In the winter of 2010, Marc Whitney stood in a classroom of 50 sophomore college students, tasked with teaching Introduction to Public Relations. Nearly 15 years later, in the spring of 2024, he was named the Diederich College of Communication’s Adjunct Professor of the Year.
Whitney graduated from Marquette University in 1987 — in what was then called the College of Speech — with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast communication. After graduation, while he was guest speaking at a College of Speech Alumni Board meeting, Whitney was asked to consider being an adjunct professor of communication.
“I’ve never taken a PR, advertising or marketing undergrad course, ever. My focus was on broadcasting,” Whitney says. “There’s stuff they don’t teach you in school. You can only learn that from getting out there and actually working in the field.”
Whitney went straight into the workforce after college. He moved to Indiana to start his professional career in public relations with a minor league baseball team. When he later became a professor, he was able to take knowledge from that and other professional PR experiences and translate it to the classroom.
“I will always try and bring in something that we have done as an example,” Whitney says. “Not just as an example of what to do, but sometimes as an example of what not to do.”
By sharing personal experiences about his career, Whitney elevates classroom learning for students. Maddie Brantman, a junior studying corporate communication, explains how notable Whitney’s professional experience was — even after she finished taking his class.
“What sticks out to me is his work,” Brantman says. “He works with the American Society of Golf Course Architects. Hearing him talk about the content he created was really cool because he would show us his work, and then we would use those examples to learn how to create our own content.”
Whitney is the director of marketing and communications for ASGCA through TRG Marketing. In terms of services, Whitney explains that his career provides “everything from digital to print advertising, social media to blog posts or even podcasts, as well as traditional public relations writing, including press releases,” for TRG’s clients.
Each of these services directly correlates to what students can expect to learn in class. Whitney’s examples give students the opportunity to be more prepared when entering the workforce after graduation. At the end of the semester, students turn in a portfolio of work that they can use for job applications or development in future classes.
Lorelai VanGuilder, a senior majoring in communication studies, says when she switched majors, Whitney was one of the first communication professors she had, and the difference he created in the classroom was significant.
“Sometimes I see professors as robots trying to jam information into our brains from a textbook, but Whitney provided a more personal side that I really appreciated,” VanGuilder says. “I find that he’s a lot more connected to what’s going on in the world, and he cares a lot more about his students thinking creatively.”
Whitney primarily teaches Introduction to Public Relations and Media Writing. The students who take these classes have high praise for him and his teaching style.
“I had Whitney’s class when I was getting burnt out from all the writing that I was doing,” Brantman says. “But then entering his class and learning a new way of breaking down how to write different types of media with creative freedom was fun. He made me enjoy writing again.”
Whitney’s passion for teaching students is evident. He strives to create a classroom where students feel comfortable speaking up and where they can excel in their coursework — preparing them for real life.
“At the end of the day, at the end of the semester, it’s all about the students,” Whitney says. “What drew me to Marquette was opportunity, and I want to give each of my students the same opportunity that I was given — to learn, grow and be a positive difference.”
