Contact and Overview
Email Address
Office Hours
Spring 2026: Friday mornings by appointment, please email coutantla@appstate.edu
Education
Ed.D., Educational Leadership, Appalachian State University, May 2017
M.A., Educational Media, Appalachian State University, 2001
B.A., Mass Communications, Emory & Henry College, 1989
Website
Teaching
Currently Teaching (Spring 2026)
COM 1300 Journalism Matters
COM 2610 News Reporting and Writing
Courses Taught
COM 1300 Journalism Matters
COM 2325 Public Relations Principles
COM 2610 News Reporting and Writing
COM 3210 Copy Editing
COM 3300 Mass Media and Society
COM 3618 PR Writing
COM 3312 Crisis Communication
Research Interests
The use of mindfulness and other contemplative practices in higher education.
Publications
- Reviewer, The Journal of Contemplative Inquiry, 9 (1). Version of record published at https://journal.contemplativeinquiry.org/index.php/joci
- Reviewer, The Journal of Contemplative Inquiry, 8 (1). Version of record published in December 2021 at https://journal.contemplativeinquiry.org/index.php/joci
- Reviewer, The Journal of Contemplative Inquiry, 5 (1). Version of record at https://journal.contemplativeinquiry.org/index.php/joci/issue/view/8
- Coutant, L., & Caldwell, K. (2017). The Mindful Campus: Organizational Structure and Culture. The Journal of Contemplative Inquiry, 4 (1). Version of record at https://journal.contemplativeinquiry.org/index.php/joci/article/view/124
- Coutant, L., Gray, E., & Sell, L. (2017). Appalachian State University’s Still Point: Who we are and what we do. Proceedings from 2017 Contemplative Practices for 21st Century Higher Education Conference. Version of record at https://texts.shanti.virginia.edu/content/still-point-who-we-are-what-we-do
Recent Awards
- Gold: National Parks Conservation Association blog post “80 Years Since the Bombings of Japan", Marcom Awards, 2025 - https://www.npca.org/articles/9749-80-years-since-the-bombings-of-japan
- Gold: National Parks Conservation Association’s Park Notes e-newsletter, Marcom Awards, 2025 - https://us.engagingnetworks.app/page/email/message/view?templateId=38796 4
- Gold: National Parks Conservation Association blog post "Preserving Chinatowns: How Many Are at Risk of Being Lost?", Marcom Awards, 2024 - https://www.npca.org/articles/3775-preserving-chinatowns-how-many-are-at-risk-of-being-lost?
- Platinum: National Parks Conservation Association blog post “9 Things You May Not Know About the Little Rock Nine,” Marcom Awards, 2023 - https://www.npca.org/articles/3349-9-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-little-rock-nine
- Distinction: Appalachian’s Future microsite, Appalachian State University, The Communicator Awards, 2019 - https://www.appstate.edu/appalachians-future/
- Silver Award: Appalachian State University’s Resiliency Toolkit, W3 Awards, 2017
- Gold Award: Appalachian State Home Page Redesign, Hermes Creative Awards, 2016
Creative Work
Dr. Coutant manages the Park Advocate blog for the National Parks Conservation Association based in Washington, D.C.
Title: Adjunct, Public Relations, Digital Journalism
Department: Department of Communication
Email address: Email me
Phone: (828) 262-2221