Veil announced as new dean of journalism and mass communications

Shari Veil is the new dean of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications. She will also hold a faculty position in the college as a tenured full professor.

Veil will officially begin the role July 1, pending approval by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Richard Moberly, interim executive vice chancellor, made the announcement Jan. 13.

“I am excited to welcome Dr. Veil to Nebraska,” Moberly said. “Shari is committed to developing creative activity and scholarship as key components of the college’s strategic plan, one that will focus on keeping the college steady and nimble as it adapts and grows in the exciting and changing landscape of journalism and mass communications. These aims are very much in line with the goals of the university’s N150 strategic planning process.”

Veil comes to Nebraska from the University of Kentucky, also a land-grant university, where she is associate dean for undergraduate affairs in the College of Communication and Information and chair and professor in the Department of Communication. She oversees the recruitment, advisement and retention of more than 1,900 undergraduate students in five majors, four minors and two undergraduate certificates, and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in risk and crisis communication, organizational communication and mass communication.

Prior to Kentucky, she taught strategic communication and served as the director of the Center for Risk and Crisis Management at the University of Oklahoma, a public research university, coordinating research, funding, graduate education and training programs specific to risk and crisis communication. Her academic program development and research on organizational learning in high-risk environments, community preparedness and communication strategies for crisis management has been supported by more than $1.9 million in grants and contracts and resulted in more than 80 scholarly publications.

“I am honored to lead the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at Nebraska,” Veil said. “I was immediately impressed with its hands-on approach to education and openness to new ideas. This is an exciting time for the college as it expands and evolves along with the industry. I look forward to working with university leadership, faculty and staff to design and implement a shared vision for the college’s future.”

Before entering academia, Veil spent eight years in the profession. She earned a Bachelor of Science in communication, with a concentration in public relations and a minor in business administration, and a Master of Business Administration, with an emphasis in marketing, from the University of Mary in North Dakota. Her doctorate in communication, with a research focus on risk and crisis communication, is from North Dakota State University.

Amy Struthers will continue as interim dean of the college until July 1.

“The university is profoundly grateful to Dr. Struthers for her leadership over the past two years,” Moberly said. “She has done great work strengthening relationships with our alumni and the community and has overseen many achievements in the college, including increased enrollment, a new core curriculum, a media production option for broadcasting majors and innovative pop-up classes.”