College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Communication & Media

Faculty and Staff

The faculty of the Department of Communication & Media consists of experienced teachers who have impressive records as scholars, professionals, and teachers. They have authored books and articles, managed newspapers, consulted with political figures and government agencies, and are engaging personalities in and out of the classroom. The following profiles give you a look at the department faculty.

See also:

CSB = Coykendall Science Building
JFT = Jacobson Faculty Tower

Anderson, Janice
Associate Professor
Office: JFT 218
Phone: (845) 257-3463
E-mail: andersoj@newpaltz.edu

(Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University) has been teaching organizational communication at SUNY New Paltz since 1984. Her research centers on power and change dynamics in organizations. In addition to several journal articles on corporate advocacy and change, her most recent book, Communication Skills for Surviving Conflicts at Work, has been published by Hampton Press, Cresskill, N.J. (1-800-894-8955). She has also been a consultant to business and industry as well as to non-profit organizations and the U.S. government in the field of communication, change and conflict.

Ball, Joan
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 27
Phone: (845) 257-3944
E-mail: joanball@optonline.net

Barker, Joan
Adjunct Faculty
Office: OL 204
Phone: (845) 257-2787
E-mail: barkerj@newpaltz.edu

Joan Barker teaches photojournalism and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Photography from SUNY New Paltz. She has received numerous fellowships and grants for her photographic work including a NYFA Fellowship (1996), a Village Voice Photography Grant (1994) and the Center for Photography at Woodstock Photographer's Fund Fellowships (1995 and 2001). Barker has worked for various newspapers and is currently a freelance photographer. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Europe and is included in numerous collections including the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, AZ., the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, and the New York Public Library.

Barone, J. C.
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 27
Phone: (845) 257-3944
E-mail: barone@msmc.edu

Barry, Brett
Adjunct Faculty
Office: WSB212
Phone: (845) 257-2256
E-mail: barryb@newpaltz.edu

Basch, David W.
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 27
Phone: (845) 257-3499
E-mail: dwbasch@aol.com

David Basch, who teaches advertising, is a graduate of the City University of New York. With over 30 years of experience in the advertising industry, Basch worked with Saatchi & Saatchi, a leading global agency where he was an Executive Vice President. Since leaving the corporate world and in addition to teaching advertising courses at SUNY New Paltz, Basch has focused on offering marketing consulting services to national clients and personal/professional coaching to individuals and companies.

Borzumato, Lawrence
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 34
Phone: (845) 257-3436
E-mail: LBORZUMATO@HVC.RR.COM

Bray, Gregory
Lecturer
Office: CSB 44
Phone: (845) 257-3434
E-mail: brayg@newpaltz.edu

Gregory Bray (Ph.D. student, European Graduate School; MA, The New School) is the Area Coordinator for Electronic Media, and has taught every course in the production sequence, as well as Electronic Media Writing and Milestones in Documentary. He has produced work nationally for Current TV, and locally on WAMC (National Public Radio Affiliate), and has original work floating in international film festivals. He also has freelanced for MTV, Bravo, The Learning Channel, The History Channel, and for Independent film studios in the United States and Canada. Gregg has previously worked for WPDH/WCZX/WEOK Broadcasting in Poughkeepsie, NY. He has a variety of work published online, and has presented at the Broadcast Education Association and at the Comic Arts Conference: Comic-Con San Diego.

Cahn, Dudley
Professor
Office: JFT 210
Phone: (845) 257-3457
E-mail: cahnd@newpaltz.edu
Web Site: www.newpaltz.edu/~cahnd

Dudley (Lee) Cahn has been teaching Interpersonal Communication and Conflict at SUNY New Paltz since 1984. He was a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Yugoslavia. He received a travel grant from University of Hawaii in 1983 to go to Japan and Korea, and was the recipient of a distinguished book award in 1996. Professor Cahn also has received several scholarships and teaching awards. He has written and published seven books on communication and more than 30 journal articles. Cahn is editor of an Interdisciplinary Series in Communication Studies.

Dincki, Sandrine
Assistant Professor
Office: CSB 47
Phone: (845) 257-3458
E-mail: dinckis@newpaltz.edu

Flayhan, Donna
Associate Professor
Office: JFT 520
Phone: (845) 257-3511
E-mail: flayhand@newpaltz.edu

Donna Flayhan, who has a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, is Associate Professor of Communication and Media and oversees the program in Public Relations. Before coming to New Paltz, she was a tenured Associate Professor and Chair of the Communication and Media Studies Department at a Goucher College in Baltimore, MD. She teaches a variety of courses in Communication Theory, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, and Public Relations. Flayhan's research is in Media Ecology and Public Health Communication.

