University Of Delaware: Alumni Bring Industry Experience

Wilmington DE

14 May, 2022

3:19 PM

Description

Press release from the University of Delaware: May 13, 2022 Strategic communications master's degree students learn from experts in the field Greg Rossi, a 1994 University of Delaware graduate, is perpetually in motion. For the past three years he has served as vice president of advertising sales for the Walt Disney Company, with a team of 30 that expands to approximately 200 collaborators overall. His team drives advertising and sponsorship revenue for a portfolio of brands that includes ABC, Disney Channels Worldwide, Disney Digital Network, ESPN Networks, Freeform, FX Networks, National Geographic Networks and Hulu. The New York-based communications professional also is busy raising two sons with his wife, Janine, and volunteers as a head coach for his sons' soccer club. The last thing Rossi needed was one more commitment. But when he spoke to a UD class in 2019, he was gratified to see how much the students appreciated his guidance and his insider info. So, when Tara Smith, an instructor in the Department of Communication, reached out to him about a program for a master's degree in strategic communication that she and others were working to establish, Rossi agreed to be an adjunct instructor. He taught a course called Media Analytics (COMM 753) in the fall of 2021 and plans to teach it again in the fall of 2022. During a Zoom meeting from his home office on Long Island one recent afternoon, Rossi said he felt positive about his first semester teaching in the (virtual) classroom. The master's degree is offered 100% online. "It is rewarding to be able to teach and give back to the University that gave me so much," said Rossi, who was a communication major. "It took a lot of time working with an instructional designer to develop the course and even more time to teach it, but it's been rewarding." Smith is director of the program, which launched in September 2019. "We believe the MA in strategic communication program is the perfect union of a theoretical framework in the foundations of communication, public relations, social media, combined with 'on the ground' knowledge from industry insiders like Greg," Smith said. Bill Wohl, a 1984 graduate, is another adjunct instructor who willingly stepped up to teach when asked. Wohl runs a consulting business in crisis communications, media training, branding and related areas. Current and past clients include WorkHuman and Unify (Siemens). Previously, he served as chief communications officer at brands including Hewlett Packard and Commvault. This press release was produced by the University of Delaware. The views expressed here are the author's own.