James Shanahan, an associate dean at the Boston University College of Communication, was named the Media School’s founding dean at the Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, according to an IU news release.
The Trustees convened in New Albany, Ind., where Provost Lauren Robel presented a proposal recommending Shanahan for the deanship.
The item did not explicitly appear on the Board of Trustees agenda.
In his time at BU, Shanahan worked toward increasing diversity on campus, including drafting a new diversity statement for the university. He said he plans to bring this focus to IU, according to the University.
The Board of Trustees approved the formation of the Media School in October 2013.
The school combined what was formerly the School of Journalism and the departments of telecommunications and communication and culture. The school, which was inaugurated in October, resides in the College of Arts and Sciences, IU’s largest academic body.
Franklin Hall is currently undergoing renovations to house the Media School.
“I’m honored to be selected as the dean of the Media School,” Shanahan said in the release. “There is no question that media of all kinds have been converging for quite some time. An integrated media curriculum makes a lot of sense and is likely to be very successful right out of the gate.”
Shanahan said he thinks bringing together different types of media in one academic body will lead to an exciting new curriculum.
Throughout the coming months, Shanahan will meet with faculty and other experts to finalize the school’s curriculum.
He will also develop potential specialty and graduate tracks, according to the University.
Shanahan said in the release that he and his wife, Lisa, have been very pleased with the atmosphere at IU.
A majority of Shanahan’s research has focused on the effects of media on the public, particularly the influence of television on people.
He has also served as editor of the journal Mass Communication and Society, according to the University.
“James Shanahan is a widely admired and important media scholar and an imaginative and skilled administrator,” said Larry Singell, executive dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, in the release. “He brings a tremendous portfolio of skills and experiences to the job at this pivotal moment in the life of the school, and we are delighted to have him in this role.”
Singell also said in the release that he is incredibly grateful to Lesa Hatley Major, associate dean for the Media School, for taking leadership in the Faculty Advisory Board and planning committees throughout the past year.
Before coming to BU, Shanahan was chair of the Department of Communication and director of graduate programs at Fairfield University. Before that, he was a professor in Cornell University’s Department of Communications for more than a decade.
“The Media School was founded on the belief that the health of our democracy depends upon the free, unfettered flow of information and ideas through every available media channel,” Robel said in the release. “James Shanahan is committed to this belief and passionate about engaging students in critical explorations of the ethical uses of media.”
Anna Hyzy
