I am writing to share that School of Communication Dean Sam Fulwood is concluding his service with American University and to thank Sam for his leadership and dedicated efforts on behalf of our students, faculty, and staff.

The SOC community achieved many things during Sam’s deanship. These include the Pulitzer Prize shared by 8 SOC graduate students as part of a Washington Post -winning reporting team, the launch of the student-led integrated communications agency SOC3, and the establishment of an SOC/ESPN fellowship program for investigative and enterprise journalism. Sam engaged the broader SOC community through a revitalized Dean’s Advisory Council, created the Law and Justice International Journalism Project, and established a student exchange program with the University of Bergen in Norway. On an operational level, he managed the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic and the return to in-person operations, focused on expanded hiring of diverse faculty and staff within SOC, and instituted policies to facilitate greater transparency and equity in the school’s fiscal operations.

Sam will conclude his duties on Friday, May 26. Leena Jayaswal, former associate dean for faculty affairs, will serve as interim dean. Thanks to the leadership of Leena and her SOC colleagues, as well as to strong leadership across our schools and colleges, we will build on our progress during the transition period. I want to thank SOC leadership, faculty, and staff for their exceptional work in providing our students with the high-quality instruction that is a hallmark of American University and in ensuring that AU research remains top of mind, both nationally and internationally.

This summer, we will work with SOC faculty and staff, in accordance with our procedures for senior administrative searches, to begin the search process for the next dean of the School of Communication. Given the impactful scholarship of SOC’s faculty, the innovative spirit of its students, and the dedication of its staff, this search will be an opportunity to build upon the school’s strong foundation and record of success.

Please join me in thanking Sam, Leena, and the entire SOC leadership team for their service to American University and our community.