By Liam McGurl and Christina Root, Co-Editor-In-Chief
As David Kassnoff, ‘79, settles into his role as interim dean of the Jandoli School of Communication, faculty, staff and students within the John J. Murphy Professional Building are working hard to ensure a successor is chosen in the near future.
Over the past few weeks, the Jandoli School has been working in conjunction with Hyatt-Fennell, an external Pennsylvania-based executive search firm charged with helping gather information on campus to use in all off-campus recruitment for the position. So far, a representative from the firm has met with both student and faculty members to garner information on what each group finds especially engaging and impressive about the Jandoli School.
The information gathered from these meetings is then used in all recruiting, mainly to ensure the chosen candidate shares a productive vision for the Jandoli School, while fitting well into the professional climate on second Murphy. Recruitment planning will continue to be conducted by Hyatt-Fennell and the official Jandoli School search committee, with Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., professor of journalism and mass communication, serving as chair of the search committee.
An advertisement for the position is in the approval process, according to Cheryl Hyatt, partner and CEO of the firm. The formal recruiting process will begin next week, she added.
“This is a national search and our recruiting efforts will reach across the U.S. and beyond,” Hyatt explained. “We will use various means for advertising (print, online, social media, mailings and emailings and personal contacts). The screening committee will be reviewing qualified applications and will narrow the pool to a short list of candidates to interview via Skype in the latter part of March. Finalists will be invited to campus to meet with various constituencies in early April.”
Mya Cappellino, a junior strategic communication and journalism and mass communication double major, was part of the student session last Wednesday. Cappellino said the five student representatives all came to the table with different strengths and weaknesses of the Jandoli School, all of which the group said should be of importance to the incoming dean.
“[We] all had similar views on what we would like to see in our new dean,” Cappellino said. “We each had our own stories of how we came to Bona’s and the amazing opportunities presented to us.”
Cappellino added that fundraising is an evident need for the Jandoli School, as with any academic institution.
“Fundraising: We need it,” she said. “Everything is outdated. We need to have the technology to be up to date with what the rest of the world is using, or else Jandoli School students will go into job interviews blindsided by the technology [skills] asked of them.”
According to Pauline Hoffmann, Ph.D., who recently eased out of her role as dean of the Jandoli School and became dean of Graduate Studies, agreed that fundraising is a paramount concern.
She added that the ideal candidate must fit well into the “culture” of the Jandoli School.
Hoffmann elaborated, explaining that there’s an unprecedented work environment between the Jandoli School faculty – charged by respect and friendship.
“We have a group of faculty who couldn’t be more cohesive,” Hoffmann, a ‘91 alumna, said. “Even though we may have some disagreements, we all agree students [come] first.”
Hoffmann added that a commitment to bettering students isn’t the only common thread between Jandoli School faculty. A lighthearted approach to teaching, relating to students and collaborating with colleagues is a commonality, too.
“You’ve got to have a sense of humor if you’re going to come here,” she chuckled. “I have an orange office, Mike Jones-Kelley has a purple office…We’re not your typical academics.”
Anna Bulszewicz, ‘07, who joined the faculty as a lecturer of broadcast journalism this past fall, agreed regarding a need to stay current with the times, dedicated to ethical practice and providing facts. Bulszewicz, who has worked in broadcast news for a decade, added that she already feels completely at home in her new office.
“I think it’s really important that this person relates to the culture that already exists among the faculty,” said Bulszewicz, who previously worked for WCTI, NewsChannel 12 in North Carolina. “What already does exist is the foundation of good leadership.”
Hoffmann also mentioned a few challenges the selected dean will face, some of which she combatted throughout her term and, others, the result of political and cultural zeitgeists.
In terms of more long-term issues the school faces, Hoffmann said a few things she thinks the new dean should keep in mind are moving more undergraduate classes online, continued international opportunities for students, additional scholarship and internship experiences for students and continuing the ongoing accreditation process.
At a base level, she added it’s important for a dean to “pay attention to what’s happening in the real world.”
In terms of challenges in society at large, Hoffmann said it’ll be important for the Jandoli School to move forward with the ability to show the relevance of one of the school’s pillars: journalism.
“I think the challenges are going to be, to a certain degree, selling journalism in a fake news era,” she said. “…selling the need for ethical journalism, selling to administration, board members [and] donors, that we’re still necessary, important, needed.”
Hoffmann and Bulszewicz, while both prideful in their alma matter, said there’s still work to be done.
Bulszewicz said that the necessary qualities of the new dean can be boiled down to a simple concept: an overall dedication to advancing the Jandoli School, while remembering the school’s origins.
“I think this person needs to have a very forward-selling vision as to where journalism is headed, not where it’s at,” said Bulszewicz. “I think that means a very digital mindset, with print as the heart and foundation of the program.”
Taking these insights from the prior dean, current faculty members, students and alumni into account, the firm will continue in its search for a new dean with an anticipated deadline for solidifying the appointee before the end of this April.
