VERMILLION – Jessica Messersmith, Ph.D. has been appointed as the new Faculty Athletics Representative for the University of South Dakota. Her appointment is for three years, but there is no limit on the number of terms she can serve. Messersmith is the chair of USD’s Communication Studies and Disorders Department and teaches about the psychophysical study of acoustics and multiple facets of cochlear implants. Those are given to help people with hearing loss.
A Faculty Athletics Representative represents a school and its faculty members in the institution’s relationship with the NCAA and athletic conferences.
Messersmith replaces Laura Vidler, who is now the dean of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
