Tamera Cole

Biography

Tamera Valentine Cole began her teaching career in 1980 as a Public Speaking instructor at Louisiana State University where she earned her M.A. in Communication. Before attending LSU, she completed her undergraduate work at Auburn University, graduating summa cum laude with degrees in Communication, Political Science, and Secondary Education. Both universities provided rich experiences including performing in television productions, like a British Literary Series for Educational Television, serving as coordinator for collegiate Model United Nations, and competing in speech and debate tournaments. Honors for Tamera include Triple Speech National Champion – DSR-TKA, Phi Kappa Phi, and Lambda Sigma. <br><br>Tamera has diversified and extensive instructional experience, serving student populations across multiple academic levels and classroom models including public, private and home education milieus. With a National Teacher Certification, she maintains Highly Qualified Status Professional Educator's Licenses/Certifications in Speech Communication, English, Language Arts, and Social Studies in both Florida and North Carolina. Ms. Valentine Cole has also operated a private educational testing service since 1987. <br><br>Recent highlights include teaching Intercultural Communication and ACA College Success in Cherokee for Southwestern Community College. Currently teaching Foundations of Communication here at WCU, Tamera enjoys challenging students to reach their greatest potential in critical thinking and communication skills. Her passion and dedication for working with students in an interdisciplinary approach to Human Communication creates an exciting learning environment. Tamera was honored to be recognized as a WCU First Year Advocate. <br><br>Department of Communication<br>Lecturer - Human Communication<br>Phone: 828-227-2389<br>Email: tjcole@wcu.edu<br>Office Address: Stillwell 245 <br><br>Education:<br>•M.A., Louisiana State University<br>•B.A., Auburn University

Education

• MA, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge
• BA, Auburn University Main Campus, Communication, Political Science, Education

Teaching Interests

Essential to an interdisciplinary approach to teaching the foundations of communication class is to incorporate as many of the liberal arts disciplines as possible, especially political science, history, and various social sciences. Cultural competency is also fundamental to the communication process.

Research Interests

Continued study in intercultural comm., perception, interpersonal comm., group comm., verbal and non-verbal comm., and persuasion are key.