Amy Struthers, an award-winning advertising professor in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications, has been named interim dean of the college, pending approval by the Board of Regents.
She replaces Maria Marron, who announced Jan. 16 that she would step down after more than three years as dean. Marron’s resignation takes effect Jan. 19. She plans to return to Nebraska faculty at the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year.
“Since June 2014, Dean Marron has provided thoughtful leadership for the college,” said Donde Plowman, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. “She bolstered its advising and recruiting functions, increased its enrollment and brought nationally recognized journalists to campus. We are grateful for her contributions to our academic enterprise.”
Struthers, who serves as the college’s graduate chair, joined the College of Journalism and Mass Communications in January 2003 after 15 years as a marketing professional. She teaches promotional strategy, copywriting and integrated marketing communication campaigns. She is the faculty founder of Jacht student advertising agency and received the College Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2011.
As interim dean, Struthers will be charged with leading the faculty in developing an innovative curriculum across the college, which offers majors in advertising and public relations; broadcasting; journalism; and sports media and communication.
“Amy Struthers’ vision and innovation will be an asset to the college as it moves through this critical transition period,” Plowman said.
An expert in journalism education pedagogy, Marron was professor and chair of the Department of Journalism at Central Michigan University before coming to Nebraska. She had held previous administrative positions at University College Dublin and Smurfit Graduate School of Business, both in Ireland; and at Zayed University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to lead this outstanding college for the past three-and-a-half years,” Marron said in an email announcing her resignation. “I have been fortunate to have worked with the very best faculty in the journalism and mass communication discipline. I am looking forward to renewing my passion for teaching the next generation of journalists and to continuing to contribute to the college.”
Marron’s accomplishments at Nebraska included planning and coordination of “Press and the Presidency in the Post-Truth Era,” a March 2017 conference. A follow-up symposium on Nov. 10, 2017, brought several prominent journalists and media experts to campus, such as Nic Dawes, deputy executive director for media at Human Rights Watch; Rick Klein, ABC News political director; Daniel Lippman, POLITICO reporter; and Jenna Johnson, Washington Post White House correspondent.
She oversaw the creation of a new major in sports media and communication and started a 240-student course on the media and human rights, along with other new and large-section classes that boosted the college’s enrollment and student credit hour production.
Marron expanded the college’s staff in several key strategic areas, such as a recruitment officer, a careers and internship placement officer, a business and operations manager, and marketing and communications staff.
She also led the college’s reaccreditation by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.
Struthers, whose appointment as interim dean takes effect Jan. 20, has a research agenda that includes public health messaging, particularly to teen audiences. She has been part of two interdisciplinary teams of researchers that won grants of more than $1 million to improve education and communication about health care issues such as viruses. She has been adviser to the student chapter of the American Advertising Federation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Ad Club for nine years and she founded Nebraska’s student team for the National Student Advertising Competition. She has served on the Faculty Senate and has been a member of its executive committee.
She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she was the first full-time professional advertising manager for the Daily Nebraskan. She was a Newspaper Fund reporting intern at the Fort Worth Star Telegram and earned a master’s degree in French language and literature after teaching in the French public school system.
“I’m excited to continue to shape the great work underway at our college,” Struthers said. “We plan to move rapidly forward with a more innovative curriculum, with more hands-on experiences for our students. We want to help students master the skills they need to excel in the rapidly changing industries we serve.”
