Ithaca College

Ithaca College’s loss will be Berkeley’s gain, as Dianne Lynch has accepted a formal offer from the Regents of the University of California to become dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She will continue in her current role as dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications through the fall semester; associate dean and professor of strategic communication Diane Gayeski will serve as interim dean for the spring semester. This will give the college the opportunity to conduct a search for Dean Lynch’s successor while ensuring a smooth transition to new leadership.

Dianne has provided the Park School with tremendous leadership during her three years as dean. Her interest in and expertise with new media, which includes creating the CellFlix Festival for movies shot on cell phones, have helped position the school at the forefront of emerging communications modalities. The Berkeley appointment is an opportunity for her to lead one of the world’s most prominent graduate journalism programs, and I know that the Park School community joins me in wishing her well in her new position.

In the meantime, the students, faculty and staff of the Park School can look forward to working with both Dianne and Diane in the upcoming academic year, as they continue to validate the school’s rightful place at the leading edge of communications education.

Jim Malek
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs