Moon Township, Pa., June 23, 2008 - Robert Morris University (RMU) has named Barbara Levine the dean of the School of Communications and Information Systems.
Levine, an associate professor of communication, has been the interim dean of the school since December. She succeeds David Jamison, who last year was named RMU's provost and senior vice president of academic affairs.
"Barbara Levine is an excellent educator as well as a productive scholar, and her emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration has greatly strengthened Robert Morris University," said RMU President Gregory G. Dell'Omo.
Levine joined the RMU faculty in 1991, not long after the School of Communications and Information Systems (SCIS) was created. It is the second largest of RMU's six academic schools, and Levine is responsible for much of its growth. She was instrumental in developing the school's master's degree in communications and information systems, and she was a founder of the doctor of science of information systems and communications program.
"Dr. Levine has the vision and dedication to move the school forward and to continue its growth. I am confident that Barbara will take the school to new levels of excellence," said Jamison.
From 1991 to 1999, Levine supervised the Academic Media Center, which includes RMU's state-of-the-art television production studio and its TV station, RMU-TV. During her tenure as the head of the facility, the center garnered several national broadcasting awards for its educational and public affairs television productions.
Levine said her goals for SCIS include increasing interdisciplinary collaboration; creating additional "centers of excellence" such as the school's Center for Documentary Production and Study; and recruiting an increasingly diverse student body and faculty.
"This is a wonderful opportunity. It is refreshing to work at an institution where I can make a difference, where individuals really do matter," said Levine.
In 2006, Levine earned RMU's Outstanding Faculty Service and Commitment Award and the Distinguished Innovation in Technology Award. The following year she received the Faculty Recognition Award.
Levine earned a Ph.D. and a master of arts in communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she also received a bachelor of arts in psychology. She previously taught at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and she worked for 10 years for the Mellon Bank Corp. - first as a corporate communications specialist and later as the manager of the company's retirement plans.