New J-school dean set to take reins

With the exit of Journalism Dean Trevor Brown the stage is set for his predecessor, Brad Hamm, to leave his mark on a school that Brown helped establish.\nHamm, who left a position as associate dean for the School of Communication at Elon University in North Carolina to come to IU, was chosen by the search committee after a first attempt failed to yield a worthy replacement. \nHamm said he is not nervous about starting his new position, which he began July 1, because the faculty and staff of the J-school will help him with the transition.\n"A dean is just one of 40 or 50 people in the building and there's a lot of talent in that building and they are nationally known," he said. "A lot of your work is being available, participation, presence, but I also don't doubt that people will know I'm there and understand my involvement. I think the bigger question is when you come in each day what you are doing to make this one of the best J-schools in the nation? I don't want to lose sight of that."\nIU-Bloomington Chancellor Ken Gros Louis said he has discussed several goals with Hamm for the school, including expanding the Ph.D. program. \n"The usual issue in journalism is between professionalism and the academic," he said. "I think Brad is interested in finding a balance between the two. He reminded me of me when I was his age."\nIn the several meetings Hamm has had with various administrators several goals for the School of Journalism have been discussed. But Hamm also has some of his own.\n"One is to look at the program on a national level," he said. "Placing yourself among the nation's best in your category, and we are among the nation's best. We are going to hire a bunch of new faculty. More than half of the faculty in Ernie Pyle are scheduled to retire in the next five to six years. We also have to look at diversity for faculty, staff and students. I also believe strongly in an international presence, which means students studying abroad and international students coming here."\nUnlike Gros Louis, Brown said he believes it is not appropriate for him to pass some advice along to Hamm because Brown doesn't want to tell his successor what he should or shouldn't do.\n"I think one of the values of change of turnover in the dean's office is precisely because it gives someone else a chance to come up with new ideas without feeling an obligation to the advice or instruction of your predecessor," Brown said. "You need total freedom to take you and your faculty in another direction. The little I do know about Brad Hamm and what I've learned from others gives me total confidence that he doesn't need any advice from me. There is no wisdom that I could give me that he doesn't already posses."\nA dean must be very involved with the students and faculty and Hamm will be no exception, he said.\n"I think you earn respect every day on every decision," he said. "People might not agree with all decisions and it would be impossible to have a place where all people agree on every decision. But people should always respect you and the way you make the decisions even if you don't agree with them"