Communication Arts at Wayne State
Our mission is to provide you with a hands-on pathway to careers in mass communication, speech communication, public relations, film, or theatre. Through mass communication, speech communication, and theatre arts, we teach various methods of distributing a message and provide real-world learning opportunities to make it happen. Our faculty are dedicated to developing your critical thinking and problem-solving skills through journalism and public relations classes, media training, and theatre productions.
Our electronic media workshops and modern broadcast facilities will give you abundant firsthand experience in a wide range of multimedia content throughout your college career. You can take on a variety of responsibilities in serving as management or staff for KWSC-FM and KWSC-TV, or you can try your hand in writing for the campus newspaper. The Wayne Stater has served as the campus newspaper since 1911 and provides a learning laboratory for journalism students, as well as a local news source for the college and larger community.
If film is your passion, we offer the opportunities and resources to make short films that you can enter in regional film festivals, where our students often bring home top honors. We even sponsor our own film festival each spring, which hosts high school and undergraduate filmmakers from across Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota.
And if you want to take the stage, mainstage productions at Wayne State give you the opportunity for acting, directing, costume design, special effects, lighting, and more. You can even be a part of the annual children’s play, which brings approximately 4,000 area schoolchildren for several performances. Just bring your talent and passion, and we’ll find a spot for you.
Get in touch
Communication Arts Department
Humanities, Room 213
402-375-7395

The communication professors I have gotten to work with are nothing short of excellent. I could immediately see how much they cared for their students and the material they were teaching. This experience made me excited to learn more about my field of study. I hope to change people’s lives with my degree. I chose communications as my field of study because of the storytelling aspect. My experience at WSC has instilled me with leadership qualities I hope to carry on in my future endeavors.
Geovanni Ascencio
South Sioux City, Nebraska
Major: Communication Studies



The communication professors I have gotten to work with are nothing short of excellent. I could immediately see how much they cared for their students and the material they were teaching. This experience made me excited to learn more about my field of study. I hope to change people’s lives with my degree. I chose communications as my field of study because of the storytelling aspect. My experience at WSC has instilled me with leadership qualities I hope to carry on in my future endeavors.


Geovanni Ascencio
South Sioux City, Nebraska
Major: Communication Studies
Department faculty

Sean Ahern, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dr. Sean Ahern is a communication arts professor at Wayne State College. Ahern teaches Sports Writing, Radio Production, and Radio Workshop. He is also the advisor for the on-campus radio station KWSC-FM 91.9 The Cat.

Brian Begley, MFA
Associate Professor
Brian Begley is a communication arts professor at Wayne State College and technical director and designer for the theatre program. He teaches lighting and set design, technical theatre, play writing, and acting specialties, including performance for the camera and stage combat.

Raihan Jamil, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Pat Janssen teaches in the Communication Arts Department at Wayne State College. His academic interests include journalism ethics, sports and popular culture, and the relationship between politics and mass media.

Allyn Lueders, Ph.D.
Professor
Dr. Allyn Lueders is a communication studies professor at WSC. She teaches undergraduate courses in public relations and interpersonal communication and graduate courses in public relations leadership. She is the chair of the Communication Arts Department.

Teresa Morales, Ph.D.
Professor
Dr. Teresa Morales is a communication arts professor at Wayne State College. In addition to teaching CNA 100 Principles of Human Communication, she also teaches Public Address, Argumentation, Persuasion, the Rhetoric of Civic Life, Professional Presentations, Language and Human Behavior, Organizational Leadership, Leadership Theory, and Case Studies in Organizational Leadership.

Rusty Ruth, MFA
Associate Professor
Rusty Ruth is a communication arts professor at Wayne State College. He teaches acting, directing, dramatic literature, and stage dialect courses.

Liz Viall, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
She teaches Communication Law, News Writing, Photojournalism, Agricultural Communications, and Integrated Brand Promotion, and advises the student-run newspaper, The Wayne Stater, as well as the Photography Club.

Mike White, Ed.D.
Associate Professor
Dr. Mike White is a communication arts professor and teaches television and video production, electronic media, and other mass communication courses at Wayne State College. He advises KWSC-TV, the college’s cable television station, serving Wayne and streamed online. White also oversees the KWSC Productions (The Hot Attic), the student video and the short film production studio.

Joe Whitt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Joe Whitt is a communication arts professor at Wayne State College. He specializes in human communication, particularly in interpersonal, intercultural, family, small group, environmental, and organizational contexts.

Student media opportunities
- Hot Attic Film School - Practice film production in a studio environment full of industry-grade video production equipment.
- KWSC-FM Radio- Get on-air training through our student-run campus radio station. Our fully equipped broadcast station runs 24 hours per day during the school year.
- KWSC-TV - Provide sports, news, and entertainment for the masses through our student-run cable access channel, KWSC-TV on Channel 6.
- The Wayne Stater - Practice your skills in reporting, writing, editing, and photography for the campus newspaper.
Communication programs at Wayne State
- Agricultural Communication and Leadership
Bachelor's degree program
- Communication Studies
Bachelor's degree program or minor
- Digital Film Production
Bachelor's degree program or minor
- Electronic Media
Bachelor's degree program or minor
- Intercultural Workplace Communication
Undergraduate certificate
- Journalism
Bachelor's degree program or minor
- Journalism and Media Education (7-12)
Supplemental endorsement to teach grades 7-12
Teaching endorsement
Teaching Endorsement
- Organizational Leadership and Public Relations
Bachelor's degree program
- Promotion and Media
Minor
- Public Relations Management (MSOM)
Online master's degree program
- Speech Education (7-12)
Supplemental endorsement to teach grades 7-12
Teaching endorsement
Teaching Endorsement
- Sports Media
Bachelor's degree program
- Theatre Arts
Bachelor's degree program or minor
- Theatre Education (7-12)
Supplemental endorsement to teach grades 7-12
Teaching endorsement
Teaching Endorsement
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Where you'll learn
The Humanities Building is home to students in communication, language, and literature programs at Wayne State.

Earn while you learn
Receive a scholarship package and earn college credit for real, paid work experience in various communication fields.