Anthony Rotolo is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool), where he specializes in Social Media and the study of real-time information.

His course, “Social Media in the Enterprise” (more popularly known as #RotoloClass on Twitter), addresses the changing expectations of information users and how businesses and organizations of all sizes can leverage social media to achieve strategic goals. This course at the Syracuse University iSchool leverages real-time social media to deliver a fast-paced, hands-on experience and has developed its own online community of learners, practitioners and experts who join the class each week via Twitter.

Professor Rotolo’s other course, “Star Trek and the Information Age,” is an exploration of issues related to current technology, as well as societal and leadership challenges as viewed through the lens of Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi franchise. Using episodes of Star Trek as launching points for discussion, the course uses an innovative mix of social media as a primary method of student engagement, including collaborative blogging at The Collective (TrekClass.com), named for the Borg and its infamous “hive mind.” Like Star Trek itself, the class seeks to spark a passion for pursuing science and technology. It has even become a featured blog on CBS’s StarTrek.com, written monthly by Professor Rotolo.

In 2009, Rotolo was appointed Syracuse University’s Social Media Strategist, which was the first position of its kind at the university. In this role, he directed a team of staff and students to develop and implement a strategy that established Syracuse as a leader in the use of social media among its peers in higher education. Less than one year later, Klout, an organization that ranks online influence, rated Syracuse as the second-most influential college in social media, behind first-place Stanford and ahead of third-place Harvard.

In 2011, Rotolo was awarded “Young Technologist of the Year” by the Technology Alliance of Central New York. He has also been awarded Faculty of the Year Award (2009) by the Syracuse University iSchool, as well as Faculty of the Year for Excellence in Online Education (2009) by the Web-based Information Science Education (WiSE) consortium.

Rotolo is also a cofounder of enormo.us, a creative agency that specializes in social media consulting, interactive design, digital video and animation.

He has been a contributing writer for Mashable, SocialFresh, PRSA Tactics and other widely read publications and blogs. He has also been featured in articles in the New York Times, USA Today, ABC News and other news outlets.

Professor Rotolo recently completed a speaking tour titled, “Social Media 101: Join the Conversation,” which visited thirteen cities nationwide. Attendees are invited to strategize on how social media can be used to achieve professional and personal goals.

Rotolo continues to speak publicly on the topics of social media for business, education or personal use, as well as unique lectures based on the content of his Star Trek course. For information on upcoming talks, or to request a speaking arrangement, check out the Speaking section of this site. You can also contact Professor Rotolo on LinkedIn and follow his updates on Twitter or Facebook.