Is Dave Van Zandt currently affiliated with any university, company, or organization?

1. Two different people, two different careers — don’t conflate them

Public sources repeatedly warn that David E. Van Zandt (the long‑time law dean and former New School president) is a distinct person from Dave M. Van Zandt, who runs Media Bias/Fact Check; MBFC’s own FAQ and InfluenceWatch both make that separation explicit ^{[2] [3]}. Wikipedia’s page on David E. Van Zandt documents his academic career and board roles, reinforcing that he is the university‑affiliated figure ^[1].

2. David E. Van Zandt: clear university and organizational affiliations

David E. Van Zandt’s public biography shows sustained ties to higher education and nonprofit governance: he served on the Northwestern University faculty and as dean, became president of The New School (2011–2020), and is reported to serve as treasurer of the American Bar Foundation and a board member of AMC Networks and the American Law Deans Association, among other roles ^[1]. C‑SPAN’s entry also ties a David Van Zandt to the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, consistent with the academic profile ^[4].

3. Dave M. Van Zandt: MBFC founder, healthcare industry employment

MBFC’s own pages and third‑party profiles identify the site’s founder as Dave M. Van Zandt, who is the sole owner/operator of Media Bias/Fact Check, and who “currently works in the healthcare industry” while operating MBFC as a North Carolina LLC ^{[2] [5] [3]}. InfluenceWatch and MBFC describe him as the site’s editor and founder, which indicates an organizational affiliation with MBFC but not with a university ^{[3] [6]}.

4. What each source actually says about “current affiliation”

MBFC’s FAQ and contact page state directly that Dave M. Van Zandt “currently works in the healthcare industry” and is not affiliated with The New School or David E. Van Zandt; they describe MBFC as his privately owned LLC headquartered in North Carolina ^{[2] [5]}. Wikipedia and profiles of David E. Van Zandt list active or recent board and academic positions for that person ^[1].

5. Competing perspectives and reputation context

Journalism outlets describe MBFC as an “armchair” media‑bias project run by Dave Van Zandt, noting a small team and subjective scoring methods; Columbia Journalism Review’s coverage frames MBFC as an influential but informal operation rather than an academic research center ^[7]. InfluenceWatch and other profiles likewise present MBFC as a for‑profit LLC and note the founder’s editorial role ^[3]. Other online commentators question MBFC’s transparency or the founder’s credentials, but those critiques focus on MBFC and its methods rather than asserting a university affiliation ^{[8] [9]}.

6. Limitations and what sources do not say

Available sources do not mention any university appointment, visiting professorship, or corporate executive title held by Dave M. Van Zandt outside his MBFC ownership and his stated employment in healthcare; MBFC’s pages emphasize he is not affiliated with The New School or David E. Van Zandt ^{[2] [5]}. If you are asking about a different “Dave Van Zandt” or about recent appointments after the latest cited updates, those developments are not covered in the provided materials.

7. Bottom line for your question

If you mean David E. Van Zandt (the academic), he has known university and board affiliations, including past leadership at The New School and roles on nonprofit and corporate boards ^{[1] [4]}. If you mean Dave M. Van Zandt (the MBFC founder), current reporting identifies him as the sole owner/editor of Media Bias/Fact Check and as employed in the healthcare industry; MBFC is a North Carolina LLC and he is not affiliated with The New School or the academic David E. Van Zandt ^{[2] [3] [5]}.