Smith will teach a course and host a symposium.

November 12, 2019—Veteran sports Journalist and studio executive Michael Smith will be in residence at Marist College’s Center for Sports Communication early next year. 

Smith, the recently-named Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer at the new California-based studio (co)laboratory, will teach a course for upper-classmen called “The Interview,” focusing on in-depth interviewing techniques. Additionally, Smith will host a symposium on a relevant cultural issue in sports and will also meet with a larger group of students through a campus conversation planned for this fall.

Jane McManus, Director of the Center for Sports Communication at Marist, is thrilled to welcome Smith to Marist. “Between both the class Michael will be teaching and what he will bring as an engaged part of the Center, I'm excited for our students,” McManus said.

“I have so much respect for Jane and how the Sports Communication program is growing, as well as the direction Marist is taking,” said Smith. “Just to be a part of that is really exciting." He is also looking forward to the opportunity to work with students. "I remember what an awakening it was when I was taught to interview properly and I want to pass that along to the next generation of storytellers."

Prior to joining (co)laboratory, Smith spent 15 years at ESPN, serving in a variety of roles and across all of the network's platforms - including reporter, insider, commentator, host, anchor, and executive producer. A graduate of Loyola University-New Orleans, Smith began his career as a reporter for the Boston Globe.

Smith’s residency at Marist is the first phase of a larger initiative, the Diversity Voice in Residence, which seeks to have Sports Communication students cultivate a broader cultural understanding as part of their training to be the sports journalists of tomorrow. 

About the Marist Center for Sports Communication

Marist’s Center for Sports Communication is part of the School of Communication and the Arts. The Center is a global leader preparing an engaged group of future leaders and journalists in a far-reaching discipline. The concentration in Sports Communication requires that students read and analyze sports in new ways, critically examining the role of sports in society and considering such areas as gender, race, and public policy in the context of sports. The program combines ethical and theoretical depth with practical writing and public presentation skills. It further prepares students for careers in sports information and journalism by requiring an internship in the field.