New KU journalism dean looks to build on school’s success
Judith Rosenbaum-Andre has taken over as dean of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and she says her first priority is building on the school’s existing strengths.
Rosenbaum-Andre comes to KU after serving in academic leadership at the University of Maine. As she begins her new role, she said she sees opportunities to expand experiential learning for students while strengthening what the school already does well.
“I think the school is incredibly well positioned, right, in terms of student success, in terms of faculty and staff success,” Rosenbaum-Andre said. “What I would like to do is build on that success. So I would love to expand on student experiential learning opportunities.”
Those opportunities could include additional study-abroad programs, stronger connections with alumni and more hands-on experiences for students.
Senior journalism and sports media student Emmett Swendseid said he hopes Rosenbaum-Andre continues to build on the opportunities students already have.
“I think everything the journalism school has to offer has been really good,” Swendseid said. “Our dean has been really active in doing that. So I hope she picks up where they left off and makes it stronger than it is.”
Rosenbaum-Andre is also taking leadership of the school at a time when the journalism industry is continuing to adapt to technologies such as artificial intelligence and changing audience habits.
Despite those changes, she said the fundamentals of journalism remain the same.
“Technology has changed. What hasn’t changed is storytelling,” Rosenbaum-Andre said. “Stories are still told the same way. You have to start by listening to people. You have to recognize the story, right? You have to know, how do I explain what I am seeing to other people in a way that they understand?”
Although becoming dean takes her out of the classroom, Rosenbaum-Andre said she does not want the position to separate her from students.
“As the leader of the school, I have to know what you all are thinking,” she said. “So one of the things that I’m really happy about is the school has so many events where I can connect with students.”
Swendseid said having an involved dean can make students feel supported and more confident in their work.
“If the new dean can be interactive and, you know, on a name-to-name basis, it’s tough; there are a lot of kids, but eventually, connecting with those students would be really cool to see,” he said.
Rosenbaum-Andre said she plans to use those conversations with students, faculty, staff and alumni to better understand what is already working and where the school has room to grow.
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