Caroline
Fitzpatrick
Ph.D.
Communication and Digital Media
Professor of Communication
- #CollegeTowne #129
Biography
When you are craving great ice cream from a mom-and-pop dairy, you should visit the Way Har Farm Market in Bernville. If you need a high-quality acoustic guitar, you should check out Martin & Company in Nazareth. If you seek one of the best views on the Appalachian Trail, you should hike The Pinnacle outcrop in Berks County.
If you are looking for an expert on the power of words and story at a small inclusive college in the mid-Atlantic region, you should take a class at Alvernia University with Dr. Caroline Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick is a Professor of Communication and Digital Media with 30 years experience in higher education. As a scholar, she presents and publishes both nationally and internationally, and periodically serves on editorial boards for academic and creative journals. A seasoned academic, she has presented research at more than sixty academic conferences, and she has published more than thirty articles/studies as well as two textbooks. Currently, she is learning new skills in both photography and content creation.
Fitzpatrick’s specialties include media literacy and advocacy, digital rhetoric and composition, media law and ethics, qualitative research, and cultural studies. Over the years, she has shared her expertise by mentoring 100+ college students in professional conference presentations and publications at regional and national levels. Additionally, she has led students in travel throughout the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean for experiential learning that included cultural readings, historical sites, and community-based research. She is a strong believer in taking classroom projects and revising them with students into professional works and experiences for each student’s career development and portfolios.
As a practitioner in the community, she has 20+ years of nonprofit board experience and 10+ years of consulting experience. She holds expertise in research interviewing, focus groups, content analysis, narrative/storytelling, and working with vulnerable populations. In the past, Fitzpatrick has held numerous leadership roles in higher education and creative nonprofits: Past President of the International English Honor Society - Sigma Tau Delta; Reading Film Office Board Member (Reading Film Festival); Department Chair of Communication and Digital Media (Alvernia); Co-Chair of Institutional Review Board (IRB at Alvernia); Director of Instructional Standards (Alvernia); Director of the Master of Arts for Community Leadership (Alvernia); first Director of the Schuylkill Center (Alvernia); first Director of Distance Education (Alvernia).
Trained in both technical and grant writing, she is known for her curriculum design and assessment strategies, and she has developed/revised over twenty-five courses and ten academic programs for traditional, blended, or online delivery. In her professional and community service, she has served on more than fifty different committees, completed five years of missionary work, and facilitated more than thirty campus events and service projects.
She is an advocate for reducing the costs associated with college textbooks using open educational resources (OERs). Recently, she edited an OER textbook collection Writing the Disciplines, which is free to students and life-long learners at writingthedisciplines.org. (Read Alvernia's Summer 2023 Faculty Spotlight story on Dr. Fitzpatrick.)
Fitzpatrick encourages learners to explore the world, work toward a common good, and strive to achieve their professional goals. Her personal motto is — "Every day, we have two options: 1. Step forward into growth; 2. Step backward into safety. Choose wisely.” She lives in rural Pennsylvania with her husband, two dogs, and way too many books. In her spare time, she enjoys indie films, creative writing, art projects, nature walks, and novels so good they keep her up at night.
• Ph. D. Rhetoric & Linguistics – Indiana University of Pennsylvania
• M.S. Ed. Educational Technology – Wilkes University
• M.A. Communication Arts – Bloomsburg University
• B.S. Secondary English & Speech Education – Penn State University
• Certificate in Community Organizing for Social Justice - University of Michigan
• Certificate in Viral Marketing & Crafting Contagious Content - Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
• Certificate for Institutional Review Board (IRB) Oversight by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)
Media Law and Ethics, Digital Media and Society, Creative Media for Content Creation, Cultural/Film Studies, Folklore Studies, Public Speaking, Creative Writing, Composition & Research, Advanced Qualitative Research
Digital/Multimodal/Media Literacy, Media Advocacy, Qualitative Inquiry, Creative Nonfiction, Cultural Studies, Folklife & Folklore Studies, Digital Humanities, First Amendment Law, Experiential Learning, International Studies, Online Learning, Community-Based Research, Small Press Publishing, Podcasting/Vlogging
30+ years in Higher Education; Multiple Awardee for Curriculum Design, Teaching, and Research
• Christian R. & Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence
• Sr. Mary Donatilla Legacy Award for Outstanding Faculty Service
• Innovative Teaching Grant for Technology Integration
• St. Bernardine Award for Excellence in Teaching
• Alvernia Faculty Excellence Grant (x3)
• Alvernia Innovation Grants for Curriculum Design (x3)
• Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society - Sponsor Award for 20yrs of Faculty Service
• IUP Doctoral Fellowship
She has been inducted into the following honor societies:
• Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society of Humanities & Social Sciences
• Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society
• Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society for Adult Students.
- Recent Selection Only -
• [Textbook] Fitzpatrick, C., (Editor) Writing the Disciplines: An OER Textbook. (Summer 2023). Educators for OERs. writingthedisciplines.org.
