Bob Batchelor
Today, I officially say goodbye and good luck to my friend and colleague, Bob Batchelor, who announced his resignation from Kent State effective August 25th. Bob was, by far, the most effective teacher/scholar I’ve worked with in my 21 years here, so losing him is a severe blow to the program — and to me personally. But it’s a great move for Bob, and I’m elated for him.
Bob has accepted the position as the James Pedas Professor of Communications and Executive Director of the James Pedas Communication Center at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. This is a new endowed chair and an appointment too prestigious to pass up. It also comes with a brand new $6.5-million facility.
Readers of this space know Bob as the creator and chief academic officer behind Kent State’s Online PR Master’s. The program — based entirely on pedagogy Bob designed — became an overnight success for Kent State and home to 300+ graduate students since its launch in 2011. Under Bob’s guidance, the Online PR Master’s exceeded every objective set by administration and earned consistent 5-star reviews from students.
Bob is a rare species in academe, a teacher/scholar/visionary who also has a decade of real-world experience in journalism and public relations. Before he headed off to earn his doctorate at USF, Bob had risen to VP of corporate communications at Bank of America in San Francisco. Before that, he labored in the PR trenches with Fleishman Hillard.
During his time as instructor and grad student at USF, Bob began to produce scholarship that surpassed that of his tenure-track colleagues. He wasn’t required to “publish or perish” in those days. He just loved doing it. A few weeks back, he began work on his 25th book (authored, co-authored or edited). For most folks in academe, that’s two lifetimes worth of work. For Bob, it took less than a decade.
Bob’s departure leaves me as the lone academic member of the Online PR Master’s Team. Professor Gene Sasso, our chief program strategist, was dismissed from the program earlier this semester — a decision that baffled us all — and many of you. And need I mention the nonsensical financial model that drove this thriving program hopelessly into red ink overnight? Well, I guess I just did 
I’m not here today to question the missteps of administration. That’s a book in itself. But I can’t help but wonder if a more reasoned and long-term approach to our Online PR Master’s might have kept my friend here at Kent State.
The PR Online Master’s program Bob created will live on, and I hope with continued success. I’m not going anywhere, and I’ve learned enough from Bob and from Gene to pick up where they’re leaving off — should anyone ask me to do so.
We can’t expect to replace the intellectual firepower Bob Batchelor brought to our program. But we’ll have to try. Best wishes to my friend and colleague. And let me add that I’m more than a little envious over his return to Steeler Country!
A big loss for KSU, but a big step up for Bob’s career. Here’s to Bob’s continued success!
A true honor for Bob, and what a way to make PRKent and the entire Kent State community proud! Congratulations, Prof. Batchelor!
Wow. What a shock! Dr. Bachelor is an amazing educator and has helped guide my interest of the public relations profession. This is very sad news for KSU.
Thank you, Dr. Bachelor. Best of luck in your future endeavors. This opportunity truly sounds amazing!
~abbey
Wow! ANOTHER unexpected change to the program. I wish him luck and at least we have him through one more PR online Master’s graduation.
So, some of us still in the program might be wondering: Gene Sasso gone, Bob Batchelor gone, and you only just graduated your first class–just how committed is Kent State to this program? Granted, Bob is leaving of his own volition, but these are some pretty big changes.
These are monster changes, Art, so I can understand your concern. But I’m only a teacher in this program and don’t have the information to answer big-picture questions. Assuming our administrators monitor these conversation, I invite them to offer a response.
I didn’t know Gene was gone and only found out today about Professor Batchelor. All this and they raised tuition and I had just started the program. This makes me very nervous.
Thanks for dropping by Ketena. The program is in place and operating efficiently, so there’s no need to panic. The changes are unsettling to all of us, thus my invitation to the administrators to join this conversation. Only they can tell you how they plan to respond to the challenges created by the departures of Bob and Gene.
One of the founding principles of public relations is transparency, and one way we can achieve that is by participating in the groundswell discussions. It’s precisely what we teach in our classes — online and on-campus. And it’s why I talk so candidly in this space. That’s one thing that’s not going to change.
Yes, transparency is key. I am eagerly awaiting them to join the conversation.
Katena: Came back on the blog today working on a new post and I noticed your comment from May 17. Sorry to say, no one from admin has elected to join this conversation, and I’m quite sure they won’t. It calls into question their understanding of communication in an interactive digital age. But there’s not much to done about that.
So sorry to hear of Dr. Batchelor’s departure! It was a pleasure knowing him and learning from him.