Tag Archives: Professor

Faculty Profile: Introducing Professor John Drew

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Beginning in the Fall 2024 semester, the Communication Studies Department welcomed a new face to its faculty lineup: Assistant Professor John Drew. Drew specializes in Strategic Communication, having earned a BA in economics from Duke University, an MA in Media Studies from The New School, and an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design. 

John Drew HeadshotBy incorporating a type of life coaching into his curriculum, meeting the students where they are and hearing their anxieties, Drew has found that he can connect those concerns with his teaching and provide real strategies to offer a way forward. He teaches his students the importance of developing a design-centered way of thinking that constructs various design systems as design opportunities.

“You just have to figure out what the parameters are and where the entry points are and where the opportunities are for your own benefit,” Drew said. This is a strategy Drew has had to use in his own life, altering his career path strategically based on changes in the marketplace, ultimately bringing him to Strategic Communication as a discipline.

Starting out as a print journalist in the early 2000s, Drew watched as legacy print establishments were going out of business and everything was moving online. He found his skill set lacking, leading him to determine he needed to adapt his skills to the changing times. This got him into a period of video journalism and filmmaking, as well as grant writing. Eventually he got on the track to grad school to develop more skills. Drew referred to this time as being transformative. It was in grad school where a mentor persuaded him to try teaching. Due to his strategic way of thinking and learning through the course of his life of how to pivot and carefully assess the marketplace and develop skills in response to it, Drew found himself in the world of academia teaching his students the same way of thinking.

Drew’s most recent research has been funded by the Mozilla Foundation through its Responsible Computing Challenge which, according to the Mozilla Foundation’s website,  “supports the conceptualization, development, and piloting of curricula that empowers students to think about the social and political context of computing.” To this end, Drew has already developed two new courses with collaborators at Adelphi University where Drew previously served as Associate Professor. These courses are to help Mozilla make computer science accessible and compelling to a more diverse student body, making them think about responsible tech, and ideally become responsible technologists themselves. 

At New Paltz this year Drew has taught Social Media and PR, Design and PR, Intro to Strategic Comm., and a grad class Organizational Writing and Design Across Media. Next year he will be teaching Design and PR, the Seminar in Strategic Comm., as well as another grad course, Environmental Communication, Organizations, and Sustainability.

Drew has enjoyed his time here at New Paltz so far. Already living in the Hudson Valley, he enjoys the area and is much happier to be closer to home. Additionally, Drew has found it refreshing being a part of the public university system. Having a diverse student body in many ways, the students at SUNY New Paltz have given him a fresh perspective with their eagerness to learn and desire to enrich their education to apply later in the future. 

“Teaching here has been a joy. I feel like the majority of my students thus far are engaged and responsive and I am learning a lot from them. I’m very grateful to be here, despite having to earn tenure all over again!”

Introducing Michael Kim, Our New Communication Studies Professor!

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Join us in welcoming our new professor in Communication Studies Dr. Michael Kim! Professor Kim is teaching two classes this semester: CMM375 Social Change and Advocacy Communication and CMM353 Persuasion and Social Influence. Professor Kim’s research and teaching are focused on social change communication, specifically, the important roles of communication and media in the process of social change. For example, he investigates how the actors of social change (NGOs, journalists, etc.) communicate about social issues. His courses teach students the strategic and critical thinking that can lead to changing the mechanisms within the social structure and culture. Michael Kim headshot

Professor Kim was born in Bloomington, IN, and grew up in South Korea, where he earned his bachelor’s degree from Hanyang University. He then earned his master’s from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK. In America, he spent a year at The University of Texas at Austin, followed by another 4 years at the University of Miami working toward and then earning his PhD. Before coming to New Paltz, Professor Kim was not familiar with the area, but he always envisioned himself living in the New York area. He loves the location of New Paltz and enjoys the welcoming community. Although it is a completely different climate, both socially and environmentally, compared to Miami and South Korea, Professor Kim is adjusting well and appreciates the engagement from both faculty and students on campus. Professor Kim is ecstatic to be teaching here and broadening his horizons, as this is early in his career in academia.  

Professor Kim’s personal interests changed a lot with transition as he moves from place to place; however, he has always enjoyed playing soccer or futsal. In New Paltz he has been exploring the area, hiking and taking walks, and finding his place in the community. 

In class, Professor Kim would like to emphasize issues of social change and international development and encourage students with critical thinking. In general, he wants students to be able to think critically and apply what they learn to their area of interest. As this is his first teaching position, Professor Kim is still figuring out his unique teaching style. However, he sees himself more as a mutual facilitator of learning than simply an instructor. He values student engagement and encourages them to be able to relate to the topics and content to their own experiences. His classes will consist of lectures and discussions.  Professor Kim wants his students to be approachable and open-minded to lead to an enjoyable classroom experience. He is still experimenting in terms of course design and looks forward to his students to reach out freely with feedback and suggestions about the course, topics, and format.