His ability to work well with words, said his former co-workers, served him much better than his work with weapons.

“He’s one of the leading conservationists at West Point because he never managed to kill any game at all,” Maj. Tom Bryant joked of his former boss’s hunting skills. “Part of it is because he was a pilot, so he has no shot at all.”

Cassella will lead MSU’s Office of Media Communications and will be responsible for the university’s press relations.

“We are going to be really taking a look at redoing our Newsroom (Web) site,” said Heather Shupp, assistant vice president for university relations. “(Cassella will) be heading that up and how best to consolidate our Web site and really create a news portal for the university that’s a resource (where) journalists and anyone, public or inside the university, can go to find out the news.”

Shupp said she is looking forward to Cassella’s leadership in the university relations office and across campus.

“The military is very good at developing leadership skills,” Shupp said. “That’s something that really shines through when you meet him — his ability to lead and pull together teams.”

Cassella said MSU is a “top-tier” institute like West Point, so his experience will translate well.

“The lessons that I learned in working with the media at West Point, which is right next door to the major media market of New York City, those lessons are invaluable working with such a large and great research university, as Michigan State is,” Cassella said.

Cassella said he was drawn to East Lansing from the beginning, and is excited about the opportunity.

“I was completely impressed with everyone I met at MSU and all that the administrators here had accomplished,” he said.

“The vision for the university, it’s compelling. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join a world-class organization like this.”