Tag Archive for: communication

Distinguished Teaching Award recipient Alena Ruggerio at SOU Ashland

SOU’s Ruggerio receives Distinguished Teaching Award

/in ,

(Ashland, Ore.) — Alena Ruggerio,  a professor of communication at Southern Oregon University, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award by the Western States Communication Association (WSCA), one of the leading academic organizations in the field of communication studies.

The WSCA Distinguished Teaching Award is presented annually and honors educators who demonstrate excellence in teaching, innovative instruction and a sustained impact on student learning and engagement. Ruggerio was recognized at the association’s annual conference for more than two decades of transformative instruction, mentorship and leadership in inclusive education.

“For her exceptional contributions to communication education, her scholarly advancement of inclusive pedagogy, and her unwavering commitment to teaching for liberation, mutual humanity and engaged citizenship, we are honored to present the WSCA Distinguished Teaching Award to Dr. Alena Ruggerio,” award presenter Ashley Givens, Associate Dean of Communication & Performing Arts at Salt Lake Community College, said in the official announcement.

Known across the SOU campus for her signature closing, the “Ruggerio Benediction” — “Go forth and use wisely every heartbeat” — Ruggerio encourages her students to dedicate their energy to meaningful communication. “The goal is to encourage my students to put the heartbeats they’ve chosen to spend with me to wise use in communicating for liberation, communicating our mutual humanity and communicating citizenship,” Ruggerio said.

Ruggerio’s teaching portfolio spans foundational and advanced courses in public speaking, persuasion, political communication, gender studies and more. She is celebrated for employing student-centered learning practices, including “Question of the Day” discussions, and learning contracts that empower students to shape their educational journeys. Her creative teaching practices include sensory-based chapter facilitation and community-centered speech competitions, which tie academic theory to social impact.

In addition to her teaching, Ruggerio contributes extensively to the field of communication education. She has published influential course syllabi and co-facilitated university-wide initiatives in antiracism and curriculum decolonization. Her work integrates feminist rhetorical theory and international perspectives, including leading study abroad programs in Spain and Greece.

“Alena embodies the ideal of a teacher-scholar-mentor,” said Andrew Kenneth Gay, dean of the School of Arts & Communication at SOU. “Her classrooms are not just sites of knowledge transmission but spaces of transformation. She challenges students to think critically, care deeply and act courageously. We are incredibly proud of her and grateful for the profound impact she has on our university community.”

Ruggerio has previously received SOU’s Distinguished Teaching Award and Distinguished Service Award, as well as national recognition from AHA International. She is the editor of “Media Depictions of Brides, Wives and Mothers,” and co-author of “Feminism in Practice: Communication Strategies for Making Change.”

The Western States Communication Association represents scholars, educators and practitioners across a wide range of communication fields, including public speaking, interpersonal communication, health and environmental communication, and studies of identity and difference. Founded at a speech and debate tournament, WSCA continues to evolve in step with the discipline, recognizing outstanding contributions to research, service and teaching in the Western region of the U.S.

For more information, please contact Michele Fulkerson, office specialist for SOU’s Department of Communication, Media & Cinema, at (541) 552-6669 or fulkersom@sou.edu.

-SOU-

SOU grad recognized for higher education research

SOU grad recognized for higher education research

/in ,

Sabrina Klein, a 2013 SOU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communication, has earned recognition for her exceptional work in higher education research.

Klein received her Ph.D. from UCLA in 2022, and has been named the second-place winner in this year’s American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) Rural Education Special Interest Group (SIG) awards for her dissertation titled, “There’s More to the Story: An Organizational Analysis of Rurality and Higher Education.”

In her dedication, Klein expressed her gratitude toward her undergraduate advisor, Alena Ruggerio, and the communication department at SOU, citing them as the sources of inspiration and education that have helped shape her success as a researcher. She wrote that “I cherish every heartbeat I spent learning” from Ruggerio.

“The experiences and growth I had in the communication department at Southern Oregon University gave me the confidence and knowledge to articulate my thoughts and turn them into actionable narratives,” Klein said in the dedication. “Thank you to the entire communication department for the exceptional education I received, which has given me so many essential skills that have aided in every aspect of my life.”

She will be honored at the AERA Rural SIG awards ceremony in Chicago in April. The AERA, founded in 1916, is a national research society that aims to promote knowledge about education and use research to improve education and serve the public good. The Rural Education SIG, in particular, provides a forum for scholarly conversation about the lives of rural people, places and their schools through research.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree from SOU in communication and media studies, Klein earned master’s and doctorate degrees from UCLA in higher education and organizational change. She served two years as an academic mentor and three years as a graduate teaching fellow while at UCLA.

Her skills in higher education, qualitative research, nonprofit organizations, youth programs, fundraising, networking, and training make her a valuable asset to the education community.

Klein is described in her LinkedIn profile as an advocate and educator with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry, with skills including qualitative research, nonprofit organizations, youth programs, fundraising, networking and training.