Meet Lecturer of Communication Studies Mary Stover, Ed.D. Known by her students as “Dr. Mary,” Stover previously taught as an adjunct faculty member at Whitworth for two years and is teaching Interpersonal Communication this year.
Q. What drew you to your academic discipline?
A. Outside of teaching, I work in suicide prevention. So many people yearn for community, connection and belonging – communication can help us improve all of that! Good communication skills greatly improve our lives, and I hope my students leave my classroom with a better understanding of how they speak to themselves and communicate with each other.
Q. Tell us about a fun class you teach.
A. Interpersonal Communication is FUN! I work to maintain an atmosphere of respect in the classroom, but I also love a good laugh and most students find the class to be lighthearted and easy to apply to their lives.
Q. What advice would you give to a student who’s interested in studying communication at Whitworth?
A. Communication is so much more than conversation. Did you know that nonverbal communication is 93 percent of our daily communication? It affects and relates to every single field of study offered at Whitworth! Studying communication helps us be better humans. Interpersonal communication helps students better understand their emotions and how to express them, encourages students to become better listeners, appropriately handle conflict, understand those from other cultures, and so much more.
JUST FOR FUN…
Q. What might your students be surprised to learn about you?
A. I used to do improv comedy and stand-up comedy. I studied Shakespeare at Cambridge, where I met Stephen Hawking.
Q. What’s the most interesting or unusual item in your office?
A. My good friend owns Boo Radley’s [novelty store] in downtown Spokane, so I have a lot of fun and interesting items in my office! My “Inside Out” figurines and my homage to Mr. Rogers are probably my favorite areas in my office space.
Q. Tell us about your dog.
A. My service dog, Crumpet, is a floofy/goofy standard poodle who attends class with me every day. He loves students, and he often sets a terrible example by sleeping through my lectures.
Q. What’s your go-to podcast?
A. “Smartless”!
Q. What artists or musical genre do you play when you need a pick-me-up?
A. I’m Gen X with varied tastes, but for a pick-me-up, I’m going with Rancid or the Fun Lovin’ Criminals.
Worth a Look 