Karin Gwinn Wilkins, a leading scholar on global media who focuses on global communication and political engagement, as well as media and social change, has been named the new dean at the University of Miami School of Communication.
Currently associate dean for faculty advancement and strategic initiatives at the Moody College of Communication and professor of media studies at the University of Texas at Austin, Wilkins has held the John T. Jones Jr. Centennial Professorship in Communication at UT Austin since 2018. She also serves as editor-in-chief of Communication Theory.
She will begin her new role Sept. 1, 2019 as the fourth dean of the School of Communication, succeeding Dean Gregory J. Shepherd, who will continue to work on special projects for the University. Wilkins’ appointment was announced by Jeffrey Duerk, UM’s executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.
“Dr. Wilkins is an accomplished scholar, and an expert on the dynamic landscape of global media who will lead the School of Communication during these challenging and exciting times on how the world communicates,” said Duerk. “We are thrilled to have her join the University of Miami.”
Wilkins previously held the John P. McGovern Regents Professorship in Health and Medical Science Communication, was director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and chair of the Global Studies Bridging Disciplines Program from 2010-2015. Prior to her tenure at UT Austin, Wilkins was a lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“I’m delighted to join the University of Miami team. I am very much looking forward to working with my colleagues at the School of Communication, and continuing our mission of preparing students for success and active engagement in our global society,” Wilkins said. “It will be exciting to continue to build on the strong foundation created by Dean Shepherd.”
Wilkins received both her master’s degree and Ph.D. in communication from the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School for Communication. She received her bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, including a year’s study at the University of Edinburgh and a subsequent year with the American University in Cairo.
The author of 13 books and nearly 25 book chapters, Wilkins is also co-editor of two book series and has published more than 30 journal articles. She is the recipient of more than $1 million in grant funding from various institutions, including the U.S. Department of Education.
Wilkins is an International Communication Association fellow, a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, and serves on the advisory boards for the Arab-U.S. Association for Communication Educators, and Global Media and Communication. She also serves on the editorial boards for theJournal of Popular Communication, theInternational Journal of Media and Mass Communication, theJournal of Communication, and the International Communication Gazette, of which she is also associate editor.
