Sam Schechter | schechter.ca

online portfolio

BIO

Sam Schechter is faculty in the Communications Department at Douglas College and was formerly President of the Douglas College Faculty Association. Before that, he was Chair of the Communications Department and a member of the Education Council. He also continues to be faculty at the University of the Fraser Valley.

He has taught a wide variety of courses, including public relations, social media, interdisciplinary studies, public speaking, and professional communications. Previously, he developed and taught social media courses at Royal Roads University and in the Media & Public Relations program at Vancouver Community College.

In August of 2022, Sam published Professional Writing Today: A Functional Approach as an OER textbook for first-year post-secondary students taking professional writing courses. In January of 2023, he published Public Speaking for Today’s Audiences and, in April, 2023, he published a third OER textbook, Public Relations: From Strategy to Action. In August of 2023, Sam published Social Media & Reputation Management. He is also the editor of an OER collection of case studies: Public Relations Case Studies: Strategies & Actions.

Before entering academia, Sam worked in politics and government for more than a decade. In 2005, he was elected as a municipal councillor in the City of North Vancouver. He also, at various times, worked as a campaign manager, as party fundraising staff, as campaign communications staff, and as government political staff (for one opposition MLA and for one cabinet minister).

Sam is happily married with two young children. He and his wife are both avid travelers and were certified as wine stewards by the International Sommelier Guild.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER

POLITICS
Elected to North Vancouver City Council in 2005, Sam had previously worked as a campaign manager and separately as political staff for one opposition MLA and one cabinet minister. After serving his term in public office, Sam again managed election campaigns and also worked in the headquarters of the BC New Democratic Party.

I consider Sam to be the sort of colleague that I want to work with on an ongoing basis…. Everywhere I have worked with Sam, he has contributed to capacity building and the success of young people.
Dr. Craig Keating, former President, BC NDP

COMMUNICATIONS
Sam worked as a communications and fundraising professional during his work in the non-profit sector. His responsibilities included stakeholder relations, media relations, branding, social media and digital media management, graphic design, print production, event planning, and copy writing.

Our students, and indeed our department, have benefited from Sam’s real-world experience and professional insights into workplace communication.
Dr. David Thomson, Associate Professor, UFV

CONSULTING
From time to time, Sam has helped clients in the non-profit, municipal, and energy sectors to advance their organizational needs. His services have included communications planning, investor and stakeholder relations, media strategy, government relations, public relations, and strategic planning.

Sam Schechter’s an extraordinary person—the very model of the theoretically adept and critical communications professional we seek…. I give him my strongest recommendation.
Dr. David Black, Associate Professor, Royal Roads University

GET IN TOUCH

Sam Schechter, Faculty
Communications Department
Douglas College
Room S2657
700 Royal Avenue
New Westminster, BC V3M 5Z5

sam@schechter.ca

ACADEMIC CAREER

Sam has taught and developed curriculum at four post-secondary institutions in British Columbia: Douglas College, the University of the Fraser Valley, Royal Roads University, and Vancouver Community College.

Douglas College, 2019-present
At Douglas College, Sam teaches in the Communications Department and is President-elect of the faculty union. Previously, he sat on the College’s Education Council and was Chair of the Communications Department.

Sam’s teaching style transcends the course material; he teaches about life, drawing from his own experiences. He is a real teacher, with the exact meaning of the word.
Douglas College Student, 2020

UFV, 2011-present
Sam has taught dozens of sections of more than ten different courses at the University of the Fraser Valley. Most of Sam’s courses are focused on public relations, public speaking, and professional writing. A first for the Communications department, Sam also taught one semester abroad at UFV’s Chandigarh campus in India.

Sam is probably my favourite prof at UFV and I would not have pursued communications as a field of study were it not for his influence.
UFV Student, 2014

RRU, 2011-2014
As associate faculty in the MA in Professional Communications program at Royal Roads University, Sam taught two different versions of PCOM 520. The first version was titled “Academic Writing and Communication”; the second version was titled “Social Media and Digital Communication,” which Sam developed.

Sam has been phenomenal. He is such a dedicated professor and gives the most detailed and valuable feedback. He is very interactive with the class and engages the whole class in a way that I would not have thought possible through online learning.
RRU Student, 2012

VCC, 2009-2012
Sam designed and taught the Media and Public Relations program at VCC. The program grew from a stand-alone opportunity for students to take continuing education courses into a more robust set of offerings that were integrated into other College programs.