Metcalf Awards for Excellence in Teaching: Past Awardees

2025 Metcalf Award Recipient

Michelle Sullivan

College of Communication, Mass Communication, Advertising & Public Relations

Michelle Sullivan is a professor of the practice in the Department of Mass Communication, Advertising & Public Relations at the College of Communication. Since joining the faculty in 2017, she has inspired her students through innovative teaching, real-world learning, and deep, ongoing mentorship.

Previously a senior marketing executive for some of the world’s best-known brands, Professor Sullivan discovered that teaching is her true calling—and her students profoundly benefit from her unceasing devotion to her craft. 

One student shared that Professor Sullivan does not give away A’s easily because she wants to challenge and encourage students to aim even higher than they might have thought possible. “Michelle is my best example of an excellent professor,” the student added. “[S]he has an obvious desire to foster our creativity . . . giving us the chance to really show what we’re learning.”

An alumna of the College of Communication, Professor Sullivan brings uncommon dedication and generosity to her work. Her mentorship extends well beyond the classroom: She has guided hundreds of students as they navigate career decisions, offering thoughtful counsel and connecting them with meaningful professional opportunities. Many of those students have gone on to launch impactful and fulfilling careers—thanks in no small part to her guidance.

As her department chair put it, Professor Sullivan’s “impact on students’ academic and professional lives . . . truly embod[ies] the spirit of excellence in teaching that the Metcalf Awards seek to recognize and celebrate.”