3:20p | Murphy 105 |
Office Hours:
T Th 3:30-4:30p
& by Appointment

Alyssa Striplin
English
Alyssa Striplin
Part-Time Instructor of English
M.F.A., Creative Writing (Fiction), Minnesota State University, Mankato
M.A., English, Northwest Missouri State University
B.A., English, Northwest Missouri State University
Office: Eder Hall 212G
Office Phone: (816) 271-4310
Email: astriplin@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours:
MW 12:00-2:00, 3:00-5:00
By appointment