Lui Hokoana is the University of Hawaii Maui College Chancellor.

DMs. Texts. IMs. Chats. Zoom meetings. TikTok, IG Reels, and YouTube videos. Back in the day, email, phone calls, faxes, handwritten letters, all the way back to ancient scrolls and cave paintings. They’re all forms of communication. Communicating effectively always has and always will require skill in order to make the person or group of people on the receiving end understand what you are trying to get them to understand.

We have someone here at UH Maui College with a great deal of experience and expertise in this field to teach our students to be better communicators. She is Sarah Ruppenthal and we are fortunate and excited to welcome her as a new faculty member in our Humanities Department, teaching Communication.

We should say that while her full-time faculty status is new, Ruppenthal is not new to our campus. She has been a part-time lecturer here for a number of years. “She is an example of what UH Maui College values,” says Interim Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Laura Lees Nagle. “She is one of those valuable individuals who has extensive experience in her professional field and is also an excellent teacher. Over the years she has regularly been nominated for the Excellence in Teaching Award and always receives stellar student reviews.”

Originally from Seattle, Ruppenthal has made Maui her home for more than two decades. She holds a master’s degree in communication from Hawai’i Pacific University where her coursework covered the full gamut – communication theory, organizational culture, international communication, advertising, marketing, journalism, media law and more. And many of you are surely familiar with Ruppenthal’s work as a writer. Her articles have appeared in many local publications including The Maui News, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi magazine and others.

Ruppenthal believes that effective communication is the cornerstone of success — academically, professionally and personally.

“I want my students to gain an understanding of course concepts and theories and, perhaps more importantly, to acquire a set of skills they can use in their everyday lives,” she says. Her goal is to make her students become effective communicators in every setting, from our campus to their workplaces, their homes, and their wider communities.

It is, then, fitting that this semester Ruppenthal is teaching Interpersonal Communication, perhaps the most basic — and arguably, the most important — form of communication. We all do it every day, all day long. “Students learn about the ways we send and receive messages verbally and nonverbally, as well as the external and internal forces that interfere with the accurate transmission or interpretation of the messages we exchange,” Ruppenthal explains. The class explores how we interpret social situations and interactions and how those interpretations influence our communication with others. Nonverbal communication is also studied — the different messages that body posture, facial expressions, eye contact and physical proximity can send to others, intentionally or otherwise. The course also covers the role communication plays in developing and maintaining relationships, as well as ways to help keep our relationships running smoothly. Students explore the sources of interpersonal conflict, the different ways we approach it — such as avoiding, compromising and collaborating — and strategies to constructively and effectively resolve conflict. And perhaps unsurprisingly given the times we are in, there’s close scrutiny of how technology — from smartphones to Zoom to social media — has changed the way we all communicate.

Although it’s early in the semester, Ruppenthal shares some thoughts about campus life now that she is a full-time instructor. “We have a great environment at UHMC. I attribute this to our amazing students and all of the people I’ve had the privilege of working alongside over the years. Everyone I work with — my fellow faculty members, the support staff, administrators and community supporters — is committed to helping our students succeed, both in and out of the classroom. My students routinely tell me how much they appreciate the positive and supportive environment at UHMC.”

For the UH Maui College online catalog, please visit catalog.maui.hawaii.edu/. For complete information about UH Maui College, please visit maui.hawaii.edu/.

Dr. Lui K. Hokoana is Chancellor of the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. Ka’ana Mana’o, which means “sharing thoughts,” appears in The Maui News on the fourth Thursday of each month. It is prepared with assistance from UH-Maui College staff and intended to provide the community of Maui County information about opportunities available through the college at its Kahului campus and its education centers.