Straight from South Dakota State University, Matthew Cecil will be taking over the Elliott School of Communication on June 30.

Cecil will be responsible for administration and working with faculty to continue to improve the inner-workings of the Elliott School. Cecil succeeds Lou Heldman who has been interim director since 2011.

“I would like to build upon the kinds of active learning projects that many faculty in this school have been including in their courses,” Cecil said.

The Elliott School encourages students to work within the community to complete projects, a model Cecil appreciates and enjoys.

“The school has a great reputation, a great faculty and is well-known for its integrated communications education,” he said.

Cecil said the future of the Elliott School looks bright because of the attitudes of the faculty and students.

“The faculty are happy to be there,” he said. “I really think there are so many opportunities when you start with something stable, where people are happy to be.”

Last semester Cecil taught a graduate class and met students during a visit.

“I was impressed with the seriousness of the students. Here (South Dakota), the students are quiet and passive. Down there, they’re more outgoing. They tend to step up and get what they want.”

Cecil said he expects to be challenged with getting to know the Elliott School staff to understand the aspirations of everyone and match them with the resources required for success.

“There is a very stable faculty, which is always a good spot to be in if you want to start moving a little bit and making adjustments,” he said. “They’re a cheerful group.”

Along with wife, Jennifer Tiernan, Owen, their 8-year-old son, and four cats, Cecil will be moving from the small-town of Brookings, S.D. to mid-size city Wichita.

“We’re excited to see what a bigger town has to offer,” he said, mentioning the difference in weather. “One day last week when it was 54 in Wichita, we had a wind chill of -25.”

Cecil said he would miss the closeness of his family in Brookings. All of his family lived within 20 miles of each other, and when Cecil’s son Owen was born, Cecil and Tiernan moved back to Brookings to be closer to family.

“It’s certainly something we’ll miss,” he said. “But we are very excited to come and very grateful for the opportunity.”

Cecil and his family plan on looking for houses in the Wichita area during spring break and are looking to move in May. He says even though he is a huge college football fan, he is looking forward to being apart of WSU and the Elliott School.

“I guess if I want football, I’ll have to become a K-State fan.”

Tiernan will be joining Cecil on the faculty as a gender and communications honor course professor. She will be teaching classes in the fall.