Maura Troester

After years of traveling around the world looking for a career she would enjoy, Maura Troester said she’s found it at the School.

Troester joined the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s faculty this fall. She said that the sense of discovery in conducting research and the enjoyment of interacting with students and faculty with such diverse interests is what led her to her current position as an advertising instructor.

“Research is a process of creative discovery; it’s a heck of a lot of fun,” Troester said. “And through interaction, I’ve come to love my students and my new career – teaching.”

Troester brings to the School a rich breadth of experience and knowledge. She received a bachelor’s degree in arts and ideas from the University of Michigan in 1987, which included the study of art, art history and philosophy, and a diploma in the French language from the Alliance Francaise in Paris in 1991. She is finishing work on her Ph.D. in marketing at the University of Wisconsin.

“Maura represents the kind of scholar we value in this School – someone who can bring a fresh perspective and who embraces interdisciplinary work,” Dean Paul Voakes said. “In Maura’s case, the fresh perspective is a Ph.D. in business, which is rare in a journalism school. Although rare, the degree in business is entirely appropriate because she’s teaching on the strategic side of our Advertising sequence.

“Her instruction in areas like consumer insights and strategic planning will immediately reflect her business background. It also helps that she has been a professional journalist because she will bring high standards of writing to her advertising classes.”

One of Troester’s professional experiences was as a contributor to the Free China Review in 1990. Troester wrote business news and arts articles on Taiwanese culture while living in Taipei.

It was during her stay there that Troester acquired basic comprehension and speaking skills in Mandarin Chinese, her third language.

“Maura has the complete package; she’s not a piece of the puzzle,” Associate Professor Brett Robbs said. “She’s a person who combines strong scholarship with a real passion for teaching. She also possesses great understandings of business and culture on a worldwide scale.”

Troester’s other professional experiences include being a dance critic and reporter for Dance Magazine in New York, a performing-arts critic for The Chicago Reader, a contributor to “The International Directory of Company Histories” in Detroit and a marketing consultant to Andersen Consulting in Chicago.

As for Troester’s new job at CU, “playful” is what she wants it to be.

“I want my classes to be fun,” she said. “I want to send a message to my students that learning doesn’t have to be a painful process. I want to show them that if they can be playful with their jobs, they will love their careers”

Voakes said Troester will help bring the Advertising sequence’s strengths into balance.

“We have been strong on the creative side for several years, and with the addition of Professor Kendra Gale three years ago, we have begun to shore up the strategic side. With Maura’s arrival, the strategic side becomes even stronger.”