Callahan named vice provost; Thatcher, Corey take interim posts

May 20, 2011

Provost and Executive Vice President Elizabeth D. Capaldi has announced several administrative changes at Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus.<separator></separator>Christopher Callahan, dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has been named vice provost. In addition to remaining Cronkite dean, Callahan will be responsible for contributing to university efforts to advance public awareness of the Downtown Phoenix campus. <separator></separator>Callahan came to ASU in August of 2005 from the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism where he served as associate dean. Under Callahan’s leadership, the Cronkite School has established the  Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship, the Cronkite Institute for High School Journalism and the New Media Innovation Lab. In addition, he has expanded the school’s student television newscast, led the design of a new undergraduate curriculum and developed a new intensive professional master’s program.<separator></separator>He also launched Cronkite News Service, started a multimedia reporting program with The Arizona Republic’s azcentral.com and created a minority fellowship program with KPHO CBS 5 and the Meredith Corp. Callahan was named the Scripps Howard Journalism Administrator of the Year and was the first dean named to the American Society of News Editors Board of Directors.<separator></separator>Callahan is currently leading the national News21 Initiative, a 12-school program aimed at transforming journalism education, and is overseeing the creation of specializations in business journalism and Latino issues coverage.<separator></separator>Before entering journalism education, Callahan was a correspondent for the Associated Press in Washington D.C., and other bureaus in the Northeast. He is a graduate of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and Boston University’s School of Public Communication.<separator></separator>College of Public Programs:<separator></separator>Frederick C. Corey, dean of University College and director of the School of Letters and Sciences, will serve as interim dean of the College of Public Programs effective June 6, succeeding Dean Debra Friedman who is leaving ASU to become chancellor of the University of Washington, Tacoma.<separator></separator>As dean of University College and Director of the School of Letters and Sciences, Corey oversees academic advising and major exploration for students who have not yet selected a major. As school director, he is responsible for the coordination of general education and liberal arts courses on the Downtown Phoenix campus and the university-wide Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree program.<separator></separator>During his career at ASU, Corey has served on the faculty in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication,  as associate dean of the College of Public Programs, director of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and senior associate dean of University College.<separator></separator>Corey received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Central Michigan University, master’s degree in communication from Southern Illinois University, and doctorate in communication from the University of Arizona.<separator></separator>His research and instruction interests focus on communication and culture with an emphasis on ethnographic writing, cultural performance and narrative. His expertise in the principles of communication, speech, narrative performance, ethnographic writing and health education has enhanced the learning experiences of ASU students for more than 20 years. Corey has published widely in journals and he has edited collections in communication and performance studies.<separator></separator>Health Solutions:<separator></separator>Craig Thatcher, executive dean of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, will serve as interim associate executive vice provost for Health Solutions, effective June 1. The interim dean of the College of Nursing & Health Innovation will report to him as will the interim director of a planned School of Nutrition and Health Promotion.  <separator></separator>These changes follow the announced departure of dean Bernadette Melnyk, who is moving to Ohio State University as dean of their College of Nursing, associate vice president for health promotion and chief wellness officer. <separator></separator>Thatcher joined the School of Applied Arts and Sciences at the Polytechnic campus in 2008 as professor and dean.  In 2009, he was appointed the executive dean of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation. Thatcher received his master’s degree, doctorate of veterinary medicine and doctorate in nutritional physiology from Iowa State University in 1977, 1981 and 1982 respectively. After graduation, Thatcher spent several years in private mixed-animal practice in Pennsylvania. He joined the faculty at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech in 1983 and was on the faculty until June 2008. He served as head of the College’s Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department from 1992-2004 and was associated with the teaching, service, research and extension programs in the discipline of veterinary nutrition.<separator></separator>His research interest is in the area of comparative nutrition and the role of antioxidant nutrients in health and disease.

University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication