Stephanie Swindle Thomas, Assistant Teaching Professor in the Advertising and PR Department in Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State, has made a career out of combining communications experience and multimedia skills with her passion for arts advocacy. Thomas joined the Department of Advertising/Public Relations with almost 20 years of experience in higher education and nonprofit communications roles. As a professor, she emphasizes experiential learning, design thinking, and engaged empathy. Above all, she values mentoring students and supporting their professional development. Thomas is also a third-generation Memphis musician, a photographer, and a published fiction writer, who leads writing and storytelling workshops. She is the inaugural faculty member for Penn State Teaching and Learning with Technology’s Dreamery classroom pilot program, currently researching emerging technology and artificial intelligence and developing a course curriculum on augmented reality and virtual reality advertising.
The pandemic accelerated an evolution in preferences among students, faculty, and staff for the ways in which they engage with the institution and each other. Novel technologies and models for interaction create opportunities for colleges and universities to develop individualized approaches to meeting students’ needs for expansive, engaging educational experiences.
| Status: | Yes, current member |