School of Communication & Journalism Faculty & Staff

Jason Anderson teaches a variety of communication studies courses including communication ...

Jason Anderson teaches a variety of communication studies courses including communication theory, research methods, political communication, and rhetoric; however, his primary areas of expertise are the theory and practice of persuasion, as well as health communication. Jason was a double major in Journalism and Communication and Theatre as an undergraduate at Augustana College in Sioux Falls SD. He then received his master's degree in speech communication from Illinois State University. Jason completed his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received a PhD in Communication Science. Jason's dissertation, An Exploration into the Role of Commitment in Persuasion, examines how psychological, social, behavioral, and habituated forces shape how persuasive appeals are processed by audience members. Upon graduation, Jason worked as a visiting professor at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. In 2005, Jason joined the faculty at MSUM and he and his family have lived in Moorhead ever since. In his spare time, Jason enjoys spending time with his family, watching the Vikings, and promoting autism awareness.

Kay Beckermann received her Ph.D. from North Dakota State University in 2019 after spendin...

Kay Beckermann received her Ph.D. from North Dakota State University in 2019 after spending nearly two decades in the field of public relations. She utilizes this professional experience -- and professional connections -- at every opportunity when teaching classes like Advertising and Public Relations Copywriting, Social Media Campaigns, Event Planning, Advertising and Public Relations Principles, and more. She is the "edu-preneur" of MSUM Flypaper Creative Services (msumflypaper.com), a student-run ad/pr agency, and advises the Michelle (Foulk) Olson, APR, chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America. Dr. Beckermann is a member of the Native Student Support Network and is a Safe Zone Ally.

Grant Christian is a self-proclaimed marketing guru with over a decade of industry experie...

Grant Christian is a self-proclaimed marketing guru with over a decade of industry experience. His expertise ranges from mass media to print and includes interactive and social media as well. He works tenaciously seeking maximum media exposure for the all target markets. His diverse knowledge of the advertising and marketing and knack for producing high quality marketing materials is invaluable. You can find him working full-time as the communications & marketing manager at the Northern Crops Institute, located on the North Dakota State University campus. Additionally, you can spot him weekly on the Minnesota State University Moorhead campus, working as an adjunct faculty in the School of Communication & Journalism, teaching classes like media planning, social media campaigns, advertising principles and advertising copywriting. Prior to his current position, he worked at a local advertising agency as their media director and social media specialist. Christian graduated from North Dakota State University with a bachelor of science in marketing and Minnesota State University Moorhead with a master of science in curriculum and instruction.

Connie Cleveland has been an adjunct instructor at MSUM since 1996, lecturing on a variety...

Connie Cleveland has been an adjunct instructor at MSUM since 1996, lecturing on a variety on Legal topics and subjects related to law. Connie has been a practicing attorney in North Dakota since 1989.

Kerstin Kealy teaches Campus News Writing as part of the Campus News Program. She has gre...

Kerstin Kealy teaches Campus News Writing as part of the Campus News Program. She has great insight into the program, having been a part of it as an anchor, producer, reporter, editor and photographer during her time as a student at MSUM. She graduated with a degree in Mass Communication in 1997 and started her career at WDAY-TV in Fargo. Kerstin began as a reporter during the flood of 1997, and two years later became the station’s co-anchor and producer of both the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, a job she continues today. Over the past nearly two decades she has been honored to report on the stories that have shaped the Valley and beyond. Her career has allowed her to meet and share the stories of amazing people over the years and also opened the door to some incredible opportunities - including meeting and getting a one-on-one interview with President Obama and getting the once in a lifetime opportunity to fly in an F-16 Hornet with the Navy Blue Angels. Kealy volunteers her time supporting MSUM academic activities and sporting events. She has also been involved with the YWCA, Red River Zoo, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, Dragon Athletics and Special Olympics, as well as other volunteer activities. One of her favorite activities is coaching her daughter's youth travelling basketball team.

Rebecca Gardner earned her PhD from the University of North Dakota. She teaches rhetoric a...

Rebecca Gardner earned her PhD from the University of North Dakota. She teaches rhetoric and other Communication courses. Her areas of interest include rhetoric of popular culture, American Indians' rhetorical sovereignty, and rhetorics of resistance. She is especially interested in how people use symbols to create, maintain, challenge, deny and share power with other people. Current research interests include the “Fargo Project,” in which diverse community groups collaboratively designed a public recreation area.

Hayden Goethe has more than two decades of experience as a writer, editor, and designer. H...

Hayden Goethe has more than two decades of experience as a writer, editor, and designer. He worked for 15 years in a number of roles at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, including as its assistant sports editor and design center manager. Three times during his tenure, The Forum was named a top-10 APSE daily section in its division (2004, 2008, 2011). In 2017, he joined the marketing team at Discovery Benefits (which was later acquired by WEX). Goethe is an alumnus of Minnesota State University Moorhead. He first started teaching as an adjunct in 2016.

Dr. Theresa Hest is a full professor in the School of Communication and Journalism. She te...

