Indiana University Kokomo’s (IUK) Communication program has a new but familiar face this semester, Dr. Liz Sills. Dr. Sills is a Kokomo native who has returned home with a mission to strengthen and grow IUK’s communications department. With an academic journey that spans multiple states and a passion for helping students find their voice, Dr. Sills is excited to bring energy and ideas to her new role.
Her path to becoming a communication professor wasn’t a straight one. She began college with the intentions to become an attorney but quickly realized that law wasn’t for her. “I did want to do good in the world,” she said, “so I looked around and asked myself who was making a difference. The answer was my professors.” That realization set her on a new course. She would go on to earn her graduate degree in Communication.
Over the years, Dr. Sills’ academic and professional career has taken her across the country, from Kentucky to Montana, Louisiana, and South Dakota. Through it all, her research has focused on an intriguing subject: funny things. “I’ve spent time trying to define funniness and I’ve also examined the relationship between funniness and power in society,” she explained. This topic has followed her since undergrad. Her current research explores how NASCAR uses funniness and whether it helps or hurts them.
Inside the classroom, Dr. Sills strives to make communication not just a subject, but an experience. Her classes emphasize connection with others. “One of the most important things you learn in college, no matter what you’re studying, is how to relate to folks,” she said. She designs activities that tie directly to real life from mapping out personal conflicts in her Interpersonal Communication course to analyzing celebrity speeches in Public Speaking. For Dr. Sills, every interaction can make life rewarding.
As she settles into her role at IUK, Dr. Sills has big hopes for the Communication program. She wants students to see communication as both meaningful and fun. “We tend to look at college as a pipeline to the ‘real world’ spoiler: everything that happens in college is real,” she said. “Having a good time in the classroom helps you remember information better, and Communication classes give you that opportunity.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Sills envisions a program that prepares students not just for their first job, but for the unpredictable future of communication itself. “The job you’re going to have when you’re forty probably doesn’t exist yet,” she noted. “But if you have a good groundwork of skills like problem-solving and making sure other people can understand you, then you’re ready for anything.” She emphasizes why learning to truly communicate remains one of the most valuable skills of all and how the communication program would be a great place to start learning.
