Professor to take dean's job

After nine years of teaching at IU, associate professor of journalism Paul Voakes is leaving Bloomington to embark upon a new administrative career as the dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder. \nHaving never held an administrative position before, Voakes said the experience will be much more of a challenge than simply moving to a new location.\n"I don't look at it as a job change," he said. "I look at it more as a career change." \nIn Colorado, Voakes will not be teaching or researching -- jobs that he said have been his primary objectives for just under a decade. However, he admitted that when the opportunity arose, he simply couldn't decline.\n"A lot of professors think that they might want to try being an administrator. I contemplated it and wanted to see if I had what it takes," he said. "This was an opportunity that I had thought for a long time about and decided I couldn't pass it up."\nVoakes noted the decision required such deep thinking because of the time at which it arrived. At 52 years of age and having just received his tenure three years ago, Voakes said he felt the offer came much earlier than he expected. However, he said it speaks highly of IU that such an "academic punk kid" was an attractive candidate for the job.\n"It's a tribute to IU," he said. "They developed me as an educator to a level that obviously seems to be impressive elsewhere."\nDean of the IU School of Journalism Trevor Brown said IU can't take all the credit. He told a story of Voakes' hiring, in which associate professor Randal Beam also joined the school. There was only one position available, specifically for a professor with newspaper experience. Brown said both Beam and Voakes were so impressive that both of them were hired. \n"We had known about Paul for quite some time before he ever applied for a position here," Brown said. "He had the ideal credentials for someone in our school -- a wealth of professional experience and a first rate doctoral education from the University of Wisconsin."\nVoakes had spent 15 years in the professional field, working as a writer, columnist and editor at the Palo Alto Times, Peninsula Times Tribune and the San Jose Mercury News. Brown noted such experience more than compensates for Voakes' lack of academic administrative experience.\n"There is some administrative work involved in the newsroom. A degree of management skill is necessary to be a leader," Brown said. "That said, Paul is so well-known around the field that if he had expressed a desire to be an administrator, he would be well sought after." \nDel Brinkman, former dean of SJMC, at University of Colorado at Boulder also showed no worries concerning Voakes' administrative experience.\n"When I became dean at Kansas, I had no experience," he said. "You have to start somewhere."\nAfter undergoing open-heart surgery in 2001, Brinkman said he decided to retire due to health and family concerns. The school then began to seek out his replacement, with Voakes among the candidates. When Brinkman heard Voakes wasn't going to accept, he said he made it a point to seek Voakes out.\n"I encouraged him to accept," Brinkman said. "There are certain qualities a leader and administrator needs to have and Paul had demonstrated those already."\nFor Colorado's journalism program, Brinkman said he expects Voakes to make the most of its potential. \n"Paul has a vision for what the journalism school should be," he said. "Right now, we have a good school that could be great. Paul is the right man to lead it."\nVoakes spoke of this potential and other ideas he has in mind for his new job.\n"I think it's a school that isn't living up to its potential," he said. "I think my challenge is to take that great potential and turn it into a great reputation."\nAmong his ideas of bringing a focus on the convergence of media and diversity to Colorado, Voakes said he hopes to find a way to reinvigorate the University's student press, which was kicked off campus during the Vietnam conflict and has since become a professional production unconnected to the students.\nBrown said IU will miss Voakes' presence dearly, both his professional experience and likeable personality.\n"He's a marvelous academic citizen," he said. "His experience working for a daily newspaper brings to the classroom a realism that complements teaching. He's extremely well-organized, a delight to his colleagues and extremely popular with students."\nVoakes currently is working in the School of Journalism areas of reporting, editing, law, ethics and quantitative research methods. His new position begins July 1.