He has taught at ECU for 26 years and directed the master of public administration program for 10 years. He co-directs the ECU Outreach Network and the N.C. Talent Enhancement Program, which work with small local governments and non-profits in eastern North Carolina. He and Charles Prysby of UNC-Greensboro won the 2006 Rowman-Littlefield Award for Innovative Teaching of the American Political Science Association.