This year the Communication Studies department gains a new member to our family: Dr. Erin Waggoner. Her goal here at Longwood University is to create a home here in Farmville and in the COMMunity.

Erin was an English professor in KentuckyDuring her time teaching there, Waggoner realized that she did not want to teach literature forever and enjoyed the human communication aspect of it even more. That is when she decided to pursue her PhD in Communication Studies at the University of Connecticut.

After graduating, Waggoner was hired on here at Longwood University as a Lecturer. Currently, she teaches MEDIA IN SOCIETY and PUBLIC SPEAKING but there is more to come. Next semester she will be teaching DIGITAL EDITING as well as MEDIA WRITING and a course she and Dr. Naomi are developing that focuses on the LGBTQ community in the media: “The course is looking at the sociological, economical and governmental impact of the LGBTQ representation interweave.”

For Dr. Waggoner this is a dream course that she has always wanted to teach. In addition, this will be a new Perspectives course in Civitae that will also fulfill the goal nine requirement of the current general education curriculum. This means that students outside of the major will be able to take the course and get a sneak peak into our major.

Thanks to Erin, the department’s infatuation with Funco Pops continues to grow. While she does not have quite the collection that Professor Jeff Halliday has, she is coming close. But unlike Jeff, she keeps her collection in the box: “It breaks my heart when I take things out of boxes but I love the way Halliday displays his.”

Dr. Waggoner has already proven herself to be a great fit to our COMMunity and we look forward to all she has to offer!