Rhetoric - Faculty & Staff

Sara A. Mehltretter is Professor of Rhetoric, and her research analyzes the quality and character of public discourse in the United States. Her specific interests include the theories and practices of democratic deliberation, presidential rhetoric, the rhetoric of national security, political communication, and the rhetoric of religion.

 

In 2026, Dr. Mehltretter is on sabbatical and is Scholar in Residence, Public Discourse Strategy, at Campus Compact. Her work will focus on Public Discourse initiatives for higher education, with an emphasis on models, scaling activities, and assessment.

 

Dr. Mehltretter has offered workshops on facilitation, problem-solving, conflict resolution, dialogue, deliberation, and civic engagement to a variety of groups, including the American Association of Colleges and Universities, Campus Compact, Council on Independent Colleges, Indiana Humanities Speakers Bureau, NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Lead Initiative, the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, Campus Compact, and the Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program.

 

Dr. Mehltretter earned her B.A. degree summa cum laude in Communication and Political Science at Boston College, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She did her graduate work at the Pennsylvania State University, earning her M.A. and Ph.D. in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts. 

 

Outside of the classroom, Professor Mehltretter enjoys cooking, outdoor activities, travel, and cheering on her favorite Indiana sports teams, the Indy Ignite and the Indiana Fever. A native of Buffalo, New York, she is a loyal Bills and Sabres fan, and has a discerning palate for the delicacy known to Buffalonians simply as “wings.”