DR. EMILY SAUTER: Professor of Communications

Dr. Emily Sauter has been a professor in the communications department for a little over a year now. In her short time here, students have been generally excited when they see her name attached to a class they may have the next semester. Although this is her first job as a professor, she has a great background, teaching style and personality that keeps students engaged in the classroom.

Dr. Sauter grew up in Roseville, Minnesota. Her father was and still is a professor at St. Thomas University, so she became familiar with the lifestyle of a professor and feels that kind of shaped who she is today.

“I grew up watching him work, going to campus with him and interacting with students,” Sauter said. “It was always something I found very exciting, interesting and relevant. We would have conversations around the dinner table and we would talk about events of the world with an analytical communications approach because that’s just kind of how he saw the world so we all kind of grew up that way.”

Sauter feels as though she has her dream job and that the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus is perfect for her. She cites the size of the campus as a plus as it is big enough where there is a lot going on but small enough to where it feels like a close-knit community. She also loves how diverse it is on the campus as the discussions in her communications classes get so many different viewpoints from people with all different types of backgrounds.

When it comes to impacting our campus, Dr. Sauter is still trying to make her mark, but is well on her way.

“I’m still pretty new here, but I think I bring a fresh perspective,” she said. “I come from a background of international travel that I bring to the classroom. I’ve been to five of the seven continents, I’ve studied abroad as an undergraduate, did six months in Guatemala and lived in South Africa for a year so I think I do a nice job of bringing a global perspective to the classroom.”

When it comes to keeping students engaged in class, Dr. Sauter believes humor plays a big role.

“I think one of the most important pedagogical tools I have is humor,” she said. “Studies have shown that humor helps students connect and relax so I love cracking jokes or incorporating new memes and such into my lectures.”

Dr. Sauter is on something called fixed term, where full-time professors leave on sabbatical and the school brings in a professor from the outside to come teach. This gives them a great chance to bring in different professors and experience someone new.

Although Dr. Sauter may not be here for the long haul, personally, her students are likely to speak highly of her and vouch for her if one day the University is mulling whether they want her to become a full-time professor. She is more than deserving and keeps her students engaged in wanting to learn.

Above everything else, Dr. Sauter wants her students to know that she loves her time here and loves getting to know each and every one of them. Everyone in her class can tell that she loves coming to “work” every day.