Journalism dean applies for UT position
Published April 5, 2005
A dean at MU's School of Journalism is considering a move to the Lone Star state.
Esther Thorson, associate dean of graduate studies, interviewed March 28 for the position of dean at the University of Texas College of Communication.
Thorson, one of five finalists for the position, said she felt good about her interview, but she will not know who is selected for the position for about two weeks.
Thorson was the third of five candidates to interview for the position, which has been vacant since June 2004. Roderick Hart holds the position of interim dean.
Thorson said she is excited about the job because the program routinely ranks in the top five nationally.
Thorson said UT's College of Communication is more diverse than MU's, with five departments: advertising, communication studies, public relations, radio-television-film and journalism.
"I was intrigued by the idea of five different departments," Thorson said. "I have a fairly checkered career."
Thorson said moving would be a challenge because of the school's size.
There are roughly 4,000 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students in the communicationschool.
Thorson, who has been at MU since 1993, earned her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Minnesota. She also has experience in advertising research, and works in news research. She said this gives her experience in all of the five areas at the UT school, except radio-television-film.
Thorson also worked as a professor in the psychology department at Denison University in Ohio and as a professor and head of graduate studies at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Wisconsin.