Kirstie Hettinga

Kirstie Hettinga serves as a Professor in the Department of Communication within the College of Arts & Sciences at California Lutheran University, where she has been faculty since 2013. She advises the award-winning student newspaper The Echo, coordinates the interdisciplinary Spanish media minor, and holds leadership roles as Secretary of the California College Media Association and Associate Editor of Newspaper Research Journal.

Her educational background includes a doctorate in mass communication from Penn State University and bachelor's/master's degrees from California State University, Fresno. She teaches core journalism courses including Media Writing, Digital Content Creation, Advanced Reporting & Editing, and Latinx Media in the U.S., while previously instructing media law and introductory communication.

Dr. Hettinga's research examines news media transparency through the lens of accuracy, accountability mechanisms like newspaper corrections, and student media as experiential learning environments. Her work bridges academic theory with practical journalism education, particularly through the Spanish media minor that integrates language studies with media production.

Her scholarly impact is recognized through multiple university awards:

• Provost Distinguished Scholar Award (2021)
• College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Award for Scholarship/Creative Work (2025)
• Dean's Award for Innovation in Pedagogy (2023)
• Dean's Award for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (2021)

As faculty adviser to The Echo, she mentors student journalists in real-world news production while advancing experiential learning models. Her collaborative work with Dr. Sheridan Wigginton established the Spanish media minor as an innovative interdisciplinary program addressing media representation and linguistic diversity.