Rate My Professor Tim Bajkiewicz

Tim Bajkiewicz, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Journalism program at the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture, Virginia Commonwealth University. He has taught undergraduate journalism and graduate courses at VCU since 2008, achieving tenure in 2012. Bajkiewicz extensively redesigned classes associated with the School's award-winning student-produced newscast, VCU InSight, which has earned multiple Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence awards. He served as the School's Associate Director from 2014 to 2018 and led the design and launch of the new undergraduate media production program in Fall 2021. Prior to VCU, he was faculty at the University of South Florida from 2001 to 2008, where he received the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2004-2005. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Mass Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2002), M.A. in Mass Communications from the University of Florida (1995), B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Florida (1993), and a Certificate from Specs Howard School (1987).

Bajkiewicz's research specializations encompass mass communication program assessment, university-level assessment, and multimedia journalism. His key publications include Bajkiewicz, T.E. & Nash, K.S. (2023). When a plan comes together: An analysis of assessment plans from accredited U.S. journalism and mass communication programs. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 78(1), 25-39; Bajkiewicz, T.E. (2022). Plain plans: Using ‘Plain Language’ to meet ACEJMC’s assessment plan posting requirement. Journal of Media Education, 13(2), 5-13; Bajkiewicz, T.E. (2020). It all starts with a plan: A review of best practices for program assessment plans in journalism and mass communication. Journal of Media Education, 11(3), 5-12; Bajkiewicz, T.E. (2018). Text analysis: Part I--Content analysis. In Communication research methods in postmodern culture (2nd ed.); Bajkiewicz, T.E. (2012). Teaching multimedia journalism: A case study. In Teaching with multimedia; Bajkiewicz, T.E., Kraus, J., & Hong, S.Y. (2011). The impact of newsroom changes and the rise of social media on the practice of media relations. Public Relations Review; and Bajkiewicz, T.E. (2009). Tracks, silos, and elevators: Post-secondary convergence journalism education in the United States. In Understanding media convergence. He has earned the 2025-26 College of Humanities and Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award, the 2024 Leibner Cooper Grant for an oral history archive of influential radio disk jockeys, and First-Generation Student Success Research Grants. Bajkiewicz holds leadership roles in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and affiliations with the Broadcast Education Association, Society of Professional Journalists, and honor societies including Kappa Tau Alpha and Phi Beta Kappa, contributing to journalism education and pedagogy.