Dr. Michael Frost is an adjunct professor for the Justice Studies and Psychology classes at Southern New Hampshire University. He has been working at SNHU for the last five years while also juggling other part-time jobs such as; consulting work for the Air Force and the Army National Guard, a sheriff for Western Massachusetts, and teaching online classes in the summer.
Last year, Dr. Frost was awarded the Adjunct Professor of the Year award (2022). Dr. Frost said during an interview, “I’ve been an adjunct professor for over 30 years, and I have to say it’s one of the most enjoyable jobs I’ve ever had.”
Dr. Frost has degrees in leadership and social work, making his work in the police department and correctional facilities more focused on mental health. Dr. Frost focuses on “theory to practice” and stated, “The benefit of having an old fool like me in the classroom is that we can take any topic that we discuss and share a story, or two, or twelve.”
“The value of adjuncts is that we get to work in our fields and bring the practical experience that they accumulate through trial and error and bring that to the classroom to combine with theory and make the topic come alive,” said Frost.
Frost focuses his teaching style on connection and having mutual respect and trust with his students to provide the best learning experience. Dr. Frost speaks about how SNHU requires professors to respond to 25-33% of threads for discussion posts, but he makes it a point to respond to every single student to create a connection with the class, not only in person but during his online classes as well.
“I work for you, if there’s no you, there’s no need for me, so at the end of the day it’s always about the student and meeting the students’ needs; that’s how I view education because that’s how I wanted my education,” said Frost.
When starting his teaching career at SNHU in 2019, it was his first experience teaching Generation Z to which he said, “These kids engage, want to learn, and really get into their topics.”
When asked what his teaching philosophy was, Frost responded, “I teach the way I want to be taught.”
After the spring semester, Dr.Frost will be taking a well-deserved summer off of teaching. He will take five separate motorcycle trips traveling across the United States and will also be taking a trip to explore Italy.
