Dr. Keith Strudler Named School of Communication and Media Director

Keith Strudler, PhD, has been appointed director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University, effective July 31, 2017. Founder and director of the Marist College Center for Sports Communication and associate professor of communication, Strudler will lead a range of groundbreaking, cross-disciplinary communication, television and digital media programs – including production and sound, filmmaking, journalism, public and organizational relations, and health communication. The Montclair State University School of Communication and Media provides students with the hands-on tools, focused coursework, instruction and internships needed to succeed in the communication and media industries. The School moves into a new cutting-edge facility this fall.

After launching the Center for Sports Communication in 2011, Strudler accomplished key strategic initiatives, including gaining national coverage for co-branded, sports-related surveys released with the Marist Poll. He extended this partnership to collaborate on sports polls with the award-winning HBO Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and formed productive partnerships with external groups such as the Sports PR Summit, the Northeast Associated Press Sports Editors and Unanimous A.I.

“I am delighted to announce Keith Strudler’s appointment,” said Montclair State University President Susan A. Cole. “As the School of Communication and Media moves into its new, state-of-the-art home, he will supply the leadership experience, academic vision and industry track record needed to spearhead its continued growth and advancement.”

“It’s an honor to serve as the director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State,” said Strudler. “I’ve enjoyed meeting with the School’s talented faculty and staff and share their enthusiasm for the amazing opportunities our truly world-class facility will offer. I look forward to working with them, our students and with colleagues across the University – as well as with community and media leaders – to develop and provide exceptional educational opportunities that strengthen the School’s reputation as a national leader.”

During his term as chair of the Communication department at Marist College, Strudler led the development of a new core curriculum that placed technology at its forefront. One of the first concentrations of its kind when Strudler introduced it in 2002, Marist’s Sports Communication program has grown into one of the largest and most established such programs in the nation. He was also instrumental in connecting Marist College with important decision-makers and thought leaders in the journalism and media industries by helping to establish the Media Leaders initiative.

Strudler’s academic innovations include a unique certificate program in Global Sports Communication on Marist’s Florence, Italy, campus, as well as The Classroom, a weekly student-produced sports talk radio program on WGNY of the New York Hudson Valley that he executive produced.

With Marist College’s Lifetime Excellence in Sports Communication Award in 2015, Strudler began a tradition of honoring industry leaders while helping to seed an endowment for the Center for Sports Communication and its activities.

An active scholar and expert source for national and international media outlets ranging from The Washington Post to USA Today, Strudler is on the editorial board of the Journal of Sports Media. He is also a weekly sports commentator for Northeast Public Radio (WAMC) that broadcasts to seven states from Albany, New York. He focuses his research on sports and media and has published on topics ranging from televised sports heroes and the portrayal of race in sports television to the use of emerging technologies in sports spectatorship.

Strudler received his PhD in Mass Communication from the University of Florida and earned his master’s and undergraduate degrees from the University of St. Thomas (Houston) and Cornell University respectively.