Daniel V. West

 

Rochester Community & Technical College
 851 30th Ave SE
Rochester, MN  55904
(507) 529-9227 (h) or (507) 285-7166 (w)
email: danvwest@msn.com

 

EDUCATION

 

  • Completed Ph.D. course work in Communication Studies at Kent State University (ABD).
  • Master of Arts, Rhetoric & Communication, Kent State.
  • Bachelor of Arts, Communications, Bluffton College.
  • Undergraduate studies, Kent State University.

 

SUMMARY OF TEACHING SKILLS

 

Instructor, Speech, Rochester Community & Technical College, Rochester, Minnesota (2004-Current). Responsible for all classroom functions including organizing and presenting lectures, developing assignments, developing and administering tests, and assigning grades. Online instructor since 2005 for Public Speaking and Interpersonal Communication. Currently serve as department chair and division coordinator for the Speech & Theater and World Languages Departments. Committee service includes Academic Standard Committee and Judicial Board.

 

Adjunct Instructor, Communication, School of Graduate & Professional Programs, St. Mary's University, Rochester Campus, (2006-Current). Instructor for Oral Communications, a hybrid class that covers interpersonal, public speaking, small group and organizational communication. .

 

Instructor, Communication Arts & Sciences, Thiel College, Greenville, Pennsylvania (1999-2004). Responsible for all classroom functions including organizing and presenting lectures, developing assignments, developing and administering tests, and assigning grades. Served as department chair for the 2001-2002 academic year and have served on Faculty Council and Judicial Board.

 

Courses taught at Thiel:

 

  • Journalism - Basic news writing course which familiarizes students with journalistic style and conventions, elements of a newspaper, interviewing skills, cultivating and sources of information.

  • Print Media Production - Advanced journalism course covering such topics as computerized layout and design, investigative reporting, specialty and beat reporting, editing, and web publishing.

  • Senior Seminar - Capstone course that reviews research methodology leading to students producing an original piece of research with the goal of conference presentation or publication.

  • Interpersonal Communication - Theory oriented course with a focus on communication competence. Students learn about all facets of interpersonal theory and skill-building including nonverbal communication, family interactions, relationship characteristics and problems, social cognition, goal competence and strategies, and intercultural competence.

  • Radio Broadcasting - Freshman and sophomore level class that introduces students to all facets of radio broadcasting including use of equipment, announcing, basic news writing, station management, FCC regulations, history of radio, and digital audio production with Adobe Audition (Cool Edit Pro).

  • Argumentation - Sophomore and junior level course in argumentation theory and debate practice. Areas of coverage include reasoning and logic, issue analysis, evidence and research, cross-examination, refutation, and written advocacy.

  • Mass Communication - A survey course of mass communication history and theory with a media literacy and cultural impact focus. Topics include media effects research, development of mass communication in the U.S. and abroad, social impact of media messages.

  • Group Process - Geared to teaching students the theories and techniques relevant to successful participation in group settings. Topics include problem solving, leadership, organizational skills,  information gathering, and decision making.

  • Persuasion - Junior level class focusing on rhetorical theories of persuasion as well as social influence and mass media perspectives. Students complete a major project by analyzing a persuasive campaign.

  • Public Speaking - Class focusing on writing and delivering effective speeches. Students present two informative and two persuasive speeches after selecting and narrowing a topic, doing library research, writing content outlines, and practicing delivery skills.

  • Independent Studies - Have offered independent studies in the areas of investigative reporting, newspaper editing, and sports broadcasting.


Teaching Fellow, School of Communication Studies, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio (1991-1999). Responsible for all classroom functions including organizing and presenting lectures, developing assignments, developing and administering tests, and assigning grades.

 

Courses Taught:


  • Forensics - Coached Kent State University forensics team on matters of oral interpretation of literature, informative and persuasive speaking, and debate skills.

  • Speech in a Free Society - Senior level, writing intensive course focusing on the historical and legal aspects of freedom of speech with an emphasis on relevant court cases. Areas of coverage include freedom of the press, new media technologies, advertising, and institutional constraints.

  • Theory and Practice of Oral Discourse - Freshman level class in basic speech theory and practice. Areas of coverage include voice and diction, speech preparation, audience analysis, and critical evaluation.

 

SUMMARY OF COMPUTER/CONSULTING SKILLS

Computer Consultant/Publishing, Self-employed. Assist businesses in operation and maintenance of computer operations related to publishing and marketing in various fields. Develop and consult regarding web design, train employees in computer skills, author proposals and campaigns. Examples of work include:

 

Pennsylvania Railroad Stations Past & Present
Ohio Railroad Stations Past & Present
 Ask The Workplace Doctor

 

Software Knowledge:

 

Expert or proficient in the following: WordPerfect; Word; SPSS; Adobe Audition (Cool Edit Pro); Microsoft FrontPage, Microsoft Publisher; Adobe Pagemaker and Photoshop; Paint Shop Pro and Animation Studio;  Microsoft PowerPoint; Corel Presentations; Corel Web Designer.

