Dr. Jennifer Proffitt has been appointed as the newest Theodore Clevenger Professor in Communication by Dean Michelle Kazmer. Dr. Proffitt was honored at the College of Communication and Information’s (CCI) retreat on August 22, 2024.

“I am so honored that Dean Kazmer has appointed me as the Theodore Clevenger Professor in Communication,” Proffitt says. “It means so much to me to be recognized for my research, teaching, and service.”

This professorship honors former professor and the first dean of the College of Communication Theodore Clevenger, who passed away in 1995. As a prominent figure in communication himself, his professorship of the same name aims to honor distinguished faculty members who demonstrate excellence and provide them with an endowment to support their professional development. 

Proffitt has proudly worked at the School of Communication since 2005. She researches in the area of the political economy of media, including media history, regulation, news and entertainment, and labor. The courses she teaches include Political Economy of Media, Media Ethics, Communication Regulation and Policy, and Qualitative Methods.  

Proffitt has served as the Director of the School of Communication between 2018 and 2020 and as President of the United Faculty of Florida from 2015 to 2017, as well as received University teaching awards at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her work demonstrates her commitment to the success of students as well as the School, College, and University. The professorship is a five-year term, from 2024 to 2029.

Gary Heald, the first Theodore Clevenger Professor and former dean of CCI, said he was pleased with Dr. Proffitt’s appointment. “Dr. Proffitt’s scholarly productivity, her record of mentoring students and fellow colleagues, her commitment to quality teaching, and her prominent leadership make her an ideal recipient of this scholarship,” Heald said. 

Proffitt says she aims to use the resources provided by the professorship to enhance her research agenda by traveling to archives, conducting interviews with media practitioners, and attending conferences to present her work and collaborate with other professionals on future research. She says her largest goals under this title are to continue her productivity and research agenda in critical media studies and to continue to help students develop and refine their own research agendas.