Debra L. Petersen

Biography

Professor Petersen is the faculty advisor for the UST chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the communication honorary, and she chairs the COJO scholarship committee. She is also a member of the Global and Local Engagement (GALE) Advisory Board, the Sustainable Communities Partnership Advisory Board, and the Undergraduate Commencement Speaker Selection Committee. Prof. Petersen’s awards include: a College of Arts and Sciences Environmental Stewardship Curriculum Grant for Summer 2016; the third annual UST College of Arts and Sciences Curricular Innovation in Sustainability Award, 2015, for her focus on sustainability/environmental issues in many of her courses; the 2011-2012 UST Global Citizenship Faculty award for commitment to international and intercultural awareness throughout the UST community; the 2010-2011 UST Distinguished Educator Award for outstanding dedication to the student body; the 2011 Sister Pat Kowalski Women’s Leadership Award in appreciation for Service to Women at UST; the Minnesota Campus Compact Presidents’ Award in 2011; and, the UST Outstanding Faculty in Service-Learning Award, 2009-2010, for her service on the Service-Learning Advisory Board and the significant service-learning projects in many of her courses. Professor Petersen teaches Communication of Race, Class and Gender, Rhetorical Criticism, Political Communication, Public Speaking, and Hawai’i: Multi-Cultural Communication in Diverse Organizations.

Research Interest

Communication of Race, Class and Gender, Rhetorical Criticism, Political Communication, Public Speaking, and Hawai’i:  Multi-Cultural Communication in Diverse Organizations.