Dr. Wendy Maxian

Dr. Maxian teaches classes in public relations, media writing, and advertising. Her primary research interest is media psychology, or understanding how individuals process media messages. In particular, Dr. Maxian is interested in understanding the emotional connections individuals have to the media they use and the content they consume. She manages a psychophysiology lab and is always looking for eager and interested undergraduates to join.

One of the reasons she joined Xavier's faculty was the university's emphasis on social justice. Dr. Maxian enacts this part of Xavier's mission by incorporating community-engaged learning experiences into her classrooms. Bringing a real world client into the classroom mutually benefits students and the client. While her students gets hands-on, practical experience applying communication theories and best practices, the client receives communications materials that impact their organization. Dr. Maxian understanding of this pedagogy was developed through the Eigel Center's Faculty Academy and as an inaugural Eigel Scholar. Her research in this area focuses on maximizing a class' immediate impact on an organization and the university's collective impact on its surrounding communities.