Communication Arts
Meet New PR Advisor Kinsley Baker
Kinsley Baker and daughter Lilly Collins Baker
Public relations majors will see a new face when they return in the fall. Kinsley Baker, a 2014 alumna of Georgia Southern University, joined the CLASS Advisement team earlier this month.
This is not, however, her first experience with advising. During the Spring 2014 semester, Kinsley served as an intern in the CLASS Advisement Center to complete her M.Ed in counseling education at the University. During her internship, Kinsley advised general studies (BGS) students as well as coordinated the first-ever General Studies Week to inform and educate the student population of the benefits of the BGS program.
Kinsley also holds a bachelor of science in psychology from Georgia Southern, and has worked with other University departments including Career Services and parent programs in the Admissions Office. Kinsley is excited to serve as the new public relations advisor, explaining that she has always wanted to work with college students.
“I decided to pursue my Master’s in counseling with an emphasis in student affairs because I enjoy helping students find their purpose, both personally and professionally,” Kinsley said.
A native of Statesboro, Kinsley says she has always been a Georgia Southern Eagle. “Georgia Southern has been my home for the past six years. I have seen the campus and student body grow and change in ways that some thought was never possible,” she said. “The love and pride that students have for this University is inspiring, and I know that I will see that in the students I advise.”
Kinsley is married to alumnus Dan Baker. Together they have a three-month-old daughter named Lilly Collins. Kinsley says that when she is not working, she spends every moment with her family.
Students can find Kinsley in the newly renovated Sanford Hall, Room 3001-B.
Meet New MMC, MMJ Advisor Nikki Waters
This month, Georgia Southern Alumna Nikki Waters joined the CLASS Advisement Center to serve as the new multimedia communication and multimedia journalism academic advisor.
The Metter-native earned her bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in child and family development and began working as a substance abuse counselor in 2010. She later returned to Georgia Southern to earn a master’s counselor education. After graduating with her M.Ed., Nikki served as a behavioral health counselor with CarePartners of Georgia. During this time, she also worked with the 21st Century afterschool program in Candler County as an enrichment aid and character education teacher.
Nikki said that she was excited to join the CLASS Advisement team because she has always wanted to work with higher education students. It is an added bonus that she also gets to work for her beloved alma mater.
“I have grown up loving this University,” she explained. “I’ve been to football games here since I was a little girl, and I have watched the program and university grow and change. Georgia Southern is truly a community, and everyone takes pride in calling themselves a part of the ‘Eagle Nation.’”
Nikki resides in Candler County and has a son, Andrew. She enjoys reading, watching movies, fishing, traveling, and spending time with her family.
While training this summer, Nikki can be found in the CLASS Advisement Center located in the Carroll Building, Room 2244. Beginning in the fall semester, Nikki’s office will be located in Sanford Hall (off of Sweetheart Circle).
Cave-exploring alumnus to speak on liberal arts education
J. Judson “Jut” Wynne, who earned a B.S. in communications and minor in anthropology from Georgia Southern in 1993, returns to the University on Tuesday, March 4, as the third CLASS Alumni Connection Series speaker.
Wynne, who recently completed his Ph.D. in biological sciences at Northern Arizona University, is a conservation biologist, explorer, and professional speaker. He works as a research ecologist with the Colorado Plateau Biodiversity Center and an associate curator of the Colorado Plateau Museum of Arthropod Biodiversity. He has conducted cave studies in Belize, Chile, Easter Island, Hawaii, and throughout the American Southwest, and his research has been featured by NASA TV, the Discovery Channel, USA Today, and El Mercurio de Santiago.
Wynne and his colleagues have identified three new genera and nearly 30 new species of cave-dwelling invertebrates in the Southwest, 10 new species of insects in the caves of Easter Island, a new species of algae in the Atacama Desert of Chile, and among the first cave-like structures on Mars. He even has a cave-dwelling beetle as his namesake: Eleodes (Caverneleodes) wynnei.
While on campus, he will visit classes and speak about how his communications and anthropology degrees have helped him in
conservation biology.
“I’m honored that Georgia Southern found my work worthy of showcasing during their alumni lecture series,” Wynne says. “I’m really looking forward to this wonderful opportunity to interact with students and faculty at Georgia Southern.”
When not conducting research, he is an athlete, yogi, and musician. He trains in trail running, mountain and road biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoe running, kayaking and surfing. He also competes in various summer and winter races, including the Imogene Pass Run and the Mount Taylor Winter Quadrathlon.
Wynne’s lecture, “The Mysteries of Easter Island Caves,” provides an overview of the natural history and ancient human settlement and discuss new species discoveries and archaeological findings from caves on the most remote inhabited island on earth. His lecture is at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, in the Williams Center Multipurpose Room and is free and open to the public. For more information on the lecture, visit class.GeorgiaSouthern.edu, and for more information on Wynne, visit jutwynne.com.
Advisement Center Hours
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.