Appointment of Mariette DiChristina as Dean of the Boston University College of Communication
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
This past academic year, we undertook a national search for a new Dean of the College of Communication. We sought candidates who would bring the proven leadership, strategic vision, and track record of innovation and accomplishment across the media landscape essential to charting the future of COM. After a competitive search process that considered many exceptional candidates, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Mariette DiChristina as Dean of the College of Communication.
Mariette is among the nation’s most accomplished science journalists, editors, and managers. She is currently an Executive Vice President at Springer Nature and Editor-in-Chief and Senior Vice President of Scientific American – the first woman to head the publication since its inception in 1845. In these roles, Mariette manages a global publishing workforce of more than 160 people across 10 countries, overseeing production of digital and print content for several titles bearing the Scientific American and Nature brands. She has been responsible for building a strong social media presence across multiple platforms and directing custom-media and publishing arms centered around advertising, