Portland State University
Department of Communication

This Job Takes Guts

Tess McBride nets Steelheads, tracks nutria and fertilizes salmon eggs: a typical day for this Communication graduate student.

Tess landed a coveted graduate research position with US Fish & Wildlife Services where she helps the staff "tell their story" by generating articles and creating videos about USFWS' programs, people and events, such as FRIMA, a program that removes barriers and installs fish screens to help migrating fish return to their stream of origin. She also creates communication strategies for some of their programs including "Connecting People with Nature," which encourages young adults to experience the outdoors.

Tess' favorite part of her job is the field work. She's gotten up close with the orange-toothed nutria, an aquatic rodent. Read more ›

Alumni updates

After earning her MS in Communication in 2006, Vicki Crooks spent a year as an instructor at Oregon Institute of Technology.
Vicki is currently studying “relating and organizing communication,” at Ohio University.  She says relating and organizing is a combination of interpersonal and organizational communication. The busy PhD student also teaches full-time at West Virginia University and has an adjunct appointment at Marietta College. Vicki’s favorite aspect of teaching reflects her interests in theatre and communication: “My favorite part of teaching is the story. I also like translating theory into application. I want students to leave my classes with skills, ideas and an expanded way of looking at the world.”

When people think about death, they might plan out where they want their ashes released or which friend is best suited to perform the guitar solo of Dust in the Wind. But how many of us think about who will maintain our online presence? Andi Prewitt has done more than ruminate over this dark social phenomenon. Read more ›

Faculty Awards

Prof.  Jeffrey Robinson received a two-year grant from the National Cancer Institute to study communication between surgeons and patients. The $340,000 grant — the largest ever received in the department — focuses on communication about breast cancer. According to Robinson, initial conversations between surgeons and patients lay the groundwork for long-term health that may affect treatment and recovery. The goal of the research is to educate surgeons and patients about concrete communication strategies that positively affect health and morale.

Prof.  Leslie Rill received the John Eliot Allen Outstanding Professor award for the Communication Department in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The award is an impressive nod because students nominated Rill in her first year teaching at Portland State.

Prof.  Susan Poulsen has retired from Portland State and will be remembered for her leadership and teaching. Poulsen will also be remembered for the many contributions she made outside the Communication Department, including her work with the Northwest Stroke Camp.

Prof. Cynthia-Lou Coleman received two grants for her research:  a national grant from the Smithsonian Institution and a regional grant from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund. Coleman’s research looks at the labeling of Native Americans by the news media as anti-scientific, and the implications of these assumptions. Coleman’s Spirit Mountain Community Fund was awarded by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to support her continued research on Native Americans and news frames.

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Anri Zama received a scholarship from the Office of International Affairs. Anri, a native of Japan, is analyzing conversation between native and non-native speakers of English, looking at how communication differs.

Catrice Stanley was selected as the 2010-2011 recipient of the Northwest Automotive Press Association’s scholarship for the Department of Communication. The NWAPA was established to honor students interested in a career in journalism.

Sean Raines is the 2010-2011 the recipient of  the Barbara Exner Vogelsang Scholarship. The fund was created to honor the memory of Prof. Robert Vogelsang’s wife, Barbara.

Patricia Ford was selected for the Portland State Outstanding Community Civic Engagement Award in 2010. The award is based on criteria such as ability to involve others in service, initiative, leadership, and engagement. Patricia was honored for her work with the prevention of gang-related violence in Portland communities.