Dr. Theresa Hest is a full professor in the School of Communication and Journalism. She teaches classes in Group/Team Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Leadership, Public Speaking, Intro to Communication Studies, First Year Experience, Family Communication, and Teaching Methods. She received her Ph.D. from North Dakota State University in 2003 in Communication Studies. Her primary area of research is Interpersonal Communication. She has published articles on the use of deception in relationships, the role of storytelling in relationship maintenance, rural myth and narrative, health communication, and coaching forensics. Theresa has presented numerous papers at professional conferences and received top paper and top panel awards. She has also received the Outstanding Scholar Award from the North Dakota Speech and Theatre Association, the Service to Students Award from MSUM, and a Family Communication textbook that she contributed a chapter to received the top book award from the National Communication Association.

Merrie Sue Holtan teaches communication studies courses in interviewing, composition, inte...

Merrie Sue Holtan teaches communication studies courses in interviewing, composition, intercultural communication, journalism, sports communication, event planning, media writing, public speaking, public relations and business and professional communication. She has an undergraduate commnication degree from the University of Minnesota, a masters in communication from NDSU and an MFA in Creative writing from MSUM. She is the author of three books, including "Power and Stride, The Nancy Burggraf Story," which she also produced as a documentary. Also a contract writer with more than 400 published articles, Merrie Sue has won state and national writing awards. She has written several community and non profit grants totaling nearly one million dollars and has also trained five national champion baton twirlers.

Education history: A.A. Minnesota State University Moorhead

Anthony Ocaña (Ph.D., North Dakota State University, 2008) is an associate professor of Co...

Anthony Ocaña (Ph.D., North Dakota State University, 2008) is an associate professor of Communication Studies specializing in organizational and crisis communication, business and professional communication, and intercultural communication. In addition to teaching a variety of the communication studies courses, he advises students in the KMSC Dragon Radio activity. Anthony enjoys helping students achieve their highest academic potential, and takes great pride in having students present their original research at campus and regional conferences.

Aaron Quanbeck is an Associate Professor specializing in Broadcast Journalism. He is the P...

Aaron Quanbeck is an Associate Professor specializing in Broadcast Journalism. He is the Program Director for MSUM's Campus News program broadcast on Prairie Public Television stations throughout North Dakota, eastern Minnesota and southern Manitoba. Over the years Campus News and the students involved with the program have won numerous awards from professional organizations. Quanbeck started his broadcasting career as a reporter/photographer at WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks, ND. He was part of the news team that won an Edward R. Murrow Award for coverage of the flood of 1997 in Grand Forks. Later that year, he became the news director for Studio One at the University of North Dakota. He also produced and directed many special programs at the Television Center at UND. He earned an Eric Sevareid Award for his 2006 documentary work titled "UND Clay: the Cable Years.” He earned his Ph.D. at North Dakota State University in 2011. He presented a paper about a speech by Edward R. Murrow at the 2014 Broadcast Education Association’s annual conference. It was awarded the top debut paper in the historical division.

From a gallery bio about me: Chris Walker grew up on a small farm outside rural Croswel...

From a gallery bio about me: Chris Walker grew up on a small farm outside rural Croswell, Michigan, where his parents instilled in him a near-reverent appreciation for the land and its natural inhabitants. Today we find in Chris a rare blend of artist and journalist with deep concerns for social anthropology and our ever-changing environment. Walker has photographed for clients ranging from The Associated Press and The New York Times to Scientific American, Inc. and Camping Life magazine, where he was the photography columnist for five years. Walker served five years as a general assignment photographer for The Blade in Toledo, Ohio, where he covered assignments ranging from hostage situations and food illustrations to professional sports and the epoch spring migration of sandhill cranes along Nebraska’s Platte River. As a photojournalist, he was part of a three-person team that earned a finalist spot for Investigative Reporting in the 2000 Pulitzers. In spring of 2018, Walker had five images in the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, in Seoul, South Korea; and the previous fall, along with Andrea Star Reese and Steve McCurry, juried preliminary segments of the Worldwide Photography Gala Awards for the 2018 exhibition in Prague. He had seven pieces in the 2016 Berlin Foto Biennale, and in 2015 placed two portfolios in the UK’s Pollux Awards – one as a runner up, one as a finalist. His website is on the New York Times’ “Most Provocative Websites” list, and in the past several years his work has been seen in texts such as Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age, and Artificial Lighting for Photography. He also edited, illustrated, and contributed copy to a chapter in Multimedia Foundations: Core Concepts for Digital Design. Recent magazine and journal publications have included six pages in VisCom Quarterly; 14 pages in Silvershotz, The International Journal of Fine Art Photography (Australia/UK); and 10 pages in Photo ART, Contemporary (Thailand). Chris currently lives in Fargo, North Dakota, and is an Assistant Professor – across the Red River – at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Hey, I’m Jon Wepking but most people around here call me Webbie. A nickname that has stuc...

Hey, I’m Jon Wepking but most people around here call me Webbie. A nickname that has stuck since my undergrad time at MSUM playing basketball for the Dragons. My primary role is Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing & Production so I get to play with cool tech, give out free stuff, and create a great stage for our student-athletes to compete. I love leading our GO! TEAM internship program of students from all majors who love sports and looking to practice what they learn in a real world environment. I’m also an Adjunct Professor in the Communications Department. Thanks for reading, and of course…GO DRAGONS!!!