Staff Writer- Alex Ogle

This week’s Gustie of the Week is Communications Studies Professor Hagar Attia. As an Assistant Professor, Dr. Attia teaches a variety of courses, focusing mainly on rhetoric and public discourse. Dr. Attia also co-directs the Public Deliberation and Dialogue Program, a co-curricular program that trains students on how to facilitate deliberations with their peers. Dr. Attia came to Gustavus in 2020, has instructed in higher education since 2008, and holds a PhD in communication studies from the University of Maryland College Park.

Dr. Attia found Gustavus during the middle of the pandemic freeze, when many universities temporarily stopped hiring faculty. Gustavus was one of two positions she found and was interested in, but when she saw what Gustavus was looking for, she knew she fit the bill and decided to only apply here. She was soon offered the position and began working in the role campus sees her in today, teaching rhetoric from a public address tradition, and highlighting public deliberation.

“When I saw the job call for Gustavus, the first thought that came to mind was ‘oh, this was written for me,’” Dr. Attia states. 

During her time here, Dr. Attia has developed a newfound appreciation for Gustavus as a liberal arts college. She values the high quality of education on campus, and that teaching here often takes an interdisciplinary approach to answering big questions. She has high remarks for students, who she finds to have a rigorous work ethic, which further improves the quality of education here. 

“I feel like the depth of interaction that I have with students… I get to know them better,” Dr. Attia comments.

Not only does education shine through for Dr. Attia, but so does her work in the Public Deliberation and Dialogue program. She has hosted countless timely, important conversations that respond to the big challenges of the modern day, and hopes that these discussions provide a space for students to have conversations both separate and complementary to the classroom. Currently, Dr. Attia, along with her Co-Director, Professor Pamela Conners, is preparing for a deliberation on immigration.

Professor Conners is one of the many people Dr. Attia has been influenced by. Dr. Attia says that Professor Conners’s work in the Public Deliberation and Dialogue Program has taught her much about leadership. Dr. Attia has similar high praises for her fellow communication studies professors, Dr. Sarah Wolter and Professor Phillip Voight. Dr. Attia states that Dr. Wolter has been an amazing advocate and an overall fantastic model for leadership, while Professor Voight, whom she traveled with to Cambodia and Vietnam for a study abroad program, has taught her much about emergency management and being good-natured. 

Dr. Attia’s fellow communication studies professors have many positive things to say about her as well. Dr. Wolter mentioned how Dr. Attia has had such a positive impact not only on her but also on students. Dr. Attia, Dr. Wolter states, helps others to challenge themselves in ways they haven’t before. 

“Professor Attia has been such a positive influence on our department and on me personally. She challenges us to look beyond the obvious to consider audience and context in whatever decisions we make as a department. Her enthusiasm for ideas makes me excited to try new methods and techniques in the classroom,” Dr. Wolter comments.

Professor Voight, who has traveled with Dr. Attia, mentions her devotion to students both in and out of the classroom. During their time in Cambodia and Vietnam, he noticed her astute cultural awareness and organizational skills. In the classroom, he sees how great she is to work with both as a student and a colleague. 

“Hagar is an outstanding colleague. She’s hard-working, generous, well-organized, and absolutely delightful to work with. She is also devoted to her students, and she goes above and beyond to make sure that they have everything they need to succeed in her courses,” Professor Voight states.

Dr. Attia hopes to further cultivate herself and these heartwarming relationships as she continues on at Gustavus. With time, she aims to become tenured and expand the Public Deliberation and Dialogue Program into research and a regionally known program. She also wants to grow with the Gustavus community. During this time when the college goes through significant changes, she hopes to seize said change as an opportunity to improve along with the college. 

Gustavus to Dr. Attia has been a testament to what a higher education can be for students. Her hard work and dedication to providing a quality experience for everyone on campus show how much she believes in the opportunities present. Even though struggles have and will continue to arise, she wants all to remember the importance of Gustavus and keep contributing to the place that gives and helps her give so much to others. 

“We have something valuable here, and we should always remember that. That what we do here at Gustavus is–even though it’s hard and frustrating sometimes–is deeply meaningful.”