Meet the new faculty in the Maxwell Becton College of Liberal Arts and Education
Get to know the new faculty members in the Maxwell Becton College of Liberal Arts and Education!
FDU: When did you realize that you wanted to be a professor, and why?
Tiffany Bergin: I’ve always appreciated the opportunity to share my passion for criminal justice research with others, whether it be through mentoring, teaching, or collaborating with colleagues in my previous roles at local and national criminal justice organizations. As a new lecturer at FDU, I am excited to draw upon what I’ve learned in the field to help students connect theory to real-world practice. There are so many interesting and different career paths for students in this area.
FDU: What is the best dish you can cook?
TB: My signature dish is definitely bread and butter pudding! This is a popular dessert in England, and I learned to make it while I was living there and studying for my PhD at the University of Cambridge. It’s a simple recipe but very tasty. I particularly enjoy making it (and eating it!) in the fall and filling the kitchen with the scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other autumnal spices.
FDU: What brought you to FDU?
TB: FDU’s strong student focus and global outlook really resonated with me. I find a great sense of fulfillment in teaching, mentoring, and supporting students as they think about potential career paths. I’m also excited about the university’s international perspective, because criminal justice and policy questions don’t stop at borders, and I enjoy helping students develop a broader perspective on local issues and practices.
FDU: What excites you the most about communication?
Kathryn Thier: When I was a journalist, I started to realize that we felt our stories were about democracy and holding the powerful accountable, but our audience didn’t always feel the same way. I began wondering if news focused on solutions to society’s problems might bridge the gap. As a communication scientist, I study how and why news and other messages (usually about health and environmental solutions) affect people’s attitudes, beliefs, and actions. It’s exciting to draw on ideas about social cognition to try to figure out how people process news with the hope that new styles of news can drive social progress.
FDU: What bucket list item do you most want to check off in the next year?
KT: I’m not good at bucket lists. Maybe the thing I should check off is actually making a more concrete bucket list.
FDU: What brought you to FDU?
KT: At FDU, part of my role is to develop health communication courses for students in all the programs that are part of FDU Health. It is rewarding to be at a university that recognizes that excellent health communication drives health care excellence and is training its students accordingly.