University welcomes new professors for fall

April 21, 2005
By Christine Mastalio
Features Editor

Two new professors will become true Ambrosians in the fall of 2005. Both the communication and history departments hired full-time professors for next year. One has had a long history in teaching and the other is fresh out of graduate school.

Since the temporary leave of former dean, Dan Bozik, the communications department has had an opening for about two years. Bozik decided to pursue other options, and the communications department then hired John Madsen. Adjunct faculty member Andrea Buelt could not be hired for a permanent position, because she does not have her doctorate degree.

“We wanted a person who could do everything and we pretty much got that [in Madsen],” communications department chair Ann Preston said.

Madsen will be teaching general education courses such as Basic Human Communication and Intro to Public Speaking. He will also be teaching public relations classes.

“I have been teaching as an adjunct for the past three years, so I knew
of St. Ambrose and the nature of the students and the programs,” Madsen said.

Madsen got his master’s degree in business education at the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater and earned his doctorate degree in speech communication and human relations at Kansas University in 1982. He taught at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, before becoming dean of the Harold Walter Siebers School of Business. He has published a few articles and been involved in communications research.

Madsen had actually retired from teaching and has taught part-time at SAU, Scott Community College, and Blakchawk Community College.

Preston said he was tired of having his biggest decision of the day be where to go for coffee, so he decided to look into SAU.

“I think he’s going to bring an appreciation for the usefulness of theories. I like to say there’s nothing so practical as a good theory,” Preston said. “For example in desktop publishing the programs will change, the techniques will change, but the underlying theories remain the same.”

Madsen’s specialization in semiotics, or the study of symbols, will also bring a new dimension to the communications faculty at SAU.

In contrast to Madsen’s 27 years of research and teaching experience, the new history professor will be receiving his doctorate degree this summer from Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass.

Charles (Sandy) McKinley did his undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and specializes in European intellectual history, particularly the Enlightenment and anarchists in the French revolution. He will teach courses in Modern European history and Latin American history.

“We hired [Sandy] because he is a talented, energetic, likeable young professor,” history department chair Ryan Dye said. “He really impressed us with his unique background and his charm.  I think that he complements our department's academic interests and its personality very well.”

McKinley heard about the position on an Internet job site and said his favorite part of teaching is having open discussion of ideas in the classroom.

He wants to be involved in more than just the classroom at SAU, though.

“I look forward being involved in the student community, maybe staring a skateboarding and snowboarding club, if there is student interest,” McKinley said.

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