-Recent Selections Only-
• [Presenter] Creating Open Educational Resources (OERs) for Underserved Populations, Presenter, The Teaching Professor Conference (2024), Magna Publications, Virtual Conference
• [Moderator] The Future of Publishing, Session Convener & Moderator, 2nd Annual Business, Communication, and Leadership Conference: Because You Matter. Theme: The Future of Work. (Spring 2024). Alvernia University, Reading, PA
• [Presenter] Building Open Educational Practices (OEPs) and Open Educational Resources (OERs) for Social Justice & Equity in Higher Education, Presenter, National Conference on Creativity, Innovation and Technology (NCCiT 2023), Virtual Conference.
• [Moderator] Wicked Problems of Sustainable Development, Session Moderator, Inaugural Business, Communication, and Leadership Conference: Because You Matter. (Spring 2023). Alvernia University, Reading, PA
• [Presenter] Saving Lives: Improving Media and Health Literacy, Co-Presenter, Curriculum & Instruction Symposium at the conference of the National Association of Media Literacy Education, (NAMLE, July 2022), Virtual Conference
• [Presenter] Communication Pedagogy in a Post-Pandemic World: Open Educational Resources (OERs) and Title III Grant Projects (Session Chair); Session Presenter, Trends in Open Educational Resources (OERs): Improving Affordability and Inclusivity, Pennsylvania Communication Association (PCA), (Sept/Oct 2022), East Stroudsburg, PA
• [Presenter] Publishing Open Educational Resources (OERs) As Tools for Social Justice & Equity in Higher Education, Presenter, Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association Conference (November 2022), Virtual Conference
Consulting Experience:
• Qualitative Research; Media Communications & Literacy; Sustainability Projects; Grant Writing; Digital Composition; Curriculum Design
Administrative Experience:
• Graduate & Community Research; Instructional Standards; Online Learning; Instructional Design; Study Abroad; Curriculum Design
Nonprofit Board (Recent):
• Member, Past Presidents Advisory Council. (2018-present). Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society
• Board of Directors (2021-2023), Reading Film Office, Reading, PA
Committee Work (Recent):
• Voting Member, Intellectual Property & Policy Committee. (2023-2025). Alvernia University, Reading, PA, USA
• Voting Member, Review Committee. (2023-2025). Alvernia University, Reading, PA, USA
Judging (Recent)
• Convention Awards Judge (2024), Annual Convention of the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society, St. Louis, MO
• Convention Roundtable Reviewer (2023), Theme: In Flux. Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society, St. Louis, MO
• Outstanding Literary Arts Journal Awards (2022 & 2023), Committee-Appointed Judge, Regional Chapter Submissions, Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society. Winners viewable at https://www.english.org/schol-award-grant/winners/literary-arts-journal.shtml
Media Interviews (Recent)
• [Media Expertise & Citation] Alvernia Magazine. (Summer 2023). Faculty Spotlight: Challenging the Publishing Industry (p. 40).
• [Mentoring Acknowledgement] Alvernia News. (2021). Alumna Expands Nonprofit.
Faculty-Student Mentoring (Recent)
• [Dissertation Committee Member] Loyack, S. (expected completion 2025). How Mission and Vision Statements Define Higher Education- An Evaluation of Collegiate Institution Mission at Colleges/Universities
• [Dissertation Committee Member] Farnsworth, J. (expected completion 2025/26). Police Chaplains and Their Impact on Department and Officers: Understanding their Value and Roles
• [Dissertation Committee Member] Kraycik, M. (expected completion 2025/26). Total Experience Learning: A Phenomenological Case Study in the Inaugural Implementation in an Elementary School Environment
• [Undergraduate Honors Thesis—Faculty Advisor] Pertl, Madison. (2024). Artificial Intelligence in Journalism. Alvernia Honors Program. Alvernia University, Reading, PA
• [Student Paper Sessions—Faculty Mentor]. Student Presenters - Colin Payne, Overcoming Bias and Fake News in Communications; Maurice Brown, America’s Pursuit of Diversity: Might the Costs of Affirmative Action Outweigh its Benefits?; Logan Minford, Process of Craft Coffee; Sherrin Smith, The Effects of Other Mothering; Anthony Mongeluzi, Brainwashing in the Media; Melvin Diaz, I still haven't found what I'm looking for: A Musical Analysis; Michaela Walker, Issues Nurses Face in the Medical Field; Albert Vargas, Theology and Its Purpose; Matthew Thibault, The History and Violence of the Irish Republican Army, Higher Education Council of Berks County (HECBC) - Undergraduate Research & Creativity Conference. (April 2023). Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA.
Service Activity (Recent)
• [Faculty Co-Chaperone] COM & DMM Student Trip to Reading FilmFest 2023, Reading, PA
• Approximately 15 students attended StudentFest; 20+ students served as student ambassadors during FilmFest weekend Oct. 26-29
• For the first time, Alvernia participated in film competitions and won three awards: Best Student-Created Documentary Short (Kurt Manderbach – COM alum/senior capstone);
• TikTok Challenge – First Place for Berks County video on combating violence (COM Minors - Milvia Cruz and Aliyah Daniels); TikTok Challenge – Second Place for video on opioid addiction (COM Major, Jose Daniel Galindo).
• [Faculty Co-Advisor] Wolfpack Media Club, Alvernia University, Reading, PA