DOROTHY BLAND NAMED DIRECTOR
OF FAMU'S DIVISION OF JOURNALISM
TALLAHASSEE—Dorothy Bland—an award-winning publishing executive and journalist—has been named director of the Division of Journalism at Florida A&M University.
“We have a person who is a proven and successful executive in the dynamic world of journalism and media,” said Dr. James Hawkins, dean of FAMU’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication. “We’re looking at a changing media landscape that requires people to perform on multiple platforms. Ms. Bland knows the landscape and will be invaluable in the planning and execution of our program,” he said.
“FAMU has a seasoned faculty plus a beautiful state of the art facility with a radio station, two TV studios, a vibrant student newspaper and magazine. FAMU has a national reputation for producing quality journalists,” said Bland, who also was named a full professor. “This is a wonderful opportunity to help shape the next generation of talent who will compete on multi-media platforms.”
Bland brings more than 25 years of media experience to the university. Before joining FAMU, she rose from a reporter to publisher in Gannett and has done media management and marketing consulting. She has held a variety of reporting, editing and managerial positions at various newspapers including
USA Today, the
Rockford Register Star in Illinois, the
Chillicothe Gazette in Ohio, and the
Fort Collins Coloradoan in Colorado. As a Gannett newspaper publisher, Bland was a three-time president’s ring winner for excellence based on work at the
Fort Collins Coloradoan and oversaw the launch of www.coloradoan.com, an award-winning website. Under her leadership the Coloradoan built a new building, grew revenues and profits substantially as well as launched websites and a variety of non-daily products.
She has served as a Pulitzer Prize nominating juror twice and helped write the American Press Institute’s
Survival Guide for Women Editors.
Bland has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Arkansas State University and earned her MBA from George Washington University in Washington, DC. She also was a 2004 McCormick Tribune Fellow and is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Media Management Center Advanced Executive Program. She is also a graduate of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education’s Management and Editing Programs.
She has been active in a variety of professional organizations and participated in numerous national conferences, including the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, the American Press Institute, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the National Association of Minority Media Executives, the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.
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For Immediate Release:
January 18, 2007
For more information:
Deidre P. Williams
Public Relations Coordinator, SJGC
deidre.williams@famu.edu
(850) 412-5399
