Stratford resident named associate dean of Fairfield University's College of Arts & Sciences

Stratford resident named associate dean of Fairfield University's College of Arts & Sciences

Image: Jim Simon James Simon, Ph.D., of Stratford, Conn., professor of English, has been named associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Fairfield University. He will serve a three-year term beginning July 1.

Dr. Simon received his Ph.D. in public affairs and M.M.C. in journalism & telecommunication from Arizona State University, where he co-founded The Cactus State Poll. He also holds a B.A. in community development: urban journalism from Rutgers University. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Simon worked as a reporter and editor for The Associated Press, where he wrote 4,000 news stories and was elected president of the Massachusetts Statehouse Press Association. He worked as assistant secretary of the environment in Massachusetts and in public relations in both the public and private sectors.

Dr. Simon came to Fairfield University in 1997 to direct the journalism program and serve as the faculty advisor to The Mirror , the student-run weekly newspaper, having served on the faculty at the University of the Pacific and Rutgers. He was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2001 and was promoted to professor in 2006. He has been the English Department chair since 2007.

Dr. Simon is a nationally recognized expert on college newspapers, frequently serving as consultant, program reviewer, and evaluator. Active as a presenter, program organizer, reviewer, and in a variety of professional service roles for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the Society of Professional Journalists, and the association of College Media Advisors, Dr. Simon was honored as Teacher of the Year by a division of the AEJMC in 2003. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles, reviews, and presentations on political and environmental journalism and serves on two journal editorial boards, and has been featured in more than 100 interviews with the news media. He is co-author of the book Environment Reporters in the 21st Century (Transaction Press, 2010).

"In all of his service to the department, College and University, Dr. Simon has demonstrated proactive leadership, strong organizational skills, and the ability to resolve difficult challenges through collaboration and alliance building," said Robbin Crabtree, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. "He will bring these characteristics to a portfolio of strategic projects in the College."

Posted On: 06-08-2012 11:06 AM

Volume: 44 Number: 313