New dean of School of Communication chosen

Courtesy e-Veritas

Courtesy e-Veritas

On Monday, university administration announced that they had selected a new dean of the School of Communication.

Starting July 1, Gregory J. Shepherd, currently the dean at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University, will be replacing the current SoC Dean Sam L. Grogg, who is leaving after six years.

Grogg will be moving to Adelphi University in New York as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

“I am thrilled to be joining the University of Miami,” Shepherd said. “The School of Communication has the potential to be one of the very best schools of communication in the country.”

Shepherd received a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in speech communication from Pennsylvania State University and has a doctorate in speech communication from the University of Illinois.

Prior to joining Ohio University, he worked as an assistant professor at the University of Iowa and as an assistant professor and director at the University of Kansas.

During his 10 years at Ohio University, Shepherd secured a $15-million naming gift from the Scripps Howard Foundation in 2006, a $7.5-million lead gift from an alumnus to build a new facility for the college and more than $1 million in scholarship donations.

Shepherd was attracted to UM and the SoC by its dedicated staff as well as Shalala’s motivation.

“My vision is to make it the best School of Communications,” Shepherd said.

In addition to taking advantage of the many programs the SoC currently offers, Shepherd plans to help students with the rapidly rising tuition rates.

“The key is to have alumni support,” Shepherd said. “This includes harvesting their support in scholarships, internships and especially paid internships.”

Shepherd will be moving down with his wife and two dogs. When not in the office or working on school projects, Shepherd likes to read, travel and play golf.

“Being in South Florida, it will be very tempting to play golf,” Shepherd said. “My wife and I were amazed by the beauty and elegancy of Coral Gables.”

For now, he has only one message for his students next year.

“I can’t wait to meet you all,” Shepherd said.

Cristian Benavides may be contacted at cbenavides@themiamihurricane.com.