Michael Cacciatore named UGA Teaching Academy Fellow and Plank Center Fellow

Michael Cacciatore, an assistant professor of public relations in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, has been named to fellowships at both the UGA Teaching Academy and the Plank Center in Alabama.

Cacciatore is one of 20 UGA faculty members who were named to the 2014 UGA Teaching Academy Fellowship.  The fellowship is designed to be an early-career mentoring program, and brings together fellows every few weeks to share experiences and foster excellence in teaching.  Fellows will spend time with faculty mentors, as well as other fellows learning about topics ranging from being a member of the UGA community to furthering UGA’s instructional mission.  The fellowship begins in August and continues through the academic year.

Cacciatore was also named one of 10 ten educators selected for the University of Alabama's Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations Fellowship Program.  For this program, he will travel to Edelman offices in Chicago for a few weeks this summer to observe an active agency environment.

“Key beneficiaries of the fellowship are public relations students who can be assured their professors are knowledgeable in the current practices and issues facing practitioners and that practitioners have a greater appreciation for the value of theory and research of their classrooms in today's public relations work,” said Rick White, chief communications officer for Wisconsin Energy Corp. and Plank Center board member, in a news release.

The Plank Center's mission is to bridge the gap between education and practice. The program seeks to combine academia with real-world experience, creating an exchange of information and ideas to enhance the professional development of both educators and the host organizations. The educators partake in research projects, training sessions and presentations, and assist with company projects.

Cacciatore teaches research methodology and introduction to public relations in the Department of Advertising & Public Relations. His research focuses on risk communication with an emphasis on media coverage of risk and opinion formation for risk topics.

Date: July 8, 2014
Author:  Carrie Clemons and Sarah Freeman