Her most recent academic work analyzes the role of cell phone technologies in transforming sudden death experiences around the globe. Dr. Flayhan is currently coordinating survey research on the health effects of 9/11 on the residents of Lower Manhattan.

Fractenberg, David
Faculty Emeritus
Office: CSB 51
Phone: (845) 257-3450

Gilmartin, Eileen
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 42
Phone: (845) 257-3684
E-mail: gilmarte@newpaltz.edu

Goding, Anne
Pre-Major Advisor
Office: CSB 37
Phone: (845) 257-3435
E-mail: godinga@newpaltz.edu

Anne Goding is the pre-major advisor and a lecturer in communication. She received her B.A. (summa cum laude) at Eastern Washington University where she also earned an M.S. She has taught at Eastern Washington University, Spokane Falls Community College, Gonzaga University, Cornell University, and Ithaca College. At SUNY New Paltz she teaches Public Speaking, Storytelling & Culture, and Discussion. She also brings a background in book editing and design as well as technical writing. She serves as the department's adviser to its pre-major students.

Good, Howard
Professor
Office: CSB 43
Phone: (845) 257-3454
E-mail: goodh@newpaltz.edu
Web Site: www.newpaltz.edu/~goodh

Howard Good has been teaching Journalism at SUNY New since 1985. He is an innovative and popular teacher who has written and published 11 books and numerous scholarly and popular articles as well as a book of poetry. His teaching specialties are literary journalism and media ethics. He has worked as wire, copy and assistant national editor at three daily newspapers. Good has also received several awards from SUNY New Paltz. Professor Good has a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Michigan.

Gormley, James
Editor/Lecturer
Office: CSB 27
Phone: (845) 257-3944
E-mail: editor@legislativegazette.com

Gottlieb, Martin
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 42
Phone: (845) 257-3684
E-mail: gottlieb@nytimes.com

Heiz, NancyMeyer
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 27
Phone: (845) 257-3944
E-mail: heizn@newpaltz.edu

Hermes, William
Assistant Professor
Office: CSB 37
Phone: (845) 257-3446
E-mail: hermesw@newpaltz.edu

Kahl, Mary
Associate Professor
Office: JFT 222
Phone: (845) 257-3451
E-mail: kahlm@newpaltz.edu

Mary Kahl (Ph.D., Indiana University) has taught at New Paltz since 1990. She has expertise in the rhetoric of the contemporary presidency, discourse analysis, and gender studies. She has published in these areas and has presented numerous professional papers. One of her recent articles discusses "An Analysis of Argument in George Washington's Newburgh Address: 'Address to the Officers of the Army', March 15, 1783." Another examines "The Rhetoric of War and Remembrance: An Analysis of President Bill Clinton's 1994 D-Day Discources," (co-authored with Michael Left). Her current research interests are focused on the discourses associated with the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls and also on a revised conception of feminine rhetorical style. She has served on the Legislative Assembly and as Chair of the Public Address Division of the National Communication Association. She is a member of the editorial boards for several scholarly journals; among them are Women's Studies in Communication, Communication Quarterly, Review of Communication, and Qualitative Research Reports in Communication. Dr. Kahl has worked as a consultant to C-SPAN and has conducted focus groups for the Commission on Presidential Debates. A former Presient od the Eastern Communication Assosiation, she is recognized by ECA as a Distinguished Teaching Fellow. She teaches courses in political communication, rhetorical criticism, persuasion, social movements, and communication and gender. She earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her M.A. from Indiana University.

Keefer, Julia
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 34
Phone: (845) 257-3436
E-mail: julia.keefer@nyu.edu

Julia Keefer holds a doctorate from NYU where she has been teaching for the past 13 years, and Masters degrees from Emerson College and La Sorbonne, Paris. As a screenwriting consultant, acting coach, and professional writer, Dr. Keefer has just completed a trilogy -- How to Survive as an Adjunct Professor by Wrestling -- and recently had a paper published by M.I.T.'s Media in Transition Conference. She teaches screenwriting, TV and Radio Performance and various communication courses. She is also currently writing a textbook on screenwriting.

Lecesse, Michael
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 34
Phone: (845) 257-3436
E-mail: lecessem@newpaltz.edu

Michael A. Lecesse has a master's degree from SUNY New Paltz in Speech therapy. Lecesse has taught with BOCES and as a high school teach in Green-Haven Maximum Security Prison as well as a speech therapist in the Newburgh City school district. He has taught at New Paltz since 1979, teaching Public Speaking Interpersonal Communication and Nonverbal Communication.

