Campus Directory

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Biography

Cyndi Grobmeier, Ed.D., is a first-generation college graduate and Saint Xavier University alumna. She serves as a faculty lecturer and coordinator for the Communication program and is also the director of faculty development.

Grobmeier earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from SXU, a master’s degree in speech communication from Governors State University, and a doctorate in higher education from Northern Illinois University. She also earned a Master of Online Teaching Certificate from the University of Illinois ION Program and a Certificate in Teaching and Learning at HSIs from ESCALA Educational Services.

For over 20 years, Grobmeier has dedicated her professional life to higher education with the hope that she can influence students’ lives in positive ways by engaging them in a learner-centered environment that helps them develop their communication knowledge and skills.

She has also dedicated her life to her family, who suffered the most unbelievable tragedy in 2019 when they lost their 18-year-old daughter, Maddie, to a sudden asthma attack. Inspired by Maddie's decision to be an organ and tissue donor and to honor the three lives she saved, the family formed The Maddog Strong Foundation, a nonprofit with the mission to educate people about having a conversation with their families about their decision to be an organ donor as well as to bring awareness about the need for everyone to register as an organ and tissue donor. This new life trajectory has put her own communication skills to the test, and she hopes it will continue to inform her teaching in positive ways!

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Presentations/Publications/Productions

“Unintended Therapists: Faculty Roles in Addressing Student Mental Health in the Basic Course.” Panel Discussion at the National Communication Association Convention, New Orleans, La.

“Helping Students Feel at Home in the Classroom: A Qualitative Analysis of the Concept of Connected Classroom Climate." Office of Inclusive Excellence Lunch-and-Learn (September 2024).

“Feeling at Home in the Basic Communication Course.” Poster Presentation, Faculty/Staff Scholarship Symposium.

“New Perspectives on Organ and Tissue Donation Education.” Presentation. Drivers Education Classroom at the Illinois High School and College Drivers Education Association (IHSCDEA) Regional Meetings (2024).

“Revisiting Public Speaking as Liberal Art in the 21st Century” (co-authored with Brad Mello. Routledge Handbook of Public Speaking Research and Theory (2024).

Speech Theatre Communication Association (OSTCA) Annual Conference (2023). Keynote speaker.

“Strategies for Communicating with Families During a Pediatric Brain Death Diagnosis.
Brain Death Simulation Training for Neurology Residents at Northwestern Hospital (2023).

“Teaching Communication in a Pandemic and Post-Pandemic World in Post-Pandemic Pedagogy: A Paradigm Shift” (co-authored with Brad Mello). Edited by Joseph Valenzano III.

“It’s Cheaper to Keep ‘Em: Marketing Communication Strategies for Retaining Customers Through Relationship-Building.” Presentation, Elevating Women Conference.

“Communicating with Families During the Organ and Tissue Donation Process.” Speaker, Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network and OSF Hospital.

“Communicating with Families During a Tragedy/Trauma That Results in Organ and/or Tissue Donation.” Speaker. Masters of Donation and Transplantation Sciences Program, University of Toledo.

“Communicating with Families During a Trauma/Tragedy.” Speaker, Marian University.

“Special Series on Teaching and Learning. Radio segment (produced with Brad Mello), WXAV.

“New Perspectives on Organ and Tissue Donation Education in the Health Classroom.” Presentation, Illinois Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (IAHPERD) Convention.

“Textbook Alternatives in the Basic Course: Empirical Results and Personal Reflections.” Presentation, Central States Communication Association Conference.

“Public Relations Manager Job Trends.” Zippia.

“Predicting the Future of the Job Market.” Zippia.

“More Than Survival: Using Basic Course Retention Research to Strengthen the Role of the Basic Course for Colleges and Universities.” Panel Discussion. National Communication Association Convention, Baltimore, Md.

“Charting the Often-Charted Waters of Organizational Communication Approaches, Great Ideas for Teaching (G.I.F.T.).” Presentation. Central States Communication Association Conference, Omaha, Nev.

“Major and General Education Assessment.” Presentation. Assessment Institute Conference, Indianapolis, Ind.

“How Do Leadership and Context Matter in R&D Team Innovation? A Multiple Case Study.” Publication. Human Resource Development International, Volume 13, Issue 3. April/May 2010.

“The MIKS (Member Integrated Knowledge System) Model: A visualization of the individual organizational member’s role when a knowledge management system is utilized in the learning organization.” Presentation, Academy of Human Resources Conference.

“The Role of Listening in Leadership.” Presentation, Lead Indiana Conference.

“Spotlight Panel: In a Life and Death Situation: Bringing Theory to Life.” Presentation, Central States Communication Association Convention.