Michael L. Hecht is a researcher in the field of human

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

, emphasising the areas of

interpersonal The concept of interpersonal relationship involves social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people. Interpersonal relationships vary in their degree of intimacy or self-disclosure, but also in their duration, in t ...

and

inter-ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

relationships, identity, and adolescent drug resistance. In 1973, Hecht earned his M.A. from

Queens College, City University of New York Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body ...

and his Ph.D. I in communications from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is now Liberal Arts Research Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences and Crime, Law, and Justice in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

. He has previously been full professor at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

Research

His research areas include identity, prejudice, ethnicity, communication satisfaction, adolescent drug resistance, and romantic love. The

National Institute on Drug Abuse The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a United States federal government research institute whose mission is to "advance science on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual a ...

awarded Hecht a series of major grants on the social process of adolescent drug offers. With these, a multicultural drug prevention program was formed for seventh graders called, keepin’ it REAL. Keepin’ it REAL went on to be selected as a “model program” by the National Registry of Effective Programs for its ability to influence adolescent drug use.

Experience

Hecht has conducted training and research for companies such as Xerox, ARCO, GTE, Jackson National Life Insurance, and U-Haul. He has also conducted evaluation research for federally funded drug abuse and crime prevention and treatment programs and for mental health agencies and served on school district advisory boards, as well as on a citizens advisory board for a hospital.

Achievements

He has earned numerous awards starting with Access Producers Achievement Award, Dickenson Cablesystems, for "Kids Broadcasting System News," in 1982, and his most recent being the National Communication Association's African American Communication & Culture Division's 2003 Distinguished Scholarship Award. In 2020, the

University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) is the largest college of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The college was established in 1913 through the merger of the College of Literature and Arts and the College of Science. The c ...

awarded Hecht with the LAS Humanitarian Award. Hecht is currently teaching numerous courses in the Communications, Arts and Sciences, and continuing his work with Keepin’ it REAL. He has been on the editorial board of several journals in his subject.

Publications

Books

*Baldwin, J.R., Faulkner, S.L., Hecht, M.L. & Lindsley, S.L. (Eds.) (2006). Redefining Culture: Perspectives across the disciplines. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. *Hecht, M.L., Jackson, R.L., & Ribeau, S. (2003).'' African American Communication: Exploring Identity and Culture'' (2nd edition). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associate, Inc. *Hecht, M.L., Collier, M.J., &, & Ribeau, S. (1993). ''African American communication: Ethnic identity and cultural interpretations''. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. *Miller, M.A., Alberts, J.K., Hecht, M.L., Krizek, R.L., & Trost, M. (2000). ''Adolescent relationships and drug abuse.'' NY: Erlbaum Publications. *Guerrero, L, DeVito, J.A. & Hecht, M.L. (Eds.) (1999). ''The nonverbal communication reader: classical and contemporary perspectives'' (2nd ed.). Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland. *DeVito, J.A. & Hecht, M.L. (Eds.) (1990).'' The nonverbal communication reader''. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland. *Hecht, M.L. (Ed.)(1998). Communicating prejudice. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. *Petronio, S., Alberts, J.K., Hecht, M.L., & Buley, J.L. (Eds.) (1993). ''Contemporary perspectives on interpersonal communication''. Dubuque, Iowa: W.C. Brown, Inc.

Others

He has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, and a number of book chapters and, presentations.

References

External links

* Drug Resistance Strategies Project website
Official CV at PSU
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hecht, Michael Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Queens College, City University of New York alumni University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences alumni Pennsylvania State University faculty Arizona State University faculty