Matt Tidwell
- Director of Professional Graduate Studies
- Faculty Lecturer
Contact Info
12604 Quivira Road
Overland Park, KS 66213
1000 Sunnyside Ave.
Lawrence, KS 66045
Biography —
My name is Matt Tidwell, and I am assistant dean for graduate and professional studies at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. I also am faculty lecturer and the program director for the Integrated Marketing Communications graduate degree program at the KU Edwards Campus.
I am an experienced marketing communications professional with more than 25 years of industry experience working in health care, energy and technology companies. In 2018, I received the Arthur Lowell “Communicator of the Year” award from the Kansas City Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). I also serve on IABC’s international board of directors serving more than 9,000 communicators around the world.
Education —
Research —
I work in the area of corporate and organizational behavior as it relates to public relations and communications. I often specialize in crisis communications. I am interested in examining how companies view and enact transparency in the age of the empowered and connected stakeholder. I believe that as we work to define what is an optimal level of transparency, we can help the profession achieve mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders.
Research interests:
- Corporate and organizational behavior
- Public relations
- Crisis communications
Teaching —
I have an intense commitment to teaching and have taught at the undergrad and graduate level at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas and the Henry Bloch School of Business at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. I am also an instructor in the Graduate Program in Homeland Security at KU’s Leavenworth Campus.
My philosophy leans heavily on applied learning with an orientation toward backward design based on course objectives. Because of my recent professional experience, I am able to bring relevant and recent examples to help explain concepts in the classroom. Because my research involves corporate public relations and crisis communications, my research and background in those areas often surfaces in my teaching. I implement technology in all of my courses and have worked in traditional, online and hybrid environments.
My style varies depending on the students with whom I am working. For graduate classes, I try to achieve a culture of collaboration and informed discussion where we can all work toward contributing to the body of knowledge. For undergraduates, I try to provide steady and reassuring guidance to help students achieve a level of proficiency and confidence that will allow them to start a successful career.
Memberships —
Achieved the “APR” (Accredited in Public Relations) designation from the Public Relations Society of America