Associate Dean of the Graduate College
Associate Professor of Communication
(405) 325-3811
icionea@ou.edu
Dr. Ioana Cionea joined the Graduate College in July 2024. In her role as associate dean, she works with several initiatives and programs within the Graduate College, such as Graduate Student Life, the Instructional Core Competencies Program, and Robberson grants. Graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and faculty members are welcome to contact Dr. Cionea for confidential consultations and advice. To schedule an appointment, please email her assistant, Shannon Casey.
Prior to joining the Graduate College, Dr. Cionea served as Interim Chair (2023-2024) and Graduate Liaison (2021-2023) for the Department of Communication. In those roles, she initiated and coordinated various programmatic changes meant to establish clear guidelines and policies regarding graduate student milestones to degree completion, empower students in respect to their graduate education and experiences, and contribute to their professional development. During her time at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Cionea’s dedication and commitment to graduate students has been recognized thrice in her department with the Faculty/Staff Service and Support Award and twice by the Graduate College with the Graddy Award for Service to Graduate Students and the Graduate Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring of Graduate Students.
Dr. Cionea received an LL.B. in her native country of Romania prior to earning her M.A. from Northern Illinois University and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, both with a focus in Communication. Her background in debate translated into an interest in arguing behaviors and the management of conflict in interpersonal relationships. Her research brings together elements of intercultural communication, specifically the role of culture in communication, interpersonal communication, and rigorous social scientific methods to shed light on how individuals can engage in more constructive forms of communication in their close relationships.
For more information about her research, please visit https://www.ou.edu/cas/comm/about/people/faculty/ioana-cionea
