A Professor Worth Mentioning: A Biography of Michael Dwyer From His Current Student

 Who is Michael Dwyer? Michael has been a professor at Arcadia University for 14 years. He currently holds the title of associate professor of Media and Communications, and he’s the director of the Global Media program. Alongside that, he’s the faculty member who helps support the Publication Practicum CM120 course, which I’ve been a part of for years. He takes pride in his work as an educator here at Arcadia. He’s funny and loves to make connections with his students. 

I’ve taken classes with Michael almost my entire time here at Arcadia, I’d believe since the second semester of my freshman year. I also believe that I’ve had Michael for every semester after that, and there were a few semesters where I took multiple classes with him. So, I’ve seen him around a lot, to say the least.

Despite having been in multiple of his classes, every class I’ve taken with him has been executed differently, but he always puts his all into it, no matter what. I asked him how he manages to adjust to diligently depending on the needs of his classroom.

“You’re always relearning how to do your job…but on the other hand it’s never boring”- Michael Dwyer

Michael didn’t always want to be a professor. When he first started his time in college, he started off at the University of Miami, majoring in marine science and biology. Midway through his time there, he transitioned into an English degree path. After his time in undergrad, he applied to many different English graduate programs, and eventually, he got into Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh where he stayed for a year.

After spending a year at Carnegie Mellon, decided to transition to another graduate program, which led him to his time at Syracuse University. There he tried to put his best foot forward into figuring out exactly what he wanted to do. Michael wanted to make sure he could handle the workload thrown at him, all while he was feeling things out career-wise. 

“I didn’t know if I was smart enough, or if I could handle the material. So my goal was to see if I could hang, or if I wanted to hang.”, he said

Michael’s ability to “hang” wound up exceeding his expectations. He received a funding packet for his time at Syracuse, which included the stipulation that he teach two classes a term, and this was the moment when everything changed for Michael.

“A week in, I thought, I love this! This is great! So I found out I could hang, and I found out I liked the work,” he said.

Michael describes this week fondly as if something clicked into place for him. It makes me wonder what would have happened if he had never taught at Syracuse. All I know for sure is that my college education would look a lot different without Michael. Even though Michael will forever go down in my college professor “hall of fame”, he doesn’t want to take all the credit for the work he inspires his students to pursue. 

“I don’t need to be celebrated as a scholar, if I taught you something, either as a teacher or as a writer, scholar, whatever, I want you to remember that. It doesn’t have to be me [that you remember],” he said.

Michael is way more than just a professor, he’s a human. Outside his professional career, he likes to run. He runs 1,000 miles a year as a personal goal for himself, and he’s done this for the past five years. He considers running as a “practice of persistence” and it gives him a chance to be alone after being a hard-working professor all day.

Other than running, he likes to cook. He finds that cooking allows him to see his own improvement, and mentions his creations in class from time to time. He uses these things as a way to maintain his mental health. And if you’re curious, his favorite color is navy blue. 

Michael is a funny guy and an effective teacher. I wanted this blog to highlight one of the best Media and Communication professors this institution has to offer. I assure anyone who takes his courses will enjoy their time in his classroom, but be ready to do the work. I’ve learned the most from Michael and he’s going to be the professor I remember years from graduation. That means something to me.