Familiar with or have working knowledge of the following: Systat;  Excel; Quattro Pro; MapInfo;  Telemagic; image scanning software; and various other programs and utilities.

 

Consultant/Researcher, RCS Management Group, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Primary duties included developing telephone marketing campaigns for the business which is involved in desktop mapping, salesforce automation, and various consulting projects. Also involved in proposal authoring, web site development, database marketing, and predictive modeling for the retail site selection process.

 

SUMMARY OF MEDIA/JOURNALISM/EDITING SKILLS

 

Faculty Advisor/Station Manager, WTGP, Greenville, Pennsylvania. Oversaw campus radio station (88.1 FM, 1170 Watts) and supervised a small administrative staff and roster of 45 disc jockeys and hosts.

 

Faculty Advisor, Thielensian (Thiel College Student Newspaper). Advised students in journalistic skills, layout and design of weekly campus newspaper. 

 

Talk Show Host, WNIR-FM, Akron, Ohio. Hosted weekly issue-oriented, call-in talk show. Served as replacement on Joe Finan Show and developed The Dan West Show. Responsible for managing all board operations, incoming calls, topic selection and hosting duties.

 

Editor, Bluffton News, Bluffton, Ohio. Was responsible for all editing duties at this weekly paper serving a community of 3,500 and the surrounding area. Responsibilities included photography, layout and design, and reporting. Wrote editorials and a regular column. Also some features, sports and food columns. Supervised small newsroom staff.

 

Freelance Editor, Kent, Ohio.  Served as editor, jacket designer, and pre-publishing coordinator for three organizational communication books.

 

Special Section Editor, Gazette Publications, Jefferson, Ohio. Coordinated special three-edition County Fair Tab. Responsible for all editing duties as well as photography, layout and design, and writing. Writing duties included fair and agricultural features, as well as business features.

 

General Reporter, Gazette Publications, Jefferson, Ohio. Wrote hard news and feature stories as well as a weekly humor and local history columns. Articles and columns appeared in four company newspapers. Also served as substitute editor for the Pymatuming Valley News for two weeks during regular editor's vacation.

 

Editor, Witmarsum Newspaper, Bluffton College. Was responsible for all editing duties as well as photography, advertising, layout and design, writing and editorials.

 

General Manager/Program Director, WBCR AM 540, Bluffton College. Was responsible for overseeing operation of campus radio station. Duties included supervision of staff, obtaining funding, and general organization. Scheduled programming and trained disc jockeys for campus radio station. Also hosted weekly music and talk shows.

 

Disc Jockey, WCVJ 90.9 FM, Jefferson Ohio. On air personality for afternoon Contemporary Christian Music program. Also did live interviews, produced promotional announcements in production studio, and assisted in programming.

 

HUMAN RELATIONS & LEADERSHIP

 

Student Body President, Bluffton College, Bluffton, Ohio. Chaired meetings of the Bluffton College Student Senate and served as official student representative to administrative and board of trustees meetings.

 

Resident Advisor, Bluffton College, Bluffton, Ohio. Provided leadership, peer counseling, programming, discipline, and served as a general resource person for 31 men of various races and nationalities in campus residence hall.

 

RESEARCH

 

Primary interests include argumentative skills and behavior. Have also written papers dealing with media stereotypes, rhetorical impact of popular music, metaphor use in speeches, and character and policy defense in presidential debates. Experienced with qualitative and quantitative methods including multivariate statistics and LISREL (causal modeling and confirmatory factor analysis).

 

Scholarly Publications:

  • Rubin, A. M., West, D. V., & Mitchell, W. S. (2001). Differences in aggression, attitudes toward women, and distrust as reflected in popular music preferences. Media Psychology, 3, 25-42.

  • Avtgis, T. A., West, D. V., & Anderson, T. L. (1999, in press). An inductive analysis identifying cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of Knapp’s relational stage model. Communication Research Reports, 15 (3).

  • Anderson, C. M., Martin, M. M., Zhong, M., & West, D. V. (1997). Reliability, separation of factors, and sex differences on the assertive-responsiveness measure: A Chinese sample. Communication Research Reports, 42, 58-64.

Convention Papers/Presentations:

  • Cos, G. C., Martin, M. M., & West, D. V. (1998, November). Verbal aggression in the 1996 Presidential Debates: An exploratory study. Competitive paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, New York, NY.

