There’s Always a Lighthouse: Meet Dr. Shauna M. MacDonald

Following the completion of her Bachelor of Arts degree at CBU in 2005, Dr. Shauna MacDonald moved to the United States for graduate school and then worked as an Associate Professor at Villanova University until 2020 when she accepted a faculty position at CBU and returned home to work in 2021. Now, she teaches a wide variety of courses within the Department of Communication and Languages, such as Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Performance Studies and many more. “Honestly, it’s so hard to choose just one favourite part of my job,” she begins. “But I am most proud when I get to watch my students and colleagues succeed! Whether it’s through a speech, a performance or some kind of career achievement.”

Since her return to CBU, Dr. MacDonald has worn many hats. She served as the Associate Director of the Centre for Sound Communities and is now a part of the Advisory Board, she sits on several committees including the Research Ethics Board and tries her best to work as closely as possible with the Office of Research and Graduate Studies and the Centre for Teaching and Learning as she remains interested in finding new ways to showcase CBU. 

Most recently, Dr. MacDonald appeared on PBS News Weekend to discuss her research on female lighthouse keepers throughout history. When she first received the request to appear, she said she felt truly shocked. “I’ve been asked to do media before, so the request itself wasn’t terribly shocking. But this time, it was with PBS and that blew me away,” she opens. “I’m not even quite sure how they found me, except through my previous media and/or publications. Once I realized it was for real, I kind of ran around our department telling my colleagues! When the time finally came, I felt a little starstruck meeting John Yang, but he could not have been more lovely. The experience overall was truly wonderful!”

Dr. MacDonald’s affinity for lighthouses dates back to her early childhood, “I’m from Cape Breton and my grandparents lived in New Victoria near the Low Point Lighthouse. Funnily enough, my parents actually met because of that same lighthouse and my childhood memories feature the lighthouse and blueberry picking nearby,” she starts. “When I was in my Doctoral program in Illinois, landlocked and homesick, I started to get interested in lighthouses again and so one project led to another, and here I am!”

Dr. MacDonald’s biggest and best piece of advice when it comes to researching something you’re passionate about is to remember that researchers are all engaging in a form of storytelling. If those stories cannot be understood or don’t travel beyond a small group of heavily invested experts, then it is their duty to ask why. “I think our work should matter beyond the walls within which we work,” she says. “I would also tell folks not to let the naysayers get them down! I have had many people within academia think this topic is ‘cool’ but question how it fits with my areas or training. I know how these stories fit, and I am committed to telling them.”

To learn more about the research happening at CBU, visit cbu.ca/research.