Cal State Fullerton Professor of Communications Douglas J. Swanson has been named the recipient of the 2025 Rick D. Pullen Academic Excellence Award, an honor recognizing outstanding contributions to teaching and the enhancement of the learning environment.
The award, named for longtime retired Dean Rick Pullen, celebrates faculty members whose careers exemplify academic excellence, innovation and dedication to student success. Swanson’s selection reflects a distinguished record spanning more than 35 years in higher education and professional communication, including 16 years at Cal State Fullerton.
Swanson has taught extensively across the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, including Principles and Ethics of Public Relations, Public Relations Writing, Public Relations Management, Public Relations Theory, Ethical Problems of Mass Media, Integrated Communications Media, and the M.A. Capstone Project. Over his tenure, he has taught 54 sections of Public Relations Writing, preparing more than 1,000 undergraduate students for careers in professional communication, and has mentored 82 graduate capstone projects in the past six years.
Colleagues and students alike praise Swanson’s pedagogy for its clarity, rigor and emphasis on connecting theory with professional practice. His courses are widely recognized for fostering critical thinking, ethical reasoning and real-world skill development.
A defining element of Swanson’s impact is the founding of PRactical ADvantage Communications in 2011, the College of Communications’ curriculum-based student-run agency. Under his leadership, students developed and executed strategic communication campaigns for more than 200 nonprofit and corporate clients. The agency has become one of the nation’s largest and most successful student-run programs, offering high-impact experiential learning opportunities that strengthen professional preparation, teamwork and ethical practice.
Swanson’s scholarly record further amplifies his teaching contributions. He has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and conference papers, along with influential books including, “Real World Career Preparation” and multiple editions of “Public Relations Management: A Team-Based Approach.” His research explores experiential learning, crisis communication, ethics, student-run agencies and mindfulness in communication education.
Beyond the classroom, Swanson has demonstrated sustained national, professional and university service. Nationally, he has contributed to accreditation and assessment initiatives through work on Certification in Education for Public Relations and Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications self-studies, and he has served as a WASC/WSCUC site visit evaluator. Professionally, he has been an active leader within the Public Relations Society of America, serving on Accreditation in Public Relations Readiness Review Panels and advancing conversations on ethics, experiential learning and mindfulness.
At Cal State Fullerton, Swanson has provided exceptional leadership in student learning assessment, curriculum development and faculty governance. His administrative roles have included serving as acting chair of the Department of Communications in 2014 and interim associate dean of the College of Communications from 2017-18.
Prior to joining Cal State Fullerton, Swanson served on the faculties of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in communication from Eastern New Mexico University and his Ed.D. in higher education teaching-mass communication from Oklahoma State University.
Past recipients of the Rick D. Pullen Academic Excellence Award include: Toya Wyatt (2024), Amber Chitty Wilson (2023), Shelly Murray (2022), Minjung Kim (2021), Beth Georges (2019), Kurt Kitselman (2019), Bonnie Stewart (2018), Kenneth Tom (2017), Andi Stein (2016), Jeanine Congalton (2015), Jule Selbo (2014), Carolyn Coal (2013), Edith Li (2012) and Philippe Perebinossoff (2011).