FAMU names Mira Lowe new dean of Journalism and Graphic Communication school

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Florida A&M University announced Wednesday it has selected Mira Lowe as the new dean for its School of Journalism and Graphic Communication.

Lowe will take over the position on Oct. 22, 2021, the press release says. In the meantime, Dr. Bettye Grable will continue to serve as SJGC’s interim dean, a role she has served in since March 2020.

FAMU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Maurice Edington says he is ecstatic to welcome Lowe to the Rattlers’ leadership team.

“She brings a wealth of professional experience from industry and academia, and I have no doubt she will provide bold, dynamic and transformative leadership for the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication,” Edington says.

FAMU says Lowe is a veteran journalist and editor. Since 2019, she was the assistant dean for student experiences at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications. The CJC Innovation News Center, which Lowe directed starting in 2017, is one of the largest student-powered newsrooms in the country.

The press release also says Lowe earned her master’s degree at Columbia University. Lowe’s expertise lies in digital storytelling, communications and career preparation, all topics she has taught and guest lectured on at multiple colleges and universities across America.

Lowe says she is super excited to join FAMU, which she called a beacon among Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country.

“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to build upon its legacy of scholarship, professional preparation and cultural pride,” Lowe says. “Being SJGC dean is a chance of a lifetime to help expand its record of achievement and to play a proud part in this HBCU moment.”

Before entering the world of higher education, Lowe was an editor at CNN Digital in Atlanta for five years. Other stops in her professional career included being the editor-in-chief of JET Magazine, holding a senior managerial role at Ebony Magazine and working at Newsday in New York for 18 years, according to the press release.

Lowe has been the president of the Journalism and Women Symposium since 2019. She is also an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists, FAMU says. Lowe earned her bachelor’s degree in radio and TV at Brooklyn College, the release says.