Meet Dr. Kourtney Maison: Inspiring Communications Professor at KWU

        For this professor profile, it is time to learn more about the one and only, Dr. Kourtney Maison. Dr. Kourtney Maison is the Department Chair and Assistant Professor in the Communications department. Dr. Maison is also in charge of teaching classes as well as overseeing curriculum building and advising in the Communications department. Majoring in Communications and Public Relations has given me firsthand experience with Dr. Maison as a professor. Safe to say, in my unprofessional opinion, she is an incredible professor and one of my favorites here at Kansas Wesleyan University. I was able to interview her earlier and ask her a wide range of questions, so here is what she said:

1. Where did you grow up, and how do you think that shaped you today?

“I grew up in a lot of places. My father was a drill sergeant in the Marines, and so I bounced around a couple of military bases when I was young. I had lived in California, South Carolina, Ohio. Eventually, when my father left the Marines, we came to Kansas… I’ve moved around for  my academic and professional development, but generally, Kansas is where I call home.. I think that’s really been helpful for me, because there is a lot to focus on… on national news level, and Kansas is not at the center of anyone’s radar.”

2. Do you have any hobbies or creative outlets that help you recharge?

“I play a lot of video games… I love storytelling, and I love interactive storytelling, which his pretty unique to tabletop role-playing games. So it’s really fun to be able to work your imagination collaboratively.”

3. What’s the most rewarding part of your typical week as a professor?

I would say today, for example, I was reading some reflections that my students wrote, and one of the things they realized is how important it is to listen to others… It’s more collaborative than that, that we are working together to make you better, to give you the skills…  Second, when they start to realize, on the reason I get that feedback, the reason I got that grade, is because I need to change the things I’m doing.”

4. How do emerging technologies (AI social media, etc.) influence your teaching?

“One of the biggest things I deal with with AI is, how do I encourage my students to be creative and confident? One of the things that really frustrates me about AI is that it often is used at the point in the process where you should be generating ideas, where you should be asking, what’s interesting to me? What am I curious about? And letting a computer be curious for you doesn’t teach you how to find information… So I’d really love if our conversation around AI was less about like language learning models or large language learning models, and more about how can we use this to help people gain access…”

5. What advice would you have for students who may want ot go into the communications field of work?

The first thing I’d say is explore all of your avenues. And I don’t mean that as in, like you have to try everything… Communication covers a lot of different tools, so it’s beneficial to pretty much everyone to try their hat and a couple of them to see what they’re interested in… I’d also say one of the most important parts of our industry is relationships. So, meeting people who already have the jobs you want. Being involved in events that attract those people is going to give you  not just networking, but also support and mentorship…”

6. Were there any mentors or experiences that shaped your path as a scholar and educator?

“The first is Paul Green, the second is Barbara Marshall, who retired last year. She was my advisor while I was here, and I got a lot of support and guidance from her as well… when I came back as a professor. The final would be Gary Harmon, who was the debate and forensics coach…”

7. What’s something students might be surprised to learn about you?

“First, I have a twin sister… Second, I think it is surprising to learn that I struggled a lot in high school and middle school. People kind of expect when you do well in college, it’s part of a history of success, but I think a lot of students can succeed if they’re given the right tools… The third thing I would say is that I really love scary movies. I think people see me and they hear me, and I’m kind of like, quite a positive person, but I love horror movies, and I’ll talk about them for ages…”

8. If you weren’t a communications professor, what career would you have chosen?

“I think one of two options, I would work somewhere in fashion, right? I love fashion. I love being creative, and I think clothing is art you wear, so why not have some fun with it? I think if I wasn’t in fashion, I would have probably become a lawyer. Unfortunately, I think I would have been a bad lawyer, but I think I have the kind of mind that works with that field.”

9. What legacy or impact do you hope to leave?

“I hope, number one, I hope I bring joy. I hope that when they remember me, they feel authentic happiness. And number two, I hope I can inspire some people to leave it out. All on the field, there’s a lot of people who hold themselves back from trying things, from being themselves, from being open, right? There are a lot of people who hold that because they’re afraid, but we get one life, right? Yeah, there’s one chance, so you really have to give it your all and be who you are and do what you want to do. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

I had the honor to take Dr. Maison’s classes throughout my college academic career, and it is safe to say she has an abundance and wide

Photo from: KWU Faculty and Staff Directory website

variety of knowledge when it comes to field of communications. She is the type of professor to bring a smile to your face if you are not having a good day, and has extensive teaching ideas and policies that are designed to help her students. For more information about Dr. Maison, visit some of the links below: 

https://www.kwu.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/kourtney-maison/

https://www.kwustudentmedia.com/2025/04/04/women-in-leadership-conference-2025/