A letter from Dr. Jennifer King Rice, University of Maryland Senior Vice President and Provost
After 11 years of distinguished service, Dean Lucy Dalglish will be stepping down from her role as dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism in June 2023. I am grateful to Dean Dalglish for her dedication and service to the University of Maryland. Her vast contributions over the past decade include the establishment of the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism and the creation of the George Solomon Endowed Chair in Sports Journalism. She received the Administrator of the Year Award from the Scripps Howard Foundation and the Association for Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication in 2021. I am particularly grateful that Dean Dalglish agreed to serve one year beyond the typical two five-year-term tenure of UMD deans to help ensure a successful accreditation process for Merrill College this year. She will enjoy a well-deserved sabbatical in FY2023 and then return to Merrill College as a full professor in Fall 2024.
I am pleased to announce that I have appointed a search committee and launched an aggressive national search to find an outstanding individual to fill the position of dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Keith Marzullo, dean of the UMD College of Information Studies, will chair the committee, which will be assisted by the international executive search firm Witt Kieffer. The complete list of committee members is provided below.
The new dean of the Merrill College must be committed to providing strong and visionary leadership for the college; supporting an environment of diversity and inclusive excellence in teaching and learning; promoting a culture of impactful research, scholarship and creative activities; encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships; fostering mission-driven engagement among the college’s students, faculty, staff, alumni and potential funders; and managing resources to effectively advance the mission of the college. We seek excellent and diverse candidates who can leverage our considerable academic strengths as a major research university, the unique advantages offered by our location, and our overriding commitment to inclusive excellence in all that we do. The new dean should be prepared to serve on the university’s academic leadership team, support the advancement of our university’s new strategic plan and engage with diverse stakeholder groups to build support for the College of Journalism.
We need a concerted effort that engages the entire community, working with members of the search committee, to identify a dean who can build on the strengths and forward momentum of the college. You can assist in the search process by using your personal contacts and networks to identify outstanding candidates for this position and to make the opportunity widely known. Please forward to any committee member the names of individuals you believe would be excellent candidates. We appreciate your assistance and support in this important effort.
The position description and further details regarding the appointment of a dean will follow.
Search Committee for the Dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Keith Marzullo, Chair — Dean, UMD College of Information Studies
John Bertot — Associate Provost, Faculty Affairs
Kevin Blackistone — Professor of the Practice, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Terrence Britt — Program Director, Undergraduate Recruitment, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Mel Coffee — Lecturer and CNS Broadcast Bureau Director, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Emily Condon — Student, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Philip Joyce — Professor, UMD School of Public Policy
Jay Kernis — Board of Visitors, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Deborah Nelson — Professor of Investigative Journalism, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Vanessa Nichols-Holmes — Assistant Dean, Business and Finance, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Sarah Oates — Professor and Senior Scholar, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Dana Priest — John S. and James L. Knight Chair in Public Affairs Journalism and Professor, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Serap Rada — Assistant Director of Graduate Programs, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Eve Sampson — Grad Student, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Krishnan Vasudevan — Assistant Professor in Visual Communication, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Ronald Yaros — Associate Professor, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Lynn Mullineaux — Staff to committee, Office of the Provost
Search Firm Contact: Jen Pickard from Witt Kieffer
Applications, nominations and inquiries can be submitted at: MarylandJOURDean@wittkieffer.com