Ziegler named Reeves Eminent Scholar Chair

FAMU Professor Dhyana Ziegler, a knighted Dame of Justice by the Chivalric Order of the Knights of Justice, has been appointed the Garth C. Reeves Eminent Scholar Chair in the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (SJGC) and will assume the post in July 2014.

As the Garth C. Reeves Eminent Scholar Chair, Ziegler will assist with the development of a new master’s degree program, represent the SJGC within professional organizations, as well as continue to serve in her teaching and research capacities.

“We are honored to have Dr. Ziegler serve as the Garth C. Reeves Eminent Scholar Chair in the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication. Professor Ziegler is a trailblazer in journalism education and practices. She is a tremendous asset to our students, who benefit from her scholarly work and practical teachings in the area of ethics, digital media and strategic communications,” said Ann Wead Kimbrough, DBA, dean of School of Journalism & Graphic Communication.

Ziegler, a long-time journalism scholar, is a multimedia content producer and former on-air radio and TV host. She is the author of three books, several book chapters and other scholarly publications.

Ziegler recently served as host and producer of the “Delta SEE Connection,” which is a collection of 26 radio interviews with African-American scientists that are archived with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

She is the co-author of the landmark Jane Pauley Task Force Report on the future of Broadcast Journalist published by the Society of Professional Journalists. Previously, Ziegler served as the national education chair and diversity chair for the Society of Professional Journalist and is one of the founders of the Broadcast Education Association’s Multicultural Division.

She was knighted as a Dame of Justice in Cambridge, England in 2008 and received the 2012 Continent Award for “Distinguished Intellectual Contributions” at the 2012 World Forum at Oxford University in England.

Ziegler is a four-time Governor’s appointee and vice chair to the Florida Virtual School Board of Trustees and is a member of the advisory board of the Florida Tax Watch Center for Education, Performance, and Accountability (CEPA). She is also the immediate past-chair and the first African-American woman selected to the chair the Board of Directors for the Southern Scholarship Foundation.

Ziegler joined FAMU's faculty in 1997 as a Garth Reeves Eminent Scholar. Since then, she has held several administrative positions within the university, including: assistant vice president for instructional technology, acting vice president for research, director of university planning and analysis and interim director for the Office of International Education and Development.

Ziegler has been appointed to the Reeves Chair for a one-year term with the option to renew.