Robert S. Littlefield

Robert S. Littlefield is a Professor and Founding Director of the Nicholson School of Communication and Media (NSCM) at the University of Central Florida (UCF). He has served at UCF since 2016, leading NSCM through program expansions, including a doctoral program in Strategic Communication and campus extensions to UCF Downtown. Previously, he was a professor at North Dakota State University for over 35 years.

He holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Minnesota (1984). His research focuses on crisis and risk communication, crisis leadership, and forensics education, with over 100 publications and eight authored/co-authored books. He is currently writing a book on organizational adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Littlefield has advised over 50 master’s theses and 20 doctoral dissertations, spanning topics like crisis communication and forensic pedagogy. Under his leadership, NSCM expanded its academic offerings, Advisory Board, and fundraising efforts, while establishing student/faculty recognition programs.

NSCM operates across eight undergraduate and five graduate programs in Communication, Film and Mass Media, Games and Interactive Media, and the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy. Littlefield’s work bridges communication theory with practical leadership strategies in crises and organizational resilience.