Department of Communication

Email: coutantla@appstate.edu

Office Hours: By appointment any weekday between 8:00am-5:00pm, or drop in Friday afternoons

Courses Currently Taught:

• Com 3312: Crisis Communications 
• Com 1300: Journalism Matters: An Introduction

Teaching and Research Specialties:

• Teaching: public relations, news writing 
• Research: the use of mindfulness and other contemplative practices in higher education

Publications: 

• Coutant, L., & Caldwell, K., (2017). “The Mindful Campus: Organizational Structure and Culture,” The Journal of Contemplative Inquiry, 4 (1), 229-250.
• “Case Study of a Mindful Campus: Organizational Structure and Culture.” 8th Annual Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education Conference, Oct. 8, 2016, Amherst, MA

Recent Awards:

• Gold Award – Appalachian State University’s Resiliency Toolkit, Marcom Awards, 
• 2017 Silver Award – Appalachian State University’s Resiliency Toolkit, W3 Awards, 
• 2017 Gold Award - Appalachian State Home Page Redesign, Hermes Creative Awards, 
• 2016 Platinum Award - Appalachian Magazine, special edition, MarCom Awards, 
• 2014 Honorable Mention - Diversity website, MarCom Awards, 2014 Gold Award - Viewbook, MarCom Awards, 
• 2014 Gold Award - New Student Guidebook, MarCom Awards, 2014

Education: 

• Ed.D. in educational leadership, Appalachian State University, May 2017

• M.A. in educational media, Appalachian State University, 2001

• B.A. in mass communications, Emory & Henry College, 1989