Beyond the Podium is the result of an extraordinary collective effort. This project would not exist without the generosity, creativity, and sustained labor of an incredible community of collaborators. While no acknowledgements can fully capture the depth of gratitude owed, I offer my sincere thanks to the many individuals whose expertise, care, and commitment shaped this work.

This project was made possible through the generous support and funding provided by the Sally W. Kalin Early Career Librarianship for Learning Innovations. I am especially appreciative to Bryan McGeary, Learning Design and Open Education Engagement Librarian, whose guidance, encouragement, and expertise in open educational practices helped transform the initial vision into a completed work. His belief in the value of this project, along with his deep knowledge of the OER process, provided essential foundational support throughout the development of this book.

At the heart of this project was a deeply collaborative core team, whose vision, labor, and trust carried the work from idea to publication.  I am grateful to Chris Lee, TLT Specialist at University Park, whose design expertise strengthened the book’s structure and usability, and to Zach Lonsinger, M.Ed., Learning Experience Designer, whose collaborative spirit, ideation, and work on AI-driven H5P activities helped push this project toward its strongest possible form. Zach’s design thinking and sustained engagement were critical throughout the process.

The success of this project also depended on exceptional institutional and creative support. I thank Amy Kuntz, Learning Innovation Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, for working closely with me to help make this project what it became. Her partnership and strategic guidance elevated the work at every stage. I am grateful to Wade Shumaker, Instructional Production Specialist, for his expertise in building the textbook in Pressbooks, and to Jennifer Wright, M.A., Instructional Designer, for quite literally saving the day through meticulous H5P revisions and edits. Their technical and pedagogical care ensured the book’s accessibility and functionality.  Special thanks go to Tyler Greer, Creative Designer, whose stunning cover design gave this project a visual identity that reflects its intellectual ambition.

I am also deeply thankful to the authors who contributed chapters, ideas, and intellectual energy to this book. Their willingness to collaborate, revise, and collectively shape the text made this a truly shared endeavor. I thank:

Erika Berlin; Delia Conti; Lee Ann Dickerson; Qi Dunsworth; Janie Harden Fritz; Jacqueline M. Gianico; Brooke Lyle; Rosemary Martinelli; Stephanie Morrow; Angela Pettitt; Terri Stiles; Jonathan Woodall.

Each contribution strengthened the book and reflected a shared commitment to ethical, inclusive, and forward-looking approaches to AI, communication, and pedagogy.

I am equally grateful to the peer reviewers, whose thoughtful feedback improved the clarity, rigor, and pedagogical value of this work. I thank:

Delia Conti; Lee Ann Dickerson; Qi Dunsworth; Jacqueline Gianico; Janie Harden Fritz; Rosemary Martinelli; Stephanie Morrow; Phil Nash; Angela Pettitt; Dawn Pfeifer Reitz; Terri Stiles; Khristy Testa; Michael Vicaro; and Jonathan Woodall.

Their careful reading and constructive critiques represent an often-invisible labor that meaningfully strengthened this book.

I extend deep thanks to Sarah Zipf, PhD, whose research expertise guided the design of assessments, extensive curriculum mapping, and generative elements of the project. Her work, assessment alignment was essential to the integrity and coherence of the final text. Sarah played a central role in shaping the project’s pedagogical framework.

I am profoundly grateful to Yvette Chan, whose leadership as a Faculty Fellow Student Partner was foundational to this book. Yvette served not only as a student partner, but as a creator, editorial assistant, revisor, and intellectual collaborator. Her influence on the structure, tone, and pedagogical direction of this book cannot be overstated

This work would not have reached completion without the extraordinary efforts of my co-editor, Sherry Rice, M.Ed., Faculty Engagement Specialist. Sherry went far beyond what was required.  She fulfilled every role possible, overseeing the project, building and refining content, coordinating contributors, and keeping the work moving forward. Her organization, kindness, people skills, and unwavering support were the engine that sustained this project. Simply put, without her, this book would not exist.

Without this foundational text, significantly more work would have been required to complete this project. We extend our sincere gratitude to the authors who shared their work before us, including Jason Wrench, communication faculty from SUNY New Paltz for meeting with us about this project and encouraging the work.

Thank you again sincerely to the many individuals who made this work great,

Sincerely,

Tiffany Petricini

I am deeply grateful to the individuals who supported and guided me throughout my involvement in Beyond the Podium.

First, I would like to thank Tiffany Petricini, Ph.D., who initiated this project as part of the Penn State Faculty Fellow program, for giving me the opportunity to serve as a Faculty Fellow Student Partner. I am thankful for her trust in me and for allowing me to support her work throughout the entire process. Her mentorship, confidence in my abilities, and commitment to collaboration made this experience both meaningful and transformative.

I would also like to thank Sherry Rice, M.Ed., who supported me consistently throughout this project and served as my primary point of contact. Sherry guided me through each stage of the process, taught me the systems that made this work possible, and entrusted me with tasks that helped me grow professionally. Her patience, encouragement, and willingness to share her expertise were invaluable.

Lastly, I am sincerely grateful to Rebekka Kuhn, M.Ed., my advisor during my time in the Penn State Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). Even after my time in DUS had ended, she reached out to tell me about this opportunity to serve as a student partner on this project. I would not have been part of Beyond the Podium without her support and thoughtfulness, and I am thankful for her continued belief in me.

Sincerely,

Yvette Chan

We are deeply grateful to Tiffany Petricini for her vision, passion, and sustained leadership in developing and guiding this impactful and timely resource. Her commitment to faculty innovation and instructional excellence ensured that this work meaningfully supports both teaching practices and student learning within the areas of communication and digital fluency. The dedication she brought to this two-year project will have a lasting and positive impact on public speaking courses and the students they serve across higher education.

Sincerely,

Sherry Rice and the Faculty Fellows Team

Licensing and Adaptation Acknowledgement

Beyond the Podium: AI, Speech, and Civic Voice is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-SA).

This book is adapted from Stand up, Speak out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking by Anonymous, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 license.