Dr. Erika Engstrom named director of UK School of Journalism and Media


From the UK College of Communication and Information Studies

Dr. Erika Engstrom has been named the new director of the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media. She will start officially July 1, remotely at first and in Lexington as soon as possible, given our current restrictions related to Covid-19.

Dr. Erika Engstrom

Dr. Engstrom comes to the University of Kentucky after serving as professor of communication studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. A former television news writer and radio anchor, she taught courses in gender and mass media, intercultural communication, and broadcast journalism. During her time at UNLV, she also served as the associate dean of the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and as acting general manager of the university radio station, KUNV-FM. Her publications include five books and numerous book chapters, encyclopedia entries, and research articles on mass media topics. She earned her B.A. in radio-television and M.A. in communication from the University of Central Florida and her Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Florida.

The School and the College are indebted to Scoobie Ryan, who stepped in as acting, then interim, director in 2019. We thank you for your leadership, Scoobie. Also, thanks to Beth Barnes for her leadership role on the search committee, to members of the search committee, and to alumni, students, staff and faculty who took part in the Zoom meetings with our candidates.

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