Baylor Professor Selected as IDL Journalism Fellow

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WACO, Texas (May 29, 2018) – Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., professor of journalism, graduate program director and director of American studies in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, has been named as one of nine Institute for Diverse Leadership (IDL) in Journalism and Communication fellows. This program is part of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

Ramirez is honored to have been chosen and views this opportunity as a great step toward reaching her career goals. She has been promoted to full professor and hopes to continue into an administrative role in the future.

“My goal for the future includes serving in an administrative role, such as chair or dean,” Ramirez said. “I believe in order to do my best, I need to have the leadership skills that are necessary to excel in those positions.”

Ramirez was first encouraged to apply to the IDL program by a few personal mentors, including Sara Stone, Ph.D., chair of journalism, public relations and new media at Baylor, who wrote a letter of recommendation and provided supporting quotes from previous students.

A large part of the IDL fellowship program includes the week-long shadowing of a mentor, and Ramirez is excited to learn from this experience.

“I’ve had some really good mentors over the years, and I look forward to having this mentor,” Ramirez said. “From previous experience, I know that it is very important to have mentors and I believe strongly in the mentor-mentee relationship. I think mentors can be very helpful for up-and-coming faculty and in making the transition from one position to another.”

She has yet to select a mentor for the program, but plans to learn from someone who has been through the process of accreditation.

“Because we have re-accreditation coming up in our department, we think that it will be important for me to shadow someone who will be able to provide guidance on the steps departments take to achieve re-accreditation,” Ramirez said. “Another goal is to shadow someone who can provide insight on what it takes to succeed in administration.”

According to its website, the AEJMC is a nonprofit, educational association of journalism and mass communication educators, students and media professionals. Its IDL program is focused on the promotion of people of color and women in administration and journalism.

Ramirez is head of AEJMC’s Minorities and Communication (M&A) division. She also has served as vice head, research chair and reviewer. MAC is committed to advancing research, teaching and professional freedom and responsibility scholarship and initiatives that explore the relationship between racial and ethnic minorities and mass communication.

Within the Baylor JPRNM department, Ramirez serves as the diversity committee chair, and has shown her devotion to the mission of diversity.

“One of the most pressing issues right now is the retention and recruitment of women and minorities and so this particular program helps with that because it helps identify women and persons of color who are interested in administration and it helps give them the skills that they need to succeed,” Ramirez said.

The IDL program will begin in August and the fellows will meet for the first time at AEJMC’s conference in Washington, D.C., before participating in other sessions throughout the year. The program will focus on management, team building and problem solving, all of which Ramirez looks forward to expanding as skills for her future in administration.

“I hope to gain a better understanding of my leadership strengths and weaknesses, and IDL will help in this area,” Ramirez said.

Following a year of participation in this program, Ramirez plans to remain at Baylor.

“Baylor is my dream university,” Ramirez said. “I’ve been teaching at Baylor for 17 years. I plan to stay at Baylor and hopefully move into administration, but Baylor is and has been a wonderful place for me to work and grow as an educator, scholar and leader.”

by Liesbeth Powers, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

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The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s oldest and largest academic division, consisting of 25 academic departments and seven academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. Faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit www.baylor.edu/artsandsciences.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.