• Adjunct Instructor in Public Speaking

EDUCATION

B.A. Tabor College
M.A. Wichita State University
Ph.D. University of Florida

BIO

Aleen J. Ratzlaff, PhD, has taught undergraduate Communication courses, including Public Speaking, for over 25 years. She earned her doctorate at the University of Florida and a master’s at Wichita State University. Using archival primary sources and oral histories, her main research focus is the Black Press and its role in community building, particularly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Publications include “Black Press Pioneers in Kansas” and several chapters in “Seeking a Voice: Images of Race and Gender in the 19th Century,” Rushing and Kittrell, eds.

• Phone: (620) 242-0400
• Email: [email protected]

• Assistant Professor of Communication

• Phone: (620) 242-0540
• Email: [email protected]

• Professor of Communication

EDUCATION
Ph.D., Communication, Kent State University, 2005
M.A., Communication, Wichita State University, 2000
B.A., Communication, McPherson College, 1998

Dr. Becki Bowman returned to teach at her alma mater in 2006. Dr. Bowman helped to build the current communication program and teaches classes with an emphasis in human communication including Introduction to Human Communication, Public Speaking, Business and Professional Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Intercultural Communication, Gender Communication, Conflict Communication, Persuasion, Public Relations, Media Ethics, and Research Methods in Communication. Dr. Bowman also serves as the faculty advisor for Lambda Pi Eta, the communication honor society.

One of the reasons Dr. Bowman returned to McPherson College was because of the college’s connection to the Church of the Brethren and its commitment to service. Dr. Bowman incorporates service learning into several of her classes and delights in helping students learn practical work world skills while improving their surrounding community through service.

Dr. Bowman joyfully serves as the faculty advisor for G.L.O.W.—the campus gay-straight alliance. She helps lead yearly Safe Zone trainings for the campus because she believes that a sensitive and inclusive community creates a safer learning environment for all students.

Dr. Bowman has presented research at the local, regional and national level on a variety of topics including teacher misbehaviors, conflicts in the classroom and workplace, teaching in a paperless classroom, and the impact of service learning on civic engagement. She also has led workshops on conflict resolution, persuasion techniques used in advertising, and gender communication for local and regional groups.

Some honors Bowman has received during her career include

• Engaged Faculty Fellow through the Kansas Campus Compact
• McPherson College’s Who’s Who Professor of the Year
• McPherson College’s Non-Tenured Faculty Teaching Award
• Kent State University’s James Mignerey Collegiality Award
• International Communication Association Teaching Excellence Award
• Phi Beta Delta, Beta Zeta Chapter, Honor Society for International Scholars

Dr. Bowman is partnered with Professor Jd. Bowman, associate professor of theatre at McPherson College. They enjoy travelling with their three young children.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
“Learning is a journey. As a communication professor, I have the privilege of traveling alongside my students as they search for a voice to share important messages with the world. Sometimes, that journey takes us on a detour where we get to examine others’ stories and messages and their influences on our journeys. I would be hard pressed to find more enjoyable work.”

• Phone: (620) 242-0537
• Email: [email protected]