Schools and departments

Dr. Ford-Brown earned her B.S. and M.A. at Indiana State University majoring in Speech Communication with minors in English, the Visual Arts, and Women Studies. She holds a PhD in Speech Communication from Southern Illinois University—Carbondale. Dr. Ford-Brown has taught the introduction to public speaking course for over 25 years. Beyond her teaching responsibilities, she has assisted in the creations of a master degree at a previous institution as well as a minor and major in communication at Columbia College.

A widely published board certified entomologist, Dr. Vordtriede-Patton earned her Ph.D. from St. Louis University. She served as the medical entomologist for the U.S. Army Reserve as a Captain, and was nominated as Most Outstanding Advisor while serving as a lecturer at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Dr. Vordtriede-Patton advanced from professor to interim Dean at St. Ambrose University before coming to Columbia College.