Skip to Main Content
Boston University
  • Bostonia
  • BU Today
  • The Brink
  • University Publications

    • Bostonia
    • BU Today
    • The Brink
  • School & College Publications

    • The Record
Other Publications
BU Today
  • Sections
News, Opinion, Community

Lou Ureneck named chair of journalism department

Veteran print journalist hopes to bring core principles into the information age

April 13, 2006
  • Rebecca Lipchitz
Twitter Facebook
Lou Ureneck, professor of journalism at COM, has also been an editor-in-residence at the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University.

Lou Ureneck, a professor of journalism at the College of Communication, has been named chairman of the journalism department. He was asked yesterday by Dean John Schulz to take on the chairmanship and recommended for the post by outgoing chairman Robert Zelnick, who announced his resignation from the chairmanship Tuesday. Faculty are expected to vote on the nomination at the next faculty meeting in May.

“A lot has happened in the last 24 hours,” Ureneck told BU Today last night. While Zelnick’s announcement surprised many, Ureneck says he has had general discussions with Zelnick and Schulz about assuming the chairmanship for more than a year.

Ureneck, who is also director of COM’s business and economic journalism program and graduate studies program, came to the University three years ago from his post as deputy managing editor and assistant to the editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer. In addition to leading newspapers for more than 22 years, he has served as an editor-in-residence at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

Over the last six months, Ureneck been working with COM faculty to develop a strategic planning process and a long-range plan for the department, with a particular focus on changes wrought by the Internet.

“Those of us who have been practicing journalism for decades were inculcated with a set of values and principles around accuracy, verification, and operating as independent observers,” says Ureneck, a former chairman of the New Media and Values Committee of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. “Those traditional principles are being challenged by these new forms that are developing on the Internet. Those goals aren’t in contrast, but it will require a lot of thought and work from the faculty to translate those insights into course material.”

The faculty at COM, says Ureneck, have been considering such questions as, “What’s the place of blogging or interactivity in the journalism curriculum? What do we mean by citizen journalism and is that an appropriate category [within COM]?”

He says that a long-range plan would also change the COM curriculum to allow students more opportunity to learn different kinds of media, rather than concentrating on only print, broadcast, or Internet. His goal is the development of graduate program concentrations modeled after those in the University’s science and medical journalism program or business and economics journalism program, which he now oversees. 

Ureneck says he also hopes to encourage the COM faculty to maximize their influence on the future of journalism. “There are lots of opportunities for University faculty here in the journalism department to engage the public in the intellectual debate over the direction of journalism,” he says. “We need to be involved in that.”

Schulz says that outgoing chairman Zelnick, a longtime ABC News correspondent before coming to COM, will assume the title of professor of national and international affairs. “The three of us will work closely to ensure great continuity and a smooth transition in leadership in the department,” the dean says. “I look forward to working with Lou as he establishes his own agenda and leadership style.”
 
In accepting Zelnick’s decision, Schulz says, “Bob has provided vision and leadership to a department that is measurably stronger and more prominent as a result. I have been guided by his wise counsel and support during my three years as dean.  Teaching together, we have found that our views and lessons on journalism are utterly congruent.”

Explore Related Topics:

  • Faculty
  • Local
  • Share this story

Share

Lou Ureneck named chair of journalism department

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Rebecca Lipchitz

    Rebecca Lipchitz Profile

Latest from BU Today

  • Education

    What’s Behind the Rise in Violence Against Teachers?

  • Fine Arts

    How I Made This: Jacob Whitchurch (CFA’26)

  • Things-to-do

    To Do Today: Seaport Sweat

  • Film & TV

    Did You Win Free Tickets to See Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning Tonight?

  • COMMENCEMENT 2025

    Experience BU’s 2025 Commencement from a Terrier Point of View

  • Obituaries

    Remembering Leslie Epstein, Pillar of BU’s Creative Writing Program

  • Voices & Opinion

    POV: This Memorial Day, Remember BU’s Fallen Heroes by Visiting the New Online Honor Wall

  • University News

    23 Charles River Campus Faculty Promoted to Full Professor

  • Commencement 2025

    Photos: A Look Back at BU’s Commencement

  • Theatre

    It’s “Prom Season” at Wheelock Family Theatre

  • Things-to-do

    Six Spots to Check Out This Memorial Day in Boston

  • Student Life

    Video: Class of 2025: What We’ll Take with Us as We Begin a New Chapter

  • Health & Medicine

    What Does Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis Mean?

  • Watch Now

    BU’s Class of 2025: What Are Your Plans After Graduating?

  • Fitness

    BU Sports Rehab Therapists on Jayson Tatum’s Achilles Injury and Recovery Ahead

  • Commencement 2025

    Sights and Sounds from Boston University’s Class of 2025 Commencement

  • Commencement 2025

    Video: 2025 Graduate Jayde Best: “I Ended Up Exactly Where I Wanted to Be”

  • Commencement 2025

    “Empathy Is Essential,” BU Commencement Speaker Emily Deschanel Tells 2025 Graduates

  • Voices & Opinion

    I’m a Business Professor Who Asked Dozens of Former Students How They Define Success

  • Commencement 2025

    Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Convocations a Joyous Affair

Section navigation

  • Sections
  • Must Reads
  • Videos
  • Series
  • Close-ups
  • Archives
  • About + Contact
Get Our Email

Explore Our Publications

Bostonia

Boston University’s Alumni Magazine

BU Today

News, Opinion, Community

The Brink

Pioneering Research from Boston University

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Weibo
  • TikTok
© Boston University. All rights reserved. www.bu.edu
© 2025 Trustees of Boston UniversityPrivacy StatementAccessibility
Boston University
Notice of Non-Discrimination: Boston University prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex or gender, age, national origin, ethnicity, shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, military service, marital, parental, veteran status, or any other legally protected status in any and all educational programs or activities operated by Boston University. Retaliation is also prohibited. Please refer questions or concerns about Title IX, discrimination based on any other status protected by law or BU policy, or retaliation to Boston University’s Executive Director of Equal Opportunity/Title IX Coordinator, at titleix@bu.edu or (617) 358-1796. Read Boston University’s full Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Search
Boston University Masterplate
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Lou Ureneck named chair of journalism department
0
share this