Teaching

For 15 years, Michael was an active member of the faculty of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, teaching undergraduate, graduate, and executive education courses in the following areas: 

 

·       Business Ethics

·       Communications Law

·       Crisis Communications

·       Public Relations Management

·       Strategic Communications

 

In 2017, he joined the Newhouse faculty full time as a visiting assistant professor, and served as Interim Chair & Professor of Public Relations until July 2020.

 

Michael also taught business ethics and public relations management in the master’s of communication management program at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, where he was part of this program since its inception.

 

Michael also worked with MBA students at SU’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management, and continues as a guest lecturer at the Maxwell School in the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program sponsored by the U.S. State Department. In addition, he serves as an instructor and mentor in Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families, teaching strategic communications planning to veteran entrepreneurs.

 

His diversified work experience has continually brought real-world experience to overlay his 

coursework, research, and advisory roles in the university setting. 

   

Michael’s connection with the students was strong – he was known to learn their names in the first week, to be available to them for help and assistance around a demanding business travel schedule, and to have strong, positive evaluations at semester’s end. Many of Michael’s students maintain contact with him years after graduation. He has helped lead student benchmarking trips for undergraduate and graduate students, and has served as a master’s degree capstone and thesis advisor to dozens of students at Syracuse and McMaster Universities.