Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Journalism head named interim dean of College of Communications

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Ronald E. Yates, the head of the journalism department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been named interim dean of the College of Communications on the Urbana campus, effective Thursday (Aug. 21), pending approval of the U. of I. Board of Trustees at its Sept. 11 meeting.

Yates, who has been head of the journalism department since fall 1997, succeeds Kim B. Rotzoll, who retires today as dean after serving since fall 1992.

Under Yates’ leadership, a number of outstanding new faculty members have been recruited, and the reputation of the journalism department has grown significantly.

Before joining the faculty, Yates was, for 27 years, an award-winning foreign and national correspondent for he Chicago Tribune. His work resulted in four Pulitzer Prize nominations and numerous awards, including the Peter Lisagor Award from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Inter-American Press Association Award.

“His distinguished journalism career and his able leadership of the department have earned him the respect of his colleagues in the college and across campus, and the support of prominent journalism alumni throughout the country,” said Richard Herman, provost of the Urbana campus. “I am most grateful to Ron for his willingness to serve the college in this capacity, and I look forward to working with him in the months ahead.”

Read Next

Life sciences Photo of Michael Ward standing in tall grass on a riverbank.

How are migrating wild birds affected by H5N1 infection in the U.S.?

Each spring, roughly 3.5 billion wild birds migrate from their warm winter havens to their breeding grounds across North America, eating insects, distributing plant seeds and providing a variety of other ecosystem services to stopping sites along the way. Some also carry diseases like avian influenza, a worry for agricultural, environmental and public health authorities. […]

Announcements Marcelo Garcia, professor of civil and environmental engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering.

Illinois faculty member elected to National Academy of Engineering

Champaign, Ill. — Marcelo Garcia, a professor of civil and environmental engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Social sciences Male and female student embracing on the quad with flowering redbud tree and the ACES library in the background. Photo by Michelle Hassel

Dating is not broken, but the trajectories of relationships have changed

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — According to some popular culture writers and online posts by discouraged singles lamenting their inability to find romantic partners, dating is “broken,” fractured by the social isolation created by technology, pandemic lockdowns and potential partners’ unrealistic expectations. Yet two studies of college students conducted a decade apart found that their ideas about […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010