Dr. Katherine Hughes, a seasoned professor with a love for photography, joined Elizabethtown College’s Department of Communications this year.

Hughes previously taught at Loyola University in Maryland for two years. She held another teaching position at James Madison University for six years. She was drawn to Etown because of the small class size, as well as the number of resources and outlets available for students.

“I hope to settle into Etown and be [here] for a long time to come,” Hughes said. After Hughes is acclimated to the campus, she would love to help the department grow.  She would like “simply to augment [the department] with the skills I have,” Hughes said.

These skills include well-developed abilities in photography. Hughes’ grandfather was a commercial photographer and passed his love for the art along to her.

When Hughes was in high school, she converted her laundry room into a darkroom and began experimenting with her grandfather’s dark room equipment.

In addition to her passion for photography, Hughes loves to travel. She had the opportunity to lead a study abroad trip in the past and hopes that she will be able to do the same at Etown. Most recently, Hughes traveled to the Canadian Rockies. She described them as being very undeveloped and full of wildlife, which she found relaxing. “As someone who teaches in the computer lab, it reminded me it’s OK to unplug,” she said.

Hughes has plans for inside the computer lab, too. She believes each student should have a portfolio, and she plans to create challenging assignments that will push students outside their comfort zones.

It has always been Hughes’ long-term plan to teach, though she has had plenty of other experiences along the way. Hughes attended James Madison University with an undecided major because she had so many interests but later felt drawn to communications.

Hughes completed her undergraduate degree in three years and went on to run cameras for the local ABC affiliate. After experiencing the busy schedule that working in television requires, she decided to explore other options.

She then earned a graduate degree in television, radio and film from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Hughes went on to work for dotcom companies in the late 90s and lived in New York City. She worked for companies such as Time Warner and People Magazine before heading to the west. “I went to Colorado to go skiing and stayed and got a job,” Hughes joked.

Hughes lived in Colorado for a while and later pursued a Ph.D. at Syracuse University. After earning her doctorate, Hughes began her teaching career, which would eventually bring her to Etown.

Hughes moved to Pennsylvania in May and is still learning her way around. Her biggest challenge since coming to Etown has simply been learning how the department and campus functions. “I’ve been relying on you all to fill in the blanks,” Hughes said.

Her favorite part about being a professor is “being in the classroom, working with the students.” She loves to see their interest in the subject grow. Her dream job would be “teaching in a school that has the resources to support the students in their pursuits.” The communications department’s new converged media center provides such resources. In the media center, both equipment and the opportunity to use it through involvement with several of the campus’ media outlets are available to students of the communications department or other departments on campus.

The courses Hughes will teach include Digital Photography, Visual Communications and Multimedia Applications for Corporate Communications.