Milestones to Celebrate Bland Named 2024 Lionel C. Barrow Award Recipient

By Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., Baylor Vice Head, Commission on the Status of Minorities

Heartfelt kudos to Dorothy Bland, Ph.D., whom AEJMC has announced as the 2024 Lionel C. Barrow Award recipient.

Bland, a professor at the University of North Texas Mayborn School of Journalism, has devoted more than 15 years to helping students in higher education. Bland joined the UNT faculty in 2013 and brings over 25 years of media experience to the school, including being a reporter, editor, media/marketing consultant and publisher.

The Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Award for Distinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education is given annually by the Minorities and Communication (MAC) Division and the Commission on the Status of Minorities (CSMN)

“Dr. Bland embodies the qualities Dr. Lionel C. Barrow has long championed,” said Commission on the Status of Minorities Head Kathleen McElroy. “Her AEJMC colleagues frequently seek her advice on diversity-related issues, such as how to structure their course syllabi. She incorporates creative content into her teaching, inviting multiple speakers, discussing current events, and covering crises and trauma.”

In a recommendation letter for Bland, George Daniels, Ph.D., said that outside of her research, Dr. Bland emulates Dr. Barrow’s approach to teaching in developing courses that showcase the contributions of African Americans to the media.

“Dr. Bland has taken a global approach to much of her teaching. As part of her service, she has been among the founding members of the National Association of Black Journalists Academic Task Force in its second year. In her work, she reflects the legacy of Dr. Lionel C. Barrow in a big way,” Daniels wrote.

Bland takes Barrow’s legacy seriously. She met him when she was working in the news industry.

“I will never forget the day when Dr. Barrow walked into my office at USA Today and encouraged me to do more,” she said. “As a result, I got involved in the National Association of Black Journalists urban journalism workshop at Howard University.”

Bland has collaborated on dozens of research articles and conference presentations. Most recently, she coauthored the book Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategies: Learning from Journalism and Mass Communication Programs with Professional Impact, Strategies with Mas Biswas, Ph.D. It has been selected for the NABJ Authors Showcase for 2024.

“As a researcher, Dr. Bland has a high expectation for data integrity, quality of writing, and depth of research,” Biswas said. “Her research goes beyond the issues of race, ethnicity, and media. She writes and does research on cutting-edge practices and technologies, such as AI in journalism and AI in journalism and communication education. She has been a prolific researcher with multiple peer-reviewed publications and conference papers each year.”

Maria De Moya, head of the AEJMC Minorities and Communication Division, also touts Dr. Bland’s commitment to promoting inclusion, diversity, equity, and access.

“Her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in our field extends across her teaching, research, and service,” she said. “Her unique and significant contributions to AEJMC are evident in her various roles, including her recent election to the Accrediting Council on Education in

Sharon Bramlett-Solomon, Ph.D., who nominated Bland (along with several other AEJMC colleagues) noted her sustained body of work dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion standards. “She is the ideal candidate for this award because of her outstanding scholarship, stellar teaching, and AEJMC leadership in journalism education,” she said. “Her 25 years of professional practice further underscore her qualifications for this prestigious award.”

As mentioned by her colleagues, Bland notes inclusion, diversity, equity, and access are carefully interwoven into her teaching, research and service. “It is an honor to win this award,” Bland said. “It openly recognizes the work that I have done throughout my professional and academic career. I am grateful.”

Daniels Selected to be Alabama Faculty Fellow

George Daniels, Ph.D.

The Commission extends congratulations to George L. Daniels, Associate Professor of Journalism and creative media at the University of Alabama, who has been selected as part of the inaugural cohort of UA Faculty Fellows Program. The two-year program gives up 10 UA educators the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of teaching and learning and do an in-depth update of one of their own courses.

“We are excited to introduce our inaugural class of Faculty Fellows,” said Dr. Claire Major, faculty director of the UA Teaching Academy. “These faculty members have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in teaching, and we look forward to supporting them in their professional development and contributions to the university’s teaching community and student learning.”

Over the next two years, Daniels will participate in networking, scholarship, mentoring and professional development opportunities while playing a pivotal role in providing instructional support for the UA Faculty community.