Rate My Professor Wendy Nelson

Wendy Nelson is a Communications Professor in the Media Studies Department at Palomar College, San Marcos Campus, with her office located in MD-153 at 1140 W. Mission Road. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University and a Master of Science degree from San Diego State University, having joined the full-time faculty in 2000. Listed as faculty in Media Studies in the 2025-2026 College Catalog, she also serves as Interim Associate Dean for Workforce Development and Extended Studies in the Division of Career, Technical, and Extended Education. As Faculty Senate President, she presides over meetings, such as calling the October 21, 2024, session to order in LRC-116 and leading discussions on accreditation-related topics like Student Learning Outcomes. Nelson has held the position of Co-Chair of the Curriculum Committee, where she managed approvals for course outlines and contributed to the adoption of a new Ethnic Studies requirement in alignment with California State University transfer standards, highlighting its role in student preparation.

In Guided Pathways initiatives, Wendy Nelson acted as a Team Lead, contributing to the launch of the Palomar Pathways Mapper in June, a user-friendly online tool organizing pathways into seven meta-majors to clarify student educational and career options. She served as Discipline Specialist for Media Studies in program review and planning, aligning efforts with the college's mission on transfer and career readiness. Nelson has participated in mapping the student journey from Palomar to California State University San Marcos alongside articulation officers and enrollment management leaders. Her committee service includes the Curriculum Committee in accreditation governance, Oversight Committee/Grant, Service Learning Committee, and Faculty Discipline Review Group as a lead representative. She presented a workshop on Introduction to Public Relations at the Strong Workforce Faculty Institute, reflecting her expertise in communications courses such as COMM 100 (Introduction to Mass Communication), COMM 104 (Introduction to Public Relations), COMM 105 (Race, Gender and Media Effects), and COMM 144 (Exploring the Effects of Media on Young Children), for which she is the designated contact professor.