Members of the Communications faculty at The Sage Colleges share a commitment to teaching and student service, while remaining active scholars in their particular research areas. We share a belief that ongoing scholarship is necessary to ensure good teaching. But make no mistake, at Sage, the student comes first. We pride ourselves on our advising and on getting to know each student as an individual.

Professor Kevin R. Stoner

associate professor of mass communication;
department chair

Professor Stoner is now in his sixteenth year heading the Communications Program at SCA and his twelfth heading the Russell Sage College program. Before coming to The Sage Colleges, he taught at The Ohio State University for five years. He has an extensive professional background, bringing more than 10 years of managerial-level experience at major daily newspapers to his teaching. His academic specialization is ethics, and his research interests focus on Artificial Intelligence, but include the effect of media stories about sexual assault on survivors and how journalists make ethical decisions. He is also adviser to the The Phoenix, the student-run newspaper of SCA and is chair of the Publications Committee, which oversees The Quill, the student-run newspaper of Russell Sage College.

Stoner's e-mail is: stonek@sage.edu. He maintains offices on both the Troy and Albany campuses. In Troy, he is in Walker 204; and in Albany, Kahl Campus Center 205.

Office Phone Numbers: Troy - (518) 244-2050; Albany - (518) 292-8611

Professor Penny Perkins

assistant professor of mass communication;
coordinator, communications / information design programs

Professor Perkins began teaching full-time at The Sage Colleges in the Fall of 2007 and also serves as the coordinator of the department and as the faculty advisor for The Quill, the student newspaper on the Russell Sage campus. She teaches courses in Public Relations, Information Design and Interpersonal Communication.

With more than 20 years experience as a professional communicator working in a variety of industries (including education, technology, financial services, and entertainment), she brings to the classroom a unique blend of industry expertise and a love of teaching and scholarship. Her prior teaching experience also includes multimedia and writing/composition classes , as well as creative writing and video-making classes for middle school students.

Perkins has worked as a marketing manager for a regional software company, served as a commercial producer for a local news station, and operated her own communications small business. She is active in the local filmmaking community and has served as a scriptwriter, actress, crew member, and producer on a number of independent productions including UnCivil Liberties, which was the first local independent feature to get picked up for national distribution. Penny is also the author of the science fiction novel Bob Bridges: An Apocalyptic Fable.

Offices and phones:

Troy (518) 244-2016; Walker 201

Albany (518) 292-1805; Froman 305

Email: perkip@sage.edu

Professor Susan Sechrist

instructor of mass communication

Professor Sechrist is a professional writer and editor, specializing in scientific and technological communication. She has consulted with a wide variety of industries, from academic institutions to research and development labs to commercial software companies. She teaches courses in Oral and Interpersonal Communication, Public Relations, Web Design and Information Design.

Her interests in communication theory include use of metaphor and figurative language in scientific communication and applying a narrative style to technical documentation. She has presented to the Society for Technical Communication's local and national chapters.

Offices and phones:

Troy (518) 244-2378; Walker 202

Albany (518) 292-1805; Froman 305

Email: sechrs@sage.edu

Adjunct Faculty

The Communications Programs also make wide use of leading practitioners in various communications fields, turning to them to provide "up-to-the-minute" practices that they bring with them directly from the office to the classroom.

• Joseph Cavalante, M.A. (Writing for Public Relations, Oral Communication) JoeCavalcante@aol.com
• Sandrine Dinko, Ph.D. candidate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Mass Media and Society)
• Joseph Lirosi, M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Oral Communication) joelirosi@yahoo.com
• Terez Limer, B.A. in English from SUNY Albany, (Editing, Media Writing, Advisor to The Quill) tzlime@yahoo.com
• RaeEllen Doyle, M.A. from Colorado State University (Oral Communication and Interpersonal Communication) doyler@sage.edu
• Jonathan Pierce, M.B.A. from The Ohio State University (Public Relations Campaigns)
• Greg Stapleton, M.A. Sycracuse University (Editing, Media Writing) gstapleton@timesunion.com
• Christopher Ringwald, M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University; M.A. in Religion (Oral Communication) ringwald@capital.net
• Jay Silverman, M.S. in Public Administration from The Sage Colleges (Media Writing, Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising) jsilver1@nycap.rr.com
• Edward Tick, Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric from Renesselaer Polytechnic Institute ( Interpersonal Communication) edtick@juno.com