Mike Pratt

I started working at UJ in December 2023 and have grown so much as an educator in general and an instructional designer in particular. It’s been awesome getting to know and work with a number of you at the university in my capacity, and I’m excited to expand on that in the coming months and years.

Prior to coming to UJ, I taught high school social studies courses online for almost a decade, during which time I earned my M.A. in European History; I put it to use right away as I took on history courses as an adjunct through my alma mater at the start of the pandemic. While still teaching high school full time, I earned my M.Ed. in Educational Tech and Instructional Design with the hope to pivot into higher education full time, which I was able to do through UJ.

Outside of work, I am a father and husband to a wonderful family: my wife, our four kids, and our cat and dog. I enjoy reading a variety of things, including historical non-fiction, parenting and faith-based books, and books on the craft of creative writing. I’ve self-published five books on Amazon under a pen name and have begun working on ideas for my next writing project.

Though I haven’t traveled afar lately, the five trips I took to Europe between 2005 and 2015 played a large role in forming me, and they’ve left me longing to go back when I get a chance. The late author Terry Pratchett is credited with a quote that I find profound for its insight and truth, and that has stuck with me for some time: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”