August 28, 2026
This fall, the College of Media announces a faculty investiture, two Dean’s Fellows, two faculty promotions, and three leadership appointments.
Craft appointed as the Karin and Folke Dovring Professor in Journalism and Democratic Society
Stephanie Craft, a professor in the Department of Journalism with an appointment in the Institute of Communications Research, and associate dean for academic and faculty affairs, was named the Karin and Folke Dovring Professor. The professorship supports a distinguished faculty member whose research advances our understanding of journalism and democratic society.
The Dovring Professorship was initially established by Karin and Folke Dovring in 2001. Karin was a foreign correspondent, an internationally recognized communication analyst, and the author of English as Lingua Franca: Double Talk in Global Persuasion (1997) and The Road of Propaganda (1959). Her husband, Folke, was a distinguished professor of land economics who taught at the University of Illinois from 1960 to 1987.
Craft, whose research focuses on news literacy, misinformation, and journalism ethics—particularly how people evaluate and understand news—joined the University of Illinois in 2013. She is best known for her efforts to build news literacy theory by uniting scholars around shared definitions and measures of important concepts (such as “Defining and Conceptualizing News Literacy” and “Developing and Validating a 15-Item True/False Measure of News Literacy Knowledge”) and for her research on the ethical obligations of journalism that arise from its democratic functions and the resulting tension between independence and accountability (such as a special edition of Mass Communication and Society addressing “Media and the Future of Democracy”).
She is the co-author of a widely used introductory textbook, Principles of American Journalism: An Introduction (2025), now in its 4th edition, and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Media Ethics, Journalism Practice, and Journalism & Communication Monographs. Craft is also a former head of the Journalism Studies Division of the International Communication Association and of the Media Ethics Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
King and Maslowska appointed as Dean’s Fellows focusing on AI
Colleen King, clinical associate professor in the Department of Journalism and director of the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media, and Ewa Maslowska, associate professor in the Chales H. Sandage Department of Advertising with an appointment in the Institute of Communications Research, will serve as Dean’s Fellows for the 2026–27 academic year, with a focus on artificial intelligence.
King will concentrate primarily on AI in curriculum and instruction, while Maslowska will focus on AI in media research and innovation. Both will work to convene discussions across departments and units as the College of Media collectively navigates the perils and possibilities of the AI era.
The Dean’s Fellows Program provides faculty in the College of Media with academic leadership experience through mentoring opportunities, collaboration with colleagues within and beyond the College, and leadership roles on key strategic initiatives and projects.
Faculty Promotions
In the Department of Journalism, Christopher Ball, who has an appointment in the Institute of Communications Research, has been promoted to associate professor with indefinite tenure, and Colleen King has been promoted to clinical associate professor.
Leadership Appointments
Jenny Oyallon-Koloski, associate professor in the Department of Media & Cinema Studies with an appointment in the Institute of Communications Research, will serve as the new director of the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies.
Leona Yi-Fan Su, associate professor in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising with an appointment in the Institute of Communications Research, will serve as the new director of the Institute of Communications Research.
Kevin Wise, professor in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising with an appointment in the Institute of Communications Research, will serve as Advertising’s associate head of graduate studies.
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