Courtesy of MSU Public Relations
Following a national search, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, longtime NABJ member, and current Assistant Dean for Programs Jackie Jones was selected by Morgan State University President David K. Wilson to serve as the next dean of Morgan’s School of Global Journalism and Communication (SGJC). Jones, who in addition to her role as assistant dean also serves as the chair of the Department of Multimedia Journalism, replaces DeWayne Wickham, the school’s inaugural dean, following his near-decade of leadership. She will assume the role effective Aug. 1, becoming only the second person to lead SGJC.
“We searched the nation seeking a qualified and highly capable candidate to build upon the success that (NABJ Founder) DeWayne Wickham began, and that search has led us right back to Morgan, where we found the best person, in the selection of Jackie Jones, to take over the leadership reins,” said President Wilson. “Jackie Jones has been a co-collaborator in the School of Global Journalism and Communication’s growth into a top destination for students seeking preparation for careers in a diverse and competitive communications field, and she was instrumental in navigating the school to the attainment of its first-ever accreditation. In her, we’ve found the right person for the job.”
As dean, Jones will be responsible for the management and oversight of 24 faculty members and more than 400 students. She will also oversee and coordinate the activities of SGJC’s three academic units (Department of Multimedia Journalism, Department of Multiplatform Production and Department of Strategic Communication) and the performance centers that provide students in these departments with opportunities to apply to real-world settings the things they learned in the classroom. Her responsibilities will also include leadership of the operation of WEAA-FM, the university’s NPR affiliate radio station, which has a small professional staff and serves as a learning lab for students.
In addition, she will be tasked with expanding experiential learning opportunities for SGJC’s undergraduate students and guiding the school through the launch of a master’s degree in Global Multimedia Journalism and Communication in Africa and the development of a Journalism and Mass Communication Ph.D. program.