Dr. Jessica Rick

- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Research
Current Courses
COM 375.001 Communication And Leadership
COM 375.002 Communication And Leadership
COM 331.001 Family Communication through the Lifespan
COM 375.002 Communication And Leadership
COM 400.013 Independent Study
COM 473.001 Seminar In Qualitative Communication Research Methods
Teaching Interests & Areas
Leadership & Communication, Health Communication, Work(ing)/Life Balance, Family Communication, Interpersonal & Relational Communication, Qualitative Research Methods
Research Interests & Areas
Dr. Rick's research focuses on organizational policies, how people talk about policies, and the stigma associated with using policies. She also examines how gender, social class, and parenting influence people’s work and personal lives. Currently, she’s researching the challenges mothers face when they exclusively pump breast milk, including how workplaces, families, friends, and medical professionals respond to these choices.
Dr. Rick’s work has been published in several respected communication journals and books, including the Journal of Applied Communication Research, the Journal of Family Communication, Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, and the Journal of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. She has also led trainings for local and national organizations on topics such as microaggressions, diversity and inclusion, effective communication, staying true to one's mission, balancing work and life, and public speaking. She’s a trained mentor through the Lean In Circles program, which supports women in leadership and professional growth.
PhD Organizational Communication
MBA Human Resource Management
MA Communication
BA Communication Studies, International Studies, & Spanish
Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award by New Faculty
Mary Harriman Award
Book, Chapter
Journal Article
Colaner, C., Elkhalid, A., Butauski, M., Bish, A., Nelson, L., & Rick, J. M. (2021). Communicatively constructing godparenthood: Relational maintenance and relational closeness. Journal of Family Communication, 21(2), 107-117. https://doi.org/10.1080/15267431.2021.1903901
Meisenbach, R. J., Rick, J. M., & Brandhorst, J. K. (2019) Managing occupational identity threats and job turnover: How former and current fundraisers manage moments of stigmatized identities. Journal of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, 29(3), 383-399. doi: 10.1002/nml.21332
Littlefield, R. S., Rick, J. M., & Currie-Mueller, J. L. (2016). Connecting intercultural communication service learning with general education: Issues, outcomes, and assessment. Journal of General Education, 65(1), 66-84. doi: 10.5325/jgeneeduc.65.1.0066
Written Case with Instructional Material
Meisenbach. R. J., & Rick, J. M. (2015). Working hard for less money?: Fund-raisers, loyalty, and employee retention. In J. Mize Smith & M. W. Kramer (Eds.), Case studies in volunteering and NGOs (pp. 153-162). Peter Lang.