Rick Sykes is a full professor at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. He was also the 2009 Chair of the Sports Division for the Broadcast Education Association (BEA). Prior to joining the faculty at Central Michigan, Sykes worked for more than 20 years in the communication business. He spent 17 years in broadcast news in medium and large sized markets holding both talent and management positions.
Following his news experience, Sykes worked for six years as a senior executive for a public relations agency in the Detroit market. As a PR executive, he was involved in several community relations projects with Detroit sports teams.
In addition to teaching broadcast news and sports related courses, Sykes oversees a student-produced nightly newscast that airs live five nights a week.