Jan Lauren Boyles named School of Journalism director

The University of Arizona School of Journalism is excited to welcome Professor Jan Lauren Boyles as its next director, effective July 1, 2025.

“I am enormously grateful for this opportunity to serve our talented Wildcat faculty, staff, students and alumni here in Tucson,” Boyles said. “Together, we will enhance and elevate the School’s national and international visibility as an industry leader in training the next generation of journalists.”

Dr. Boyles brings a distinguished record of leadership and scholarship to the role, most recently having served as associate director and professor at Iowa State University's Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication.

A former reporter, Boyles’s scholarly work, which has been cited more than 1,300 times, explores how journalists engage with digital tools, practices and platforms to better serve communities. 

In 2024, Boyles completed a visiting fellowship at the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, where she conducted research on data journalism, civic technology and coding. She previously held research roles at the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C., and was named a Google Journalism Fellow. She has also received prestigious honors from the Scripps Howard Foundation, National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR)/Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) and the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism.

Beyond her scholarship, Boyles has also stepped into national leadership roles. She is currently an associate editor for Digital Journalism and previously served as the journal’s international engagement editor. She co-chairs the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) Presidential Task Force on Undergraduate Education and Engagement, and served four years on AEJMC’s Board of Directors. In 2020, she was named the Top Reviewer for the International Communication Association’s (ICA) Journalism Studies Division.

At Iowa State, Boyles made major contributions in the classroom and beyond, teaching courses on media law, big data, news writing and more. During her tenure at ISU, Boyles served as a faculty fellow for High-Impact Practices within the University’s Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost. She has been honored with multiple awards for teaching and mentorship, including the Harry Heath Advising Award and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Early Achievement in Teaching, as well as the College’s Graduate Student Mentoring Award.

One of her standout achievements was leading a faculty, staff and student team that created Iowa State’s new degree in Sports Media and Communication, designed to give students real-world experience covering Big 12 athletics from the sidelines and press boxes. Connected to this effort, Boyles co-developed a new study abroad program in Ireland, where students will cover the Cyclones’ football game against Kansas State in Dublin this fall. She was also instrumental in launching the School’s accelerated master’s degree program.

A native of Fairmont, West Virginia, Boyles holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from West Virginia University, where she graduated summa cum laude. She earned her Ph.D. in communication in 2014 from American University in Washington, D.C. While at WVU, she was the inaugural recipient of both the School of Journalism’s Golden Quill Award for Teaching and the university’s Nicholas Evans Award for Academic Advising.

Boyles will be the 13th person to lead the School of Journalism—and the fourth woman, following in the footsteps of Jacqueline Sharkey, Carol Schwalbe and current director Jessica Retis.

“Serving as director has been a true honor, and I'm thankful for the progress we've made together. As I pass the baton, I know the School of Journalism is in excellent hands with Jan Lauren Boyles,” Retis said. “Her leadership, experience and passion for journalism make her an outstanding choice to guide the school into its next chapter. She’s a tremendous addition to our program.”