Michael Theis is a photo and media editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Chronicle of Philanthropy. He works with freelancers and wire services, as well as producing original work, to provide visual and audio context to the news of academe and philanthropy. He is a 2006 graduate of Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va., where he studied mass communication and photography. Though currently focused on photojournalism and video journalism, Michael spent much of his earlier career as a local reporter covering city halls and government policy. Michael came to The Chronicle of Philanthropy in 2019 as a data journalist. In his spare time, he enjoys bicycle touring.
Stories by This Author
An innovative partnership at the University of Georgia saved a community newspaper – and gave students a new way to prepare for the work force.
Kal-El Key, a recent graduate of SUNY-Canton’s new esports-management program, hopes to find work in the fast-growing industry. Here’s his story.
Our video follows recruiters from The Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network, a partnership of 16 colleges across the country, as they hit the road in the South, looking for learners who might not know about all of their higher-ed options, but have the potential to thrive on campus.
Through a program that targets students with foster-care backgrounds attending Virginia’s community colleges, David Billhimer has found something like a family of his own at college.
After fleeing Afghanistan, in 2021, Edris Tajik earned a scholarship to Bard College. His life is proof of the power of education to transform lives.
How Josh Hansen, a student with learning disabilities, is clearing hurdles in pursuit of a degree.
Rural high-school students enroll in college at a lower rate than urban students. Our latest photo essay follows Daryl Burleigh, a rural recruiter, and his strategies for connecting with these students. Read more of his story now.
Two first-generation students describe the multiple challenges and profound losses they’ve faced in college -- and what has helped keep them in school.
Video
Students at three colleges answered four questions from The Chronicle. Their answers help bring to light the many complexities involved in deciding if attending college is worth the costs.
Fund Raising
Seventeen campuses will benefit from the estate of a woman who never attended college and whose wealth was little known until after her death, at age 105.
