SC&I Lecturer Michael Bass to Receive Rutgers Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Lecturer
Rutgers University Academic Affairs has named Michael Bass, a lecturer in the SC&I Department of Journalism and Media Studies, the recipient of a 2025–2026 Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Lecturer.
One of nine annual Faculty Year-End Excellence Awards, this award "honors lecturers from any discipline who have demonstrated excellence in classroom instruction. Important attributes for consideration include exceptional creativity and/or curricular, pedagogical, or experiential innovations; a deep commitment to excellence in classroom instruction; and demonstrable contributions to student learning and advancement. This award especially recognizes the longer-term institutional impacts that exceptional lecturers may have on strengthening the academic fabric and vitality of programs through their successive teaching at the university over multiple years." Recipients of each award receive a commemorative certificate and an honorarium.
Bass will receive the award at a reception at the home of Rutgers President William F. Tate IV on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 12 p.m.
Chair and Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Lauren Feldman said, "Mike Bass is a beloved instructor and has helped spark hundreds of Rutgers students' interest in writing, equipping them with the skills they need to succeed in journalism and media careers. JMS is extremely fortunate to have him teaching and coordinating our Writing for Media courses, and it is wonderful to see him recognized with this significant university award."
Bass has taught Writing for Media, generally two sections a semester, since fall 2017. He is passionate about teaching. He said his "aim is to make students better writers and – because so much of writing is based on good critical thinking – make them better thinkers. Those skills will help them in any career, journalism or not. There’s tremendous power in being able to tell a story effectively."
Prior to joining the SC&I faculty, Bass worked for the Associated Press at three different points in his career. During his first years with AP he worked at bureaus in Richmond and Nashville, then as a reporter and editor for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk.
Bass then left AP to take a job as editor of The Hudson Dispatch in Union City, New Jersey. Returning to AP for the second time, he worked first in the Corporate Communications Department and then as an editor on the National Desk.
Following a second break from AP to take a job as an editor at The Bergen Record, Bass went back to AP a third time and landed a host of executive positions, including director of news research; director of strategic planning; and director of global news operations and special events.
In 2017, he left journalism and crossed over into public relations, first working for Aetna and then, after a merger, with CVS. During this period he began teaching for SC&I.
Despite Bass' storied career in journalism and public relations, he did not intend to pursue a career in journalism when he arrived at the University of Virginia as a freshman, he said, which explains why he chose a school that did not offer a journalism program.
However, what UVA did have, Bass added, "was an entirely student-run daily newspaper, and I fell in love with the concept of starting from scratch every day and producing something that was vital to the community."
To succeed in journalism, Bass said, "There’s no secret sauce. Certainly, hard work is important, as are perseverance, passion, and eternal curiosity. Keep your readers in mind and remember that you are working for them. The writing part is pretty straightforward: Have a clear idea what you want to say and say it as simply and directly as you can."
After Bass retired from CVS in 2019, and had extra free time, he began to teach a few more classes at Rutgers, explaining that teaching provides him with all the professional satisfaction he needs.
"I love knowing I can have a positive impact on students’ lives," Bass said. "I went into journalism because I thought it was a noble field that, at its best, made the world a better place. I have the same feelings about teaching."
Explaining Bass' vital contributions to Rutgers, Teaching Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Journalism and Media Studies Steve Miller said, "Mike is truly the personification of what our faculty and instructors mean to our students, department, school, and university. He teaches with a passion for journalism and conveys his material in a way that would be unique in other programs, but not JMS. This award means he joins a significant number of his colleagues, both faculty and instructors, who have been recognized by the university for their teaching expertise. It is an honor and a privilege to work with Mike."
