Folkerts elected to exec committee

Folkerts elected to ASJMC executive committee

Jean Folkerts, dean of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, was elected by vote of the administrative heads of the more than 190 journalism schools and departments to serve on the executive committee of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC).

Folkerts, who will begin a three-year term in August, was one of three at-large members elected.

“This position will help to keep me informed about issues for schools of journalism and mass communication nationwide,” she said. “It also will enable me to share some of the changes we are making at UNC to meet the needs of 21st century media while making sure that our students understand core ethical principles.”

The ASJMC mission is to provide leadership for excellence in all aspects of journalism and mass communication education, seeking to extend collectively on a national level the individual leadership its members practice on their campuses. It is a resource for chairs, deans and directors at member schools.

Last year, the ASJMC coordinated a 20-month program for new deans and directors, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The association also led a workshop on how best to prepare students for careers in the new media environment.

Folkerts joined Carolina’s journalism school in 2006 from George Washington University, where she served in several roles including director of the School of Media and Public Affairs, professor of honors, associate vice president for special academic initiatives, and interim dean of Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.

She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kansas State University, and a doctorate from the University of Kansas.
In 2001, she was named teacher of the year by the Freedom Forum for excellence in the teaching of media history, and she was named a Kansan of Distinction by the Topeka Capital-Journal for excellence in media and journalism.

From 1992 to 2001, she was editor of Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. Her book, “Voices of a Nation,” written with Dwight Teeter, chronicles the history of U.S. media. A second book, “Media in Your Life,” written with Stephen Lacy), is an account of contemporary mass media. She serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Communication and Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.