Lucinda Davenport, a longtime professor at the School of Journalism and director of the Media and Information Studies doctoral program, has been named the interim director of the school. Courtesy photo

Click on an image to view a larger or high-resolution version.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A leader in using technology in the quickly changing newsroom has been named the interim director of Michigan State University’s School of Journalism, Dean Pamela Whitten of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences announced today.

Lucinda Davenport, a longtime professor at the school and director of the Media and Information Studies doctoral program, will help the school prepare students for an industry at a crossroads, Whitten said.

“With MSU’s first-rate resources, our faculty’s commitment to excellence and our alumni support, this university can be — and will be — an international leader in shaping and redefining the evolving field of journalism,” Whitten said. “Lucinda Davenport is a perfect choice to take the school forward. She has broad and deep faculty support along with extensive leadership experience.”

Research and scholarship will be a priority along with a continued commitment to excellence in teaching, said Davenport, who developed one of the first interactive software programs for journalism education and whose master's thesis and doctoral dissertation were firsts in the country on computerized information services and online news.

“Our goal is to be among the top journalism schools in the country in both professional preparation and research excellence,” she said. “These priorities go hand in hand, and we will be bringing professionals and scholars together to achieve this goal.”

In addition, Davenport will work with the college to facilitate significant curriculum updates.

“There is so much potential in the field and the school,” she said. “Our faculty members want to create and embrace a journalism curriculum for the future and ensure MSU journalism graduates move into successful careers.”

Whitten said the proposed journalism curriculum has yet to be approved at the college or university level, but faculty members are working on boldly revamping the proposed curriculum that will simultaneously meet requirements.

“Curriculum changes have to happen in a way that ensures credit requirements for graduation are balanced with innovation and understanding of resources,” Whitten said. “This will be a top priority as we move forward.”

Prior to her role in the School of Journalism, Davenport served from 2004 to 2007 as the associate dean for graduate studies in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

Davenport succeeds Jane Briggs-Bunting, who will be returning to the faculty. Whitten said she is appreciative of Briggs-Bunting’s service to the school and is looking forward to working with her in the future.

More information on MSU’s School of Journalism, one of the oldest nationwide, can be found at jrn.msu.edu. For more information on the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, visit http://cas.msu.edu/.

###

Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.