Guide to Living in the Halls

Faculty-in-Residence

Val Renegar

Howdy!  My name is Valerie Renegar and I am the Faculty-in-Residence in Tenochca.  As an associate professor in the School of Communication, I teach both graduate and undergraduate courses in rhetorical theory and criticism, gender and communication, and the rhetoric of social movements.  I also conduct some pretty cool research in rhetoric that deals with feminist theory, third wave feminism, and intersections of identity and oppression.  I grew up in Houston and will probably always call myself a Texan even though I haven’t lived there since I went away to college.  I went to the University of Notre Dame for my undergraduate degree (in history) and discovered the horrors of “lake effect snow”.  As a student, I was a member of the intercollegiate debate team at Notre Dame and then worked there as a debate coach for a couple of years after I graduated.   I earned my Master’s degree in Speech Communication from Kansas State University and then moved down the turnpike to attend the University of Kansas for my Ph.D. in Communication Studies.  (Just try to imagine being a vegetarian while living in Kansas for five years!)   I love school and am so happy that I chose a career where I am always learning new things and meeting new people. 

I am a voracious reader of all kinds of books…literature, science fiction, memoirs, history, spy novels, legal thrillers…you name it!  I also love movies, the Gilmore Girls, crossword puzzles, playing bingo, my nieces, alt-country music, and ice cream.  If I won a million dollars, I would spend a big chunk of it traveling around the world.  I really love to see other places and experience different cultures.  However, since I plan never to be on “Survivor”, I am not quite sure how I would actually win a million dollars, so I settle for a big trip every year or two and lots of little trips in between!  My partner, Lance, and I are the proud companions (or perhaps “unpaid staff” is a better term) to one furry feline named Lucy P. Boots, of the California Boots.  We’re all excited to be living in Tenochca and looking forward to a great year.