Faculty & Staff

Dr. Jim Sernoe
Department Chair and Professor, Scholarship Coordinator, Internship Coordinator
(940) 397-4391 ⨠ D204
jim.sernoe@msutexas.edu
Profile

With the help of jumbo cups of Diet Mountain Dew, Dr. Jim Sernoe has been chair of the Mass Communication Department since 2004, despite threatening to step down on a weekly basis. Fearing that someone might figure out his age, he won't reveal how long he's taught at Midwestern State, but he's been here so long he is now one of the parade marshals at graduation (an honor reserved only for the real fossils). He grew up in Wisconsin, completing bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Wisconsin (Go Badgers!). His doctorate in mass communication is from the University of Iowa, although he’s still not sure how a Cheesehead was even admitted to the program (maybe he said “Go Hawkeyes!” enough times?).

He enjoys his roles as educator (courses include Mass Communication Law, Media Ethics, Editing, and Mass Communication History, among others), academic adviser (“I see your grades in mass comm. classes are really good, but please just pass math this semester, OK?”), scholar (his research interests include popular music, the First Amendment, mass communication curriculum, crowd-funding for journalists and how journalists are navigating in a fast-changing profession), and administrator (in addition to serving as department chair, he has been interim dean of the College of Fine Arts twice...some people don't learn until they make the same mistake twice). However, he is often deterred from these roles due to the constant lines outside of his office (typically including students, faculty and the dean, very few of whom show up with Diet Mountain Dew, or any other form of caffeine). In his copious personal time, he is active with the local community theatre and the Wichita Adult Literacy Council, all while drinking as much as Diet Mountain Dew as possible.

Dr. Fisher's carerr in visual media has spanned the globae through photojournalism, public relations photography, non-profit work, and media business.

Dr. John King

Amar Spencer-Sayers
Lecturer
(940) 397-6608 ⨠ D205
amar.spencer@msutexas.edu
Profile

A proud graduate of MSU’s Mass Communication Department in 2008, Amar returned to her alma mater as a lecturer in Mass Communication in Fall 2025. Her return to MSU comes after having earned her graduate degree, working in the field, and teaching. She teaches courses such as Interpersonal Communication, Mass Media and Society, Writing for the Digital World, and Media Writing and Reporting in the Lamar D. Fain College of Fine Arts.

Amar earned her Master of Arts in Mass Communication from California State University Northridge (CSUN) in December 2011. She spent a total of eight years working as a reporter/producer for Observer Media Group and ABS Television in Antigua. During her journalism career, she worked as a general assignment reporter, covering a wide range of stories. She also produced two daily radio programs on OBSERVER Radio, Voice of the People and OBSERVER AM. As a television producer, she hosted and produced the daily news and current affairs show, Against the Backdrop. Amar also worked for two and a half years as the public relations manager for Sandals Grande Antigua Resort, where she spearheaded the five-star resort’s external communication efforts.

She then worked as a lecturer in English and communication disciplines for four years at two tertiary institutions in Antigua – the Antigua State College (ASC) and the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus (UWIFIC). As a full-time lecturer at the ASC, she taught Introduction to Academic Writing, Public Speaking and Applied Communication Skills. Meanwhile, Amar taught Business Communication as an adjunct lecturer at UWIFIC.

Her hobbies include spending time with her husband and son, watching movies, reading, watching Tik Tok videos, eating a variety of foods, and drinking Dr. Pepper.

Joshua Westerman is an Assistant Professor of Digital Media in the Department of Mass Communication at Midwestern State University. He holds an MFA in Experimental Sound Practices and Integrated Media from California Institute of the Arts and a PhD in Critical Media Practices from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Josh's path to media studies runs through music: he trained as a classical violist and violinist before moving into electronic composition and intermedia art. That background shapes how he studies the internet and social media today: he's drawn to the aesthetics of online culture, from viral memes to internet subcultures, and how images, sounds, and stories move (and sometimes mislead) people online. His research and teaching explore digital media, social platforms, and the strange, sometimes unsettling ways belief and persuasion travel through them.

At MSU Texas, Josh teaches courses on digital media, social media, and the internet's role in society, bringing a hands-on, case-study approach to the classroom.