Professor Amanda Respess is one of the Mass Communication professors here at Georgia College. She is a wonderful teacher that is always willing to help her students. She also has a great collection of sticky notes always. Professor Respess allowed me to sit down and interview her this past week.
Nicole Gilmartin: How long have you been teaching at Georgia College?
Amanda Respess: This will be my fifth year teaching here.
NG: Where did you go to school?
AG: I went to the University of Georgia to study advertising and then I got my Masters at Emerson College in Integrated Marketing Campaigns.
NG: Before you were a teacher you were in the non-profit sector correct? What did you like about working in non-profit?
AR: Yes, I worked for a faith based healthcare non-profit, an arts and culture non-profit, and for a historic preservation non-profit in Macon. I liked working in non-profit because I was constantly having to learn new things whether it was about healthcare or historic preservation.
NG: How did you come to teach at Georgia College?
AG: I was working full time when the Mass Communication department needed a part time teacher to teach Principles of Advertising and Advanced Copywriting. I realized that I loved teaching after that. After I had my daughter, a full time teaching position opened up and they offered it to me and I took it.
NG: What is your favorite thing about Georgia College?
AR: Well, I loved my graduate experience at a private liberal arts school with the creative community and I think Georgia College has this but with a public price tag.
NG: Aside from being a professor what else are you involved with at Georgia College?
AR: I am the Practicum Advisor so I am constantly fostering and maintaining relationships with different departments at school, I have been on search committees as well as on the Dean’s Advisory Council.
NG: What is your favorite Mass Communication quote? As well as what do you tell your students that come to you freaking out?
AR: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it dealing in relation to metrics. I tell those students to breathe.
NG: And finally, what is your favorite class to teach and why?
AG: My favorite class to teach would be the Advanced Strategic Writing class because the class is creative and there is a clear set of skills a student walks away with at the end of the semester. It is a gratifying process to see student’s writing change as the semester progresses.
Photo Credit: Tim Vacula