Education

1999 University of Florida, B.A., B.S.
2006 University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, M.A.
2011 University of Florida, Ph.D.

Courses Taught

Introduction to Journalism
News Reporting and Writing
Feature Writing

Career Specialties

Jeff Neely specializes in the study of literary journalism as a point of intersection for both academics and professionals. His work examines the diverse potential for literary journalism to serve myriad prosocial goals, like social justice, sustainability ethics and positive social identity formation. He has interviewed and surveyed numerous students and teachers of literary journalism, resulting in strong evidence for literary journalism as uniquely valuable in its ability to foster a robust liberal arts education. Other areas of Neely’s research include media ethics, community building, youth media and virtual worlds.  

Professional and Community Activities

Neely’s research has been published in several academic journals and scholarly books. He is also an active member of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies. Prior to entering higher education, Neely worked as a writer and editor – largely covering community news – for a variety of newspapers and magazines in the Tampa Bay area. Additionally, he has been a contributing writer for publications ranging from the NASA website, Christianity Today and the local surf report website Gulfster.com.