Kent State’s School of Media and Journalism director, Emily Metzgar is transitioning to dean of Penn State Bellisario College of Communications this summer.
Metzgar was named the new dean March 18 and her appointment will begin on July 1.
Despite her excitement to take on a new leadership role, she said she is sad to leave Kent. She will miss her friends, colleagues and students the most, as she has seen how everyone in the school is committed to student success.
She said she has the hardest working faculty of colleagues she’s ever seen.
“I have learned so much from my colleagues here, and in the college and across the university, about what it means to put students first,” Metzgar said.
She is looking forward to taking the lessons she has learned at Kent to her new role at Penn State.
Metzgar long admired what she saw happening at the College of Communications at Penn and when she visited campus, it was clear to her that they too are committed to student success.
Additionally, she is excited to be back in the Big Ten environment. She got her undergraduate from the University of Michigan and was a faculty member at Indiana University for 12 years. A Big Ten school brings opportunities and a different set of resources that she is eager to connect students, staff and faculty with.
Metzgar first studied foreign affairs and national security in her undergraduate and masters programs, but she pursued her doctorate in media and public affairs. Her research now focuses on the intersection of foreign policy and media.
She said she is drawn to communications because of the “general utility” of the field, and even if a student does not pursue a career in communications, the training is still valuable.
“There’s no area of study, I think, that is more universal than communications,” she said.
Metzgar is proud of everything the school of media and journalism has accomplished and it has been rewarding to see the passion and commitment from everyone.
“We will bend over backwards to help students,” she said. “We have to know when students need help, so students should never hesitate to reach out.”
Savana Capp is a beat reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
