Jeffrey Morosoff 
Associate Professor of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations | Hofstra University
Long Island, NY, UNITED STATES
Chair, Department of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations. He blogs about the PR industry at publicrelationsnation.com
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Biography
Jeff Morosoff teaches courses in the undergraduate and graduate PR programs, He also serves as faculty advisor to Hofstra's Public Relations Student Society of America.
A professional communicator for more than three decades, Professor Morosoff first worked in radio as a deejay and then a news anchor before his public relations career began in 1983 at Cablevision, where he handled community and government relations and public access productions. He later joined the communications team at the Long Island Association, a regional business and civic organization, and moved to direct public relations activities for the Town of Babylon under two elected town supervisors. He left government in the mid '90s to run political campaigns and provide public relations services for various clients.
From 1999-2008, Morosoff taught media and public relations courses as an adjunct professor at New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), where he had earlier earned bachelor's and master's degrees in communication arts. He was NYIT's director of alumni and government relations, and later director of foundation and corporate relations, before being appointed vice president for institutional advancement at Nassau Community College. Prior to arriving at Hofstra in 2010, Morosoff served as vice president of communications for the nonprofit Early Years Institute.
Professor Morosoff was named the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication's Distinguished Teacher of the Year in 2016. Other awards include the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island's (PRPLI) 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award, PRPLI's 2013 Mentor Award, and the International Association of Business Communicators' Achievement in Communications Award in 2000.
Morosoff's primary research focuses on public relations efforts within resource-challenged nonprofit organizations. He served as president of PRPLI from 1995-97 and 2006-07, and currently serves on the board of advisors at the Museum of Public Relations. He is a member of PRPLI, the Association for Education in Journalism and Media Studies' Public Relations Division, the Public Relations Society of America, and is faculty adviser to the Hofstra chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. Professor Morosoff is also an active volunteer for the Fair Media Council and authors a weekly blog, "Public Relations Nation."
Industry Expertise (3)
Education/Learning
Advertising/Marketing
Public Relations and Communications
Areas of Expertise (5)
Public Relations
Crisis Communication
Reputation Management
Community & Government Relations
Public relations campaigns
Accomplishments (4)
Distinguished Teacher of the Year (professional)
2016-01-01
Awarded by the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication.
Lifetime Achievement Award (professional)
2015-01-01
Awarded by the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island.
Mentor Award (professional)
2013-01-01
Awarded by the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island.
Achievement in Communications Award (professional)
2000-01-01
Awarded by the International Association of Business Communicators.
Education (2)
New York Institute of Technology: M.A. 2001
New York Institute of Technology: B.F.A. 1983
Affiliations (7)
- Public Relations Professionals of Long Island
- Association for Education in Journalism and Media Studies’ Public Relations Division
- Public Relations Society of America
- Eastern Communication Association
- New York State Communication Association
- Fair Media Council
- Museum of Public Relations
Links (2)
Media Appearances (3)
Dove's 'black-to-white' soap ad sparks outrage
Fox 5 NY tv
2017-10-09
The vetting process for ads at a company like Dove is typically cautious, according to Jeff Morosoff, the director of the public relations graduate program at Hofstra University. Writers, producers and ad agencies all have to approve the ad before the public sees it, he said. But due to the fast-paced nature of social media, the Facebook post likely went through fewer people than a TV commercial would, he said...
Trump: America's Reality TV President in Waiting
Yahoo!
2016-12-10
"We have yet to see what this presidency is going to look like. That's part of his goal to keep us off balance," said Jeff Morosoff, media studies and public relations professor at Hofstra University. "I think we need to fasten our seatbelts for one long roller coaster ride."...
Remove Foot From Mouth: 6 Tips for Speaking With The Press
PR News Online
2016-06-29
Jeffrey Morosoff, director of Hofstra University’s graduate program in PR, and an assistant professor of PR and media studies, believes, as many PR pros do, that media training is critical for CEOs and other executives, particularly in today's unforgiving digital environment. He cites a pair of historic doozies where the CEO's words could have been better. Much better. In 2010 an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the death of 11 workers and spilled an estimated four billion barrels of crude oil into the Gulf. The largest environmental disaster in U.S. history also was a prodigious PR blunder. BP CEO Tony Hayward started strong, telling a reporter, “We’re sorry for the massive disruption this has caused (people’s) lives.” It went downhill from there when he said to the reporter, “There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do, you know…I’d like my life back.” As Morosoff wrote in PR News’ Book of Crisis Management, “Considering the quote came from a millionaire CEO surrounded by death and destruction, there may be few greater foot-in-mouth moments than this." A firestorm ensued and Hayward was gone one year later...
Research Focus (1)
Topics of interest include:
Public relations for not-for-profit organizations; how non-profits groups handle communications and marketing activities with generally few resources and little staff.
Articles (1)
Making the Case for Pro-bono Public Relations Services for Nonprofit Organizations on Long Island
Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association2014 Nonprofit organizations have historically struggled to effectively use public relations tactics and campaigns to communicate with their publics. Three annual surveys of Long Island, New York-based nonprofits conducted in 2011, 2012 and 2013 add evidence to this anecdotal knowledge. These nonprofits either do not have or do not devote significant resources to public relations efforts. As media becomes more complex and the skill sets needed to navigate these changes increase, it may be more incumbent on experienced public relations practitioners to assist these organizations through pro bono services.
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