KNOXVILLE — Catherine Luther has been named associate dean for academic programs for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Communication and Information (CCI).
The appointment became official on March 1. Luther, interim coordinator of the college’s interdisciplinary graduate programs and associate professor in the college’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media, had taken on additional interim administrative duties for the college since January of this year, when her predecessor, Sally McMillan, was named vice provost for academic affairs.
In addition to teaching college-wide graduate courses, Luther will oversee recruiting efforts, the application process, undergraduate and graduate programs and curricula for the college. She says she’s looking forward to helping prepare the college’s students for the future.
“Challenging times lie ahead for the college and the university,” Luther said. “So it is very important to protect and improve the quality of academic instruction and professional preparation that we offer to our students, while giving our faculty and staff the resources they need to be successful in their roles,” she said.
CCI Dean Mike Wirth says he’s grateful to Luther for taking on the challenges associated with this leadership position. “The wealth of academic and professional experience she brings to her new position will allow her to be very effective in her new role as associate dean,” he said. “I look forward to working closely with her along with the rest of our leadership team, faculty and staff to continue to build a top-ranked College of Communication and Information.”
Luther, a well known scholar in the area of international communication, earned a doctorate at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and joined UT Knoxville as an assistant professor in 1998. She was promoted to associate professor in 2005 and was a Fulbright Scholar to Japan in 2007.
In addition to her academic career, Luther has been a producer for ABC News’ Tokyo bureau and a reporter/producer for Japan America Television Inc., based in Los Angeles.
For more information on the college, visit http://www.cci.utk.edu/.
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C O N T A C T :
Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)