Leung, Rebecca
Assistant Professor
Office: CSB 46
Phone: (845) 257-3573
E-mail: leungr@newpaltz.edu

Rebecca Leung joined the SUNY New Paltz faculty in the fall of 2005 as an assistant professor of journalism. She received her B.A. in English from the University of California at Berkeley, and her Masters Degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She most recently served as a coordinating producer at CBS News, where she was responsible for producing online features and multimedia content for 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes II and 48 Hours. Before that, she was a senior editor and product manager at TheStreet.com, a financial news Web site. Leung has worked as an editor and producer at ABCNEWS.com, where she reported on education, national politics and human rights, CNET News.com, a technology news Web site, and as a freelance writer for the Los Angeles Times. She has assisted with a workshop funded by the Ford Foundation at Columbia University that honors excellence in reporting on issues of race and ethnicity.

Lorenzo, Deanna
Secretary 1
Office: CSB 51
Phone: (845) 257-3450
E-mail: lorenzod@newpaltz.edu

Deanna Lorenzo has been Secretary of the Communication and Media Department since its creation in 1997. Before that she was secretary of the Communication Department for eight years. She has worked at the college for seventeen years. She is a well known figure in the department and is involved in many of the department's most important functions, including scheduling, preparing materials for faculty, coordinating various aspects of enrollment and handling inquiries from the public.

Miller, Robert
Advisor/Lecturer
Office: CSB 49
Phone: (845) 257-3462
E-mail: millerr@newpaltz.edu

Robert Miller is the Major Advisor and a lecturer in our department. He received a BA (magna cum laude) from Tufts University and an MA from the University of Iowa. Bob has taught at Ulster County Community College, Duchess Community College, Marist and Mount St. Mary's Colleges and at New College, the Honors College of the University of South Florida. In addition, he is Producer of Mohonk Mountain Stage Company, which presents works of fiction, poetry and drama in a reader's theater format, and is a contributing feature writer for the Chronogram, a monthly magazine in the New Paltz region.

Miraldi, Robert
Professor
Office: CSB 48
Phone: (845) 257-3460
E-mail: miraldir@newpaltz.edu
Web Site: www.newpaltz.edu/~miraldir

Robert Miraldi is an award-winning newspaper reporter, columnist and author who has taught at New Paltz since 1982. He has been a journalist for nearly twenty years, working for a decade for a daily New York City newspaper. His column on freedom of speech, which appeared in the Poughkeepsie Journal for eight years, received numerous state and national awards. His 2004 book, The Pen Is Mightier: The Muckraking Life of Charles Edward Russell, was named the best book in the country in journalism and mass communication. He has written one other book and edited two more books, including a 2005 anthology, Beyond the Boys of Summer: The Very Best of Roger Kahn. He was a Fulbright Scholar, lecturing in the Netherlands in 1992. He has a Master's Degree in Journalism from Boston University and his Ph.D. in American Studies from New York University.

Morris, Bernadette
Adjunct Faculty
Office: HAB 17
Phone: (845) 257-3111
E-mail: morrisb@newpaltz.edu

Bernadette Morris graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA degree from SUNY New Paltz. She has an MA from SUNY Albany. She is Associate Registrar in the Records and Registration Department at SUNY New Paltz.. She has taught at SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Albany, and Russell Sage College in Troy, NY, courses including Public Speaking, Speech Composition and Presentation, Organizational Communication, Theories of Persuasion, Nonverbal Communication, and Interpersonal Communication Seminar.

Noble, Patricia
Adjunct Faculty
Office: WSB212
Phone: (845) 257-2255
E-mail: noblep@newpaltz.edu

Patricia U. Noble has worked as a Systems Analyst with IBM for 27 years until her retirement in 2000. Noble has an undergraduate degree in Integrated Studies from Marist College and a masters in Organizational Leadership. She teaches Public Speaking, Organizational Communication and Communication for the Business Professional.

O'Driscoll, Suzanne
Adjunct Faculty
Office: SUB 209
Phone: (845) 257-3025
E-mail: odriscos@newpaltz.edu

Persaud, Jerry
Assistant Professor
Office: CSB 41
Phone: (845) 257-2631
E-mail: persaude@newpaltz.edu

E. Jerry Persaud (ABD, York University, Toronto), Lecturer, came to SUNY New Paltz in 2001. He transferred from the Department of Black Studies to the Communication and Media Department in 2003. From an interdisciplinary background, Jerry teaches in the areas of Media, Communication and Journalism. He earned his B.A. (Combined Honors) in Sociology and Political Science and his M.A. in Sociology from York University. His M.A. thesis examined the relationships between state, media and politics in the Caribbean. His dissertation in progress is a theoretical examination of "Hip Hop" Culture. Jerry maintains an active interdisciplinary interest with teaching across areas, presenting refereed papers at national and regional conferences and pursuing active research. Before coming to SUNY New Paltz, Jerry taught at York University, The University of Toronto (Scarborough Campus), Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology, and Atkinson College. He is the recipient of the prestigious John O'Neill Award for Teaching Excellence at York University. Popular Culture, Critical Mass Communication, Cultural Studies, Theory, The Body, Criminology/Crime, Race and Ethnicity are among his many intellectual and research interests.

