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New Faculty:
Amber Raile How did you learn about MSU and the College of Business (CoB), and what led you to pursue a faculty position here? Four generations of my family have attended MSU. Because both my parents graduated from MSU, I went on tours of campus practically every summer when we visited Bozeman. Last spring, I happened to see a job posting for the CoB and decided I had to apply. The position seemed like a good fit for my background and interests, and I have long wanted to live in Bozeman. The growth and opportunities right now in the CoB make it an attractive place to work. Please give us some insight of what you were doing prior to joining MSU. I was in my fourth year as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Communication at North Dakota State University. Prior to that appointment, I earned my graduate degrees in communication at Michigan State University. My non-academic work experience was primarily in employee training and development at a healthcare research and consulting firm, where I worked prior to pursuing my graduate degrees. What are your academic areas of expertise and interest? I study organizational communication and social influence in three main lines of research: interpersonal influence processes within the organization; the role communication plays in creating a positive workplace environment for employees; and multi-level social change and issues related to defining, measuring, and securing political and public will across contexts. Could you please share with us any memorable interactions with your students? I enjoy hearing when my students were able to use something they learned in class in their “real life.” In the fall, I had students who got interviews and jobs after working on their résumé or were able to feel comfortable (and even skilled) in a negotiation. Those are always my most memorable interactions. After your first semester, what would you say you have enjoyed most about teaching here? Picking just one thing is difficult. The students I have met who are excited to learn make my job
enjoyable. I truly loved seeing their skill development this fall. Outside the classroom, I feel truly welcomed by a friendly, professional, and extremely talented set of colleagues. What has been the most challenging? After working primarily with juniors, seniors, and graduate students across most of my tenyear teaching career, working with first-year Amber Raile students and sophomores was a fun challenge. I reacquainted myself with what works for that stage of learning and continue do to so this semester. What would you like to accomplish in your first year here at MSU? My responsibilities include working on communication across the curriculum in the CoB. I am excited to pilot a revised BMGT 205: Professional Communication Fundamentals course offering this semester and to learn more about what my colleagues and our other stakeholders want in the curriculum more broadly. Tell us about your other interests and what you do in your free time. Most of my free time is spent enjoying my family (my husband and our two sons, who are 7 and 3) and living in Bozeman. In the summer, we enjoyed day hiking trips; this winter, we are learning to downhill ski. What is one word that best describes your first semester with the CoB? Fulfilling!