Susan French Brandscheid
Assistant to the Director and Graduate Student Adviser

Susan French Brandscheid (a.k.a. "Susie") has worked for the School of Journalism & Mass Communication since 1973. She is assistant to the director and, since 1983, has also served as the school's graduate student adviser.

Brandscheid's duties are many and her responsibilities bridge the school's administrative and educational missions. She deals with academic planning, fiscal management, staffing and curriculum issues. Over the years, Brandscheid has written volumes of documents to university administrative offices. Her highest praise came from Director Steve Chaffee who stated that a letter to the dean was a "masterpiece of obfuscation." In addition, Brandscheid is responsible for a large portion of graduate student recruiting. She discusses with prospective and current students the educational opportunities offered by the School, explains academic policies and procedures, coordinates the School's financial aids program and acts as general trouble shooter and student advocate.

Brandscheid is a senior studying art history and it is just possible she will live long enough to earn a degree. She is most interested in the period extending from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages. Museums and art institutes are her first stop in any new city, followed shortly thereafter by trips to the ballet and theater. Brandscheid has participated in the university's study tours, including a trip to Provence and Barcelona to visit Medieval castles, cathedrals and abbeys.

Brandscheid is widely known as the school's resident gourmet chef. She takes classes to fine tune her culinary skills, and she spent three weeks in Paris with members of her cooking school. Her talents often result in scrumptious delights served at department functions.

Brandscheid loves cats more than she loves people.