By SJMC News
January 11, 2012
Former Dean Earns FIU Medallion and Emeritus Title for Distinguished Service
NORTH MIAMI, FL, JANUARY 11, 2012 – Former dean Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver, Ed.D., was recently appointed Dean Emeritus of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Florida International University for her more than 30 years of service and contributions to the university. In recognition of her distinguished leadership and service to Florida International University over the years, she was additionally awarded with the FIU Medallion by President Mark B. Rosenberg during the fall 2011 commencement exercises.
Upon presentation of the award to Kopenhaver, the President said, “[…] we honor and salute you as an accomplished journalism educator, proud and dedicated member of the FIU family and exemplary role model of your industry and our community.” Kopenhaver joined FIU in 1973 and is one of the founders of FIU’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, most recently serving as dean from 2003 to 2011. A nationally-known authority and researcher on the First Amendment and the student press; she was inducted into the National Hall of Fame of both College Media Advisers and the Community College Journalism Association in 1994.
“Through [Kopenhaver’s] efforts in association with the faculty, the School has been repeatedly recognized as the vanguard of educating Hispanic communicators across the country and Hispanic journalists in Latin America,” said Douglas Wartzok, Provost and Executive Vice President, FIU. Among the partnerships developed during Kopenhaver’s tenure is one with The New York Times to host the NY Times Hispanic Student Journalism Institute. The School has also expanded its international outreach with study abroad programs in Spain and Latin America.
Her past community and industry service includes participation with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), where she served as president, board member and committee chair; College Media Advisers and the Student Press Law Center. She was the 2009 recipient of the Outstanding Woman in Journalism and Mass Communication Education Award. The award, which recognizes a woman who has represented fellow women in the academy through excellence and high standards in journalism education, was given by the Commission of the Status of Women of the AEJMC. Among her other accomplishments, Kopenhaver was awarded the Wells Key, the highest honor of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Gold Key of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and has authored more than 100 scholarly articles, monographs and books.
School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Florida International University
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) at Florida International University is at the forefront of global and strategic communications education. With more than 2,100 students, 82 percent minority, the school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificate programs in advertising, journalism, and public relations – including its Spanish-language Journalism master’s program, the first of its kind in the United States. As one of only 25% of all communication schools in the country fully accredited by ACEJMC, the SJMC is rated in the Top 3 nationally for undergraduate communication degrees awarded to Hispanics. The School’s master’s program in Global Strategic Communications emphasizes global decision making and has rapidly become a model for other such graduate programs in the country, underscoring the importance of global learning initiatives and international citizenship.
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