A number of new faculty members have made their way to Wayne State College.

Jeanne Tiehen teaches theater arts, while Maria Dickson and Cody Dickson are members of the School of Education and Counseling.

“Honestly, I think the people here are just some of the kindest,” Tiehen said. “All the students have been really exceeding all of my expectations, which I know sounds silly. It’s not that I had specific expectations, but just in these past couple weeks seeing what students have been writing has been so intelligent and thoughtful.”

Tiehen has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Theater Performance from Creighton University and master’s and Ph.D. in Theater Studies from the University of Kansas.

“I’ve always taught my students that you can use the skills you have in these classes and use them in other career fields,” she said.

Before coming to Wayne, Tiehen worked in human resources, interviewing people around the world for various types of jobs. She also worked at a children’s museum, taught at the University of Kansas, had an internship with MidAmerica Arts Alliance and worked at a daycare.

“I honestly don’t think I have a favorite (class to teach) because I really do enjoy the fact that every class feels different, every class challenges me and makes me think differently about what I think and how I can teach the students better,” said Tiehen. “I am looking forward to next semester, teaching some classes I have not yet taught before. It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s going to be really exciting to kind of figure it out with students. I’m really just excited to be teaching again.”

Also new to campus are Maria and Cody Dickson, a married couple who came from Texas to teach at Wayne State College.

Maria Dickson has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Education from Texas Tech University and worked at an elementary school in Texas for 11 years.

“Everybody is so friendly and welcoming, and everybody has a lot of pride in this school,” she said. “The very first day I came here everybody was just walking by and welcoming us. And it wasn’t just Wayne State, it is Wayne the community. Everybody is just so nice and welcoming.”

Cody Dickson has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Human Development, as well as a master’s in Counseling and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education. He is originally from Arizona, but he moved to Texas to get his degrees at Texas Tech University with his wife.

“(The students) really try,” he said. “They were constantly contacting me before class to make sure they understood it, as opposed to putting out half worked-out programs. They really focused on what we were doing, and I really like that,” he said.