About Lee McGaan:

Lee McGaan graduated from Monmouth College in 1969. After completing a Master's degree at Ohio University, he entered the U.S. Army, serving first as a psychology specialist and counselor in the 6^th Army Correctional Facility at Ft. Carson, Colorado and later as an advisor and coordinator for enlisted men's affairs to the Commanding General of the 4^th Infantry Division, Major General John C. Bennett. Following his military service he returned to graduate school completing a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication with related study in Higher Education Administration. 

Lee has taught a wide range of communication courses at Ohio University, Olivet College (MI), Wabash College (IN) and Monmouth College. His dissertation was nominated to the International Communication Association as the top doctoral thesis of the year in 1980 in his specialty.  He has served as a divisional officer of state, regional and international professional associations, presenting and publishing a substantial number of papers on communication and pedagogical topics. Joining the faculty at Monmouth College in 1986, he has served the college in a number of capacities including as a strategic planner in two different decades, as COMM 101 course director, and faculty director for WMCR radio.  He has chaired a number of faculty committees. He served as Assistant Dean for Assessment, where his work in developing the college's assessment program was recognized by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools as one of the principle strengths of Monmouth College. He was a co-founder of the college's innovative Communication Across the Curriculum program. In 2016 he was recognized with the Hatch Award for Distinguished Teaching, the highest honor given to faculty at Monmouth College.

In recent years he has served as a member of and Chair of the Faculty and Institutional Development Committee, Chair of the Compensation Task force, Co-Chair of the Communication Across the Curriculum Committee, and a member of the Human Subjects Review Board.  In 2014 he ended his service as Chair of the Department of Communication Studies but continues to coordinate internships for the department.  His current projects and interests have focused on developing curriculum and programs that enhance student civic engagement at Monmouth College as well as enhancing teaching through improved active learning pedagogy and metacognition.

Lee is married and lives on the west edge of Monmouth where he and his wife enjoy gardening and caring for horses and a variety of pets. He notes that his time as a student at Monmouth forever focused him on the value of liberal arts colleges.  He has spent his career at small colleges because of the opportunity to get to know and work closely with students and (he hopes) to make a difference in their lives.