Barry Mitzman - the long-time host of KCTS-TV's show Serious Money - is leaving his post as Microsoft's director of strategic communications to direct Seattle University's new Center for Strategic Communications.

He'll work with Soon Beng Yeap, Seattle U's assistant vice president of marketing and university communications, who was formerly head of global reputation management at Starbucks.

Among their plans is a student-run, strategic communications agency that will assist nonprofit organizations at no charge. (Seriously, no money.)

The goal of the center is to "redefine public relations practice for today's era of blogging, MySpace and YouTube," the university said in a statement announcing Mitzman's appointment. Seattle U's College of Arts and Sciences began offering the strategic communications major, the first of its kind in the state, this fall.