Raul Reis, dean and professor of the School of Communication at Emerson College in Boston, has been appointed dean of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, effective July 1, Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz and Provost and Chief Academic Officer J. Christopher Clemens announced in a March 11 campus email.
An internationally recognized leader, Reis brings 25 years of experience in academia and a track record for creating nationally ranked programs that have helped Emerson prepare students for the fast-paced world of digital media.
Experience at Emerson
“Reis has worked with faculty and department chairs to create and implement a school-wide strategic plan that has broken silos between programs and transformed teaching and learning,” the chancellor and provost wrote. “He coordinated the development of the school’s diversity plan, which involved a comprehensive curriculum audit to ensure equity and inclusion were integrated at every level. In collaboration with faculty, Reis also helped rewrite a digital-first curriculum that is innovative, hands on and based on student learning.”
At Emerson, a college dedicated to communications and the arts, Reis oversaw the design and implementation of 10 of the school’s 18 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, several of them ranked nationally among the best degree programs in their fields. Under his leadership, School of Communication enrollment grew significantly. In 2021, nearly half the 5,100-student body was enrolled in the school, up from 27% five years before. In turn, Reis hired 38 full-time faculty over five years, recruiting diverse expertise in new and innovative fields.
Before his leadership of Emerson College School of Communication, Reis was dean and professor of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Florida International University and previously served as a tenured faculty member at California State University, Long Beach.
A Brazil native, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Universidade Federal do Pará in Brazil, a master of science in journalism and mass communication from Kansas State University and a doctorate in communication and society from the University of Oregon. Reis is the president-elect of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication and has presented on behalf of the U.S. Department of State in numerous Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries.
Success and growth
Guskiewicz and Clemens thanked the members of the search committee, chaired by Gary Marchionini, dean and Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor at the School of Information and Library Science, and shared their appreciation for Heidi Hennink-Kaminski, who has ably served as interim dean of the Hussman School since January.
“Reis joins the Hussman School during an exciting time of success and growth,” they wrote. “Reis is well poised to continue the school’s positive trajectory.”
The school’s accomplishments include:
- Winning the Hearst National Championship, the most prestigious collegiate journalism award, six out of the past seven years.
- Receiving the nation’s top mass communication research dissertation award more than any other school.
- Surpassing a $75 million goal within the University’s $4.25 billion Campaign for Carolina.
- Opening the state-of-the-art Curtis Media Center, billed as the nation’s leading media and journalism education technology hub, this spring.
