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Brian Klebig, Professor for the Communication Department, stands in front of a gray marbled background.

Brian Klebig

Professor
Department: Communication Department
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Education

  • Ph.D., Communication – Michigan State University
  • M.A., Mass Communication – University of Central Florida
  • M.Div. – Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary
  • B.A., Liberal Arts – Bethany Lutheran College

Academic Interests

Moral intuitions, persuasion, enjoyment, and immersive environments (presence).
Dr. Klebig’s work explores how moral intuitions shape entertainment and decision-making, how empathy functions in mediated contexts, and how immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality influence understanding and performance.

Research

Basic Theoretical Research

  • Moral intuitions in entertainment and decision-making
  • Effects of self-monitoring on cognitive load

Applied Research

  • Meaningful use of immersive environments
  • Improving performance in mediated spaces
  • Role of empathy in dementia treatment

Realization Research

  • Development of tools and virtual environments for complex communication and meetings

Professional Involvement

  • Clergy roster, Evangelical Lutheran Synod
  • International Communication Association – Member
  • National Communication Association – Member
  • Meaningful XR (MXR) – Board Member
  • Christ in Media Institute – Board Member
  • Journal of Media Psychology – Guest Editor
  • Frontiers – Guest Editor

Awards and Grants

  • Christ in Media Institute (2024): Projection mapping and VR induction grants
  • National Science Foundation (2021): $1.6 million award for research on virtual communication (Award #2128803)
  • Rasmussen Memorial Fellowship (2015): Fellowship for international presentation of theoretical research
  • UCF Certificate of Excellence (2014): Graduated top of master’s program

Service

  • Board Member, Branch Lutheran Schools of Haiti
  • Member, C-RAIND Autism Research Group

Selected Publications

Dr. Klebig has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed studies in journals including IEEE Transactions on Games, Journal of Media Psychology, Political Psychology, Communication Research Reports, Communication Studies, and Mass Communication and Society. His research examines moral intuitions, empathy, and media’s influence on human behavior and cognition.

Selected Presentations

Recent presentations include:

  • “A Content Analysis of the Moral Intuitions Featured in Scripture” – Media & Morality Conference (2025)
  • “AI as a Tool to Test the Effectiveness of Public Service Messaging” – Toward Zero Deaths Conferences (2025)
  • “Technology in Preaching” – Congress for the Lutheran Confessions (2025)
  • “The Potential of VR and MR as the World Changes” – XR Festival (2021)

Teaching Philosophy

Dr. Klebig fosters a relaxed, discussion-driven classroom that encourages deep thinking about communication. He prioritizes primary research articles and multimedia sources—such as video games, films, and VR experiences—over traditional textbooks to help students directly engage with contemporary scholarship and media forms.

“I have also been told that I am the loudest loud person in Loudington.”

Campus Roles

  • Vice Chair of Faculty
  • Eleanor Wilson Chair of Communication
  • Chair, Department of Communication
  • Secretary, Faculty Steering Committee
  • Faculty Advisor, GEMU (formerly Nerds Unite)

Biography

Raised in San Jose, California, Dr. Klebig grew up surrounded by technology and media—his father worked in tech and his mother was a screenwriter and producer. After an early interest in cinematography, he shifted toward pastoral ministry, earning degrees from Bethany Lutheran College and Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary.

Following four years of pastoral service in Florida, he pursued graduate study at the University of Central Florida and Michigan State University, where he helped establish the CARISMA Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Motion Capture Laboratory.

Since joining Bethany in 2018, he has continued teaching, researching, and publishing while mentoring students in innovative approaches to communication and media studies.

He and his wife, Dawn (a Bethany alumna), live in Mankato with their two daughters, Brynn and Madison.

Hobbies and Interests

Video games, gardening, skiing, game design, 3D printing, hiking, Frisbee golf, travel, music (piano and guitar), meteorology, and family time.

“Honestly… I kinda get excited about everything. Like a puppy with some advanced degrees.”