Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Philip Bakelaar

If you ever bumped into Dr. Philip Bakelaar on campus, you may question, “What’s with all the luggage?”  However, if you viewed merely half of Dr. Bakelaar’s resume, you would question no longer.  He’s accomplished so much and applies it to his teaching, it’s no wonder he needs the luggage.  His many positions alone are a clear reflection of his many skills and reserves of knowledge.  Dr. Bakelaar, or simply Dr. B as Montclair students may know him, has an extensive and impressive amount of experience, but, not content to rest on his laurels, he continues to add to his resume.  Dr. B hopes his unquenchable desire to learn will inspire his students and make them aware of their limitless potential for attaining their goals and to make a positive difference.

“If you leave my classes you’re thinking about not just your financial career, but how does your practice of communication contribute to the well-being of the community and how it would engage in civil participation somehow and global participation”, said Bakelaar.

An adjunct Montclair State University professor since 1992, Dr. Bakelaar has sought to offer his broad knowledge and skills to students, while compelling them to use their education not just in their local communities, but the world as well. With a grassroots upbringing that included clam digging on The Great South Bay in Long Island, NY, volunteer ambulance work as an EMT and emergency radio communications as part of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Bakelaar has lived a life of community involvement with care to never forget his roots. From nonprofit organizations to faith-based ones, he has worked to aid children, youth, senior citizens and the homeless to name a few.

Yet, Bakelaar has not sought to scale new heights as his own resume enhancer; instead, through teaching at Montclair, he has brought his students along for the ride. While performing just one of his many professional knacks, visual recording, he caught the attention of Anita Sheth, Fairtrade International Senior Advisor on Social Compliance and Development. Sheth was impressed enough to ask Bakelaar to help with a Fairtrade International child labor issue with the use of visual facilitation. To which he responded, bringing in his undergraduate capstone organizational consulting class in the project. In October 2013, Bakelaar and his class created a set of visuals for the Fairtrade training manual on child labor laws, which were to be used as a reference point for Paraguayan and African farmers. The visuals were based on the Fairtrade International training these farmers had received and were utilized to generate an overall understanding for the learned laws of the program. This very event exemplifies the genuine world communication experience of which Bakelaar strives to bring into the classroom.

“I love to bring to students an integrated sense of the way communication can lead to significant, positive community outcomes,” said Bakelaar. “It’s consequential, the word is consequential, our communication is consequential. It has real effects, lasting effects. So, if I can help students think about that and then have more skill…”

Currently, Bakelaar’s Organizational Consulting class is working on a web Geographic Information System (GIS) asset map with the purpose of helping police and residents of Stafford Township locate food, clothing, dental care, eyeglasses and other needs by filtering their search to match specific demographics and locations.  Resources are therefore available together in one searchable map, again, looking to the purpose of engaging students to utilize their communication skills and direct such to strategically benefit the surrounding community.

“Especially after Hurricane Sandy, it became clear that coordinating resources for the community was a challenge in many places,” said Bakelaar. “Teaching students to use technology to create solutions is a key part of our program.”

Bakelaar’s many projects include coaching, training, conflict management, mediation and visual facilitation as well as work in organizations such as the Interfaith Health and Support Services of Southern Ocean County, Family Promise (helping homeless and low-income families), the International Forum of Visual Practitioners and the Religion Communicators Council. One may now begin to understand why he carries so many bags, perhaps to hold every hat this master communicator wears. In between all of these commitments, Bakelaar manages to attend meetings for CWS Global, an international relief organization for which he was a member for two years, providing help to U.S. refugees. Recently, this group has met to address issues concerning U.S. Syrian refugees and has even had dinner with the Cuban Ambassador. Bakelaar has also attended the Annual NJCAP Conference this past July where he conducted the session “Focus on Digital Engagement: Social Media and Metrics” for alumni engagement. Recently, and in keeping with his philosophy of helping students both present and past, he gifted 20 boxes of communication books to former graduate student, David Mansaray, to pass along to his home university in Sierra Leone. In the near future, we can expect to see Dr. Bakelaar attending the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) Measurement Summit this October in New Hampshire. The focus will be on settling the international standard for PR metrics, featuring a strong orientation in social media. Nevertheless, Bakelaar still makes time to teach in the Masters Public and Organizational Relations program, considering each of these commitments as preparation for the other, all equipping him further.

“The graduate program pillars are so integrated for me,” said Bakelaar. “Leadership mindset, strategic thinking, media savvy, communication skills; I live those. That’s just what I do so it fits really well for me to be engaged in the graduate program.”

Thus, the learning process comes full circle for Dr. Bakelaar with engagement for both student and teacher with the community as the beneficiary.  Chances are, in the luggage he can be seen toting around campus and community, there’s probably something in there for his students as well.