Faculty and Staff

SP Ferris

Professor • Department of Communication

Sharmila Pixy Ferris is Professor in the department of Communication department at William Paterson University of New Jersey. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Communication Studies, specifically in the areas of interpersonal, group, organizational communication, and technology and communication.
At William Paterson, she has served as Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, Coordinator of the Social Justice Project, Graduate Director of the M. A. in Media Studies and co-director of the M. A in Professional Communication. She has served as a faculty member in the interdisciplinary Asian Studies and Womens and Gender Studies programs

Professional Interests

Dr. Ferris is a long time volunteer at the NJ Botanical Gardens and was recently elected to their Board of Trustees. She edits the quarterly journal for the NJBG and has served as a docent at the Skylands Manor and the Gardens. She is also has lengthy service as a Domestic Violence responder.

She has consulted with organizations like State Farm, AAA, BAE, RTP Environmental and others, including AT&T

Other Interests

Dr. Ferris is a certified Domestic Violence Responder. She is a certified Master Gardener with Rutgers Cooperative Extension and is a Docent at the New Jersey Botanical Gardens. She volunteers with animals, and is concerned with rights and ethics.

Hindi  Urdu 

Degrees

PhD Speech Communication, Pennsylvania State University State College, PA

Specialization

Dr. Ferris’ research brings an interdisciplinary focus to the study of computer-mediated communication, and technology and pedagogy.

Notable Courses Taught

Dr. Ferris has taught a wide range of courses in Interpersonal, Organizational and Group communication. She is proud of the new courses she has created, which include:
COMM 2620: Communicating Food: Economic, Political, Social and Cultural Perspectives
COMM 2630 Honors: Honors section of Public Speaking
COMM 2950: Competent Leadership
COMM 3990: Language, Gender and Communication
COMM 4640: Technology and Society
COMS 6040: Organizational Communication (Graduate)
COMS 6190: Communication Technology and Social Interaction (Graduate)
WGS 3480: Ecofeminism (Interdisciplinary and online)
WGS 3990: Feminist Methodologies (Interdisciplinary)

204 Hamilton Hall

By appointment