Pfeiffer, Mary Beth
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 48
Phone: (845) 257-3460
E-mail: pfeiffem@newpaltz.edu

Phillips, Lisa
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 27
Phone: (845) 257-3944
E-mail: phillipl@newpaltz.edu

Lisa Phillips teaches Journalism 1, Public Speaking, and Radio Reporting. She is a freelance writer who has published articles in The New York Times as well as several other national publications. She has also been a news reporter and host at several public radio stations, most recently WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, N.Y. She holds a B.A. in English from Oberlin College and a M.F.A. in Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Her book, Public Radio: Behind the Voices, will be published by CDS Books/Perseus in April 2006.

Schanberg, Sydney
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 42
Phone: (845) 257-3684
E-mail: sydneyschanberg@yahoo.com

Schuman, Joan
Adjunct Faculty
Office: CSB 34
Phone: (845) 257-3446
E-mail: jsa@hvc.rr.com

Joan Schuman is president of Joan Schuman Associates, a public relations/advertising agency based in Kingston N.Y. She has taught public relations since 1998. Her firm has won over 60 national and regional advertising and public relations awards. She is a graduate of Syracus University. She is the former president and present vice president of the Childrens Annex Foundation, former president of the Wellcare Foundation, and member of the board of directors of Breast Cancer Options. She has authored dozens of scientific and medical articles in various magazines, including scholastic publications and pharmaceutical trade journals.

Smith, James
Professor Emeritus
Office: CSB 51
Phone: (845) 257-3450
E-mail: smithj@newpaltz.edu

James Smith has been teaching at SUNY New Paltz for over 20 years in the area of electronic media. He has been published in a number of trade and academic journals and has presented papers at various professional conferences. Professionally, he has over 10 years of commercial radio and TV experience, has consulted for a number of Fortune 500 companies, and been listed in a number of Who's Who in America directories. His areas of expertise include electronic media management, cable network programming, media audience research, and content analysis. Professor Smith received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Nebraska, his Master of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut, and his Ph.D. from Penn State University.

Spangler, Lynn
Professor
Office: JFT 608
Phone: (845) 257-3551
E-mail: spanglel@newpaltz.edu

Dr. Spangler is a professor in the Department of Communication and Media who specializes in electronic media and also works as an associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She was chair of the department for several years and managed the production area for twenty years. She earned her Ph.D. from Wayne State University in Mass Communications and her masters degree in Communication, Rhetoric, and Public Address. Her specialties are television writing, production, criticism and media effects. Since coming to New Paltz in 1983 Dr. Spangler has written and produced several television programs, including 25 episodes of On Campus at SUNY New Paltz and documentaries on a local Vietnam veteran and a nationally famous chef. Her hour long documentary, The Life and Legend of Sojourner Truth, has been seen on television nationwide as well as in dozens of classrooms through distribution by Films for the Sciences & Humanities. She has written various articles and book chapters on television criticism, particularly relating to gender roles and the influence of business on content, and has presented many scholarly papers at conferences, such as the National Communication Association and Broadcast Education Association. Her book, Television Women from Lucy to Friends: Fifty Years of Sitcoms and Feminism, was published in fall 2003 by Praeger and has received great reviews in Television Quarterly and The Journal of American Culture.

Sullivan, Patricia
Chair/Professor
Office: CSB 50
Phone: (845) 257-3456
E-mail: sullivap@newpaltz.edu
Web Site: www.newpaltz.edu/~sullivap

Patricia Sullivan, chair of the department, joined the SUNY New Paltz faculty in 1990. She specializes in rhetoric and teaches courses in political communication, communication and gender, theories of persuasion, argumentation, and communication and dissenting voices. She has co-edited two essay collections, Political Rhetoric, Power, and Renaissance Women and co-authored From the Margins to the Center: Contemporary Women and Political Communication. She has written book chapters and articles for scholarly journals such as The Quarterly Journal of Speech. In 1997 she received a book of the year award from the organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender. Her current research projects focus on rhetorical patters of moral decision-making patterns in U.S. Supreme Court abortion decisions; political apologies; and new social movements.

Wildy, Donald
Professor Emeritus
Office: CSB 51
Phone: (845) 257-3450

Wrench, Jason
Assistant Professor
Office: CSB 33
Phone: (845) 257-3499
E-mail: wrenchj@newpaltz.edu