Florida A&M University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Maurice Edington, Ph.D., has announced Mira Lowe as the next dean of the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (SJGC).
Lowe is scheduled to take the helm on October 22, 2021. Professor Bettye Grable, Ph.D., has served as interim SJGC dean since March 2020.
“I’m ecstatic to welcome Mira as a member of our leadership team. She brings a wealth of professional experience from industry and academia, and I have no doubt she will provide bold, dynamic and transformative leadership for the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication,” Edington said.
Lowe, a veteran journalist and editor, has been assistant dean for student experiences at the University of Florida (UF) College of Journalism and Communications (CJC) since 2019. She has been director of the CJC Innovation News Center, one of the largest student-powered newsrooms in the country, since 2017. A master’s degree graduate of Columbia University, Lowe has been an adjunct journalism instructor and guest lecturer on digital storytelling, communications and career preparation at several colleges and universities around the country.
“I’m super excited to be joining FAMU, a leading institution of higher learning in the state and a beacon among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) around the country. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to build upon its legacy of scholarship, professional preparation and cultural pride,” Lowe said. “Being SJGC dean is a chance of a lifetime to help expand its record of achievement and to play a proud part in this HBCU moment.”
Before entering academia, Lowe enjoyed a successful career as a professional journalist. She was an editor at CNN Digital in Atlanta for five years after leaving her post as an editor-in-chief of JET Magazine. She also held a senior managerial role at Ebony Magazine after working at Newsday in New York for 18 years.
Lowe is president of the Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS), a nonprofit organization serving women in journalism, from 2019 to 2021, and she has also been active in the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). The New York native earned a bachelor’s degree in radio and television at Brooklyn College.