  • West, D. V. (1998, April). Development of a communibiological model of argumentativeness. Paper presented at Eastern Communication Association Annual Convention, Saratoga Springs, NY.

  • West, D. V. (1998, April). The relationship between trait self-esteem and persuasibility: A meta-analysis. Paper presented at Eastern Communication Association Annual Convention, Saratoga Springs, NY.

  • Avtgis, T. A., West, D. V., & Anderson, T. L. (1998, April). Relationship stages: An extension of Knapp’s model and development of a measurement instrument. Paper presented at Eastern Communication Association Annual Convention, Saratoga Springs, NY.

  • West, D. V. (1997, Nov.). An exploratory study of textual nonverbal communication on the internet. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.

  • Schumacher, B. K., West, D. V., & Angell L. (1997, Nov.). Communication competence: Assessing knowledge and cognitive skills. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.

  • Gorden, W. I., & West, D. V. (1997). Psychological empowerment and competition: Workers report and reflect on team quality improvement projects. Paper presented at Eastern Communication Association Annual Convention, Baltimore, MD.

  • Rubin, A. M., West, D. V., Cortese, J., & Mitchell, W. S. (1996). Affective reactions to popular music. Paper presented at International Communication Association Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.

  • West, D. V. (1995). Validity of the News Credibility Scale: A reassessment. Paper presented at Eastern Communication Association Annual Convention, Pittsburgh, PA.

  • Smith R., & West, D. V. (1994). Somatotypes and stereotypes of television characters. Presented at Central States Communication Association, Indianapolis, IN.

  • West, D. V. (1993). The end complete: An analysis of rhetorical visions of omnicide in death/thrash metal songs. Presented at Eastern Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

  • West, D. V., & Pollick, B. (1993). How university presidents conceive of their institutions: A study of metaphor. Paper presented at Speech Communication Association Annual Convention, Miami, FL.

 

GRADUATE COURSE WORK IN THEORY

 

  • Communication Theory
  • Mass Media Theory/Effects
  • Rhetorical Theory
  • Media Cultivation Analysis
  • Communication Competence
  • Political Communication
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Interpersonal/Mediated Communication
  • Nonverbal Communication
  • International/Intercultural Communication
  • Personality Traits and Communication
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Organizational Training & Development
  • Theories of Persuasion
  • Organizational Entry/Assimilation
  • Teaching College Communication

 

GRADUATE COURSE WORK IN METHODOLOGY

 

Multivariate Statistics - Including MANOVA, Cannonical Correlation, Discriminant Analysis, Multiple Regression, Factor Analysis.

 

LISREL Applications - Including Structural Equation Modeling, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Path Analysis.

 

Quantitative Research Methods - Focus on behavioral and social scientific research including Measurement and Analysis Techniques, Survey Design and Administration, Data Collection and Analysis, Experimental, Non-experimental and Quasi-experimental design.

 

Univariate Statistics - Including ANOVA, Correlation, Regression, Chi-Square and Non-parametric Tests, T-test, etc.

I have also had some training and experience in qualitative and rhetorical research methods including content analysis and focus group research.

 

HONORS/AWARDS

 

  • KSU School of Communication Studies Teaching Award
  • Teaching Award from International Communication Association
  • James Mignery Award for Collegiality
  • Oustanding Master's Thesis Award - KSU School of Comm. Studies
  • C. Henry Smith Honor Fellow, Bluffton College
  • Qualifier for National Forensics Competition
  • Speech Communication Association Membership Award
  • Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America
  • Jefferson Area Local High School Outstanding Speech/Theater Student Award.

 

ACTIVITIES

 

KSU Graduate: Graduate Student Grievance Committee Representative; Graduate Student Representative to Communication Studies Department's Graduate Studies Committee.

 

KSU/Bluffton College, Undergraduate: Radio Station Staff , Manager and Program Director (1 yr each); Newspaper Staff, Editor (1 yr.); Campus Activities Board; Varsity Football; Varsity Baseball; Model U.N. Club, President (1 yr.); Forensics Team; Student Senate, President (1 yr.); Intramural Sports; Hirschy Annex Hall Association; Creative Writing Journal Staff, Editor (1 yr. ); Founding Member of Drug and Alcohol Task Force; BASIC (Brothers And Sisters In Christ); Assistant Coach for BC Women's Softball Team; Acted in five Theater Productions; Also wrote, directed, produced and acted in my own play.

 

High School: Varsity Football (All-conference and All-county selection); Varsity Wrestling (Regional Qualifier, All-Conference); French Club President; Concert and Marching Band.

 

INTERESTS

 

Music Collecting, Computers, Current Events, Sports, Writing Fiction and Letters, Public Speaking, Gourmet Cooking, British Comedy, Television History, Rabbitry, and Railroad History.
 

 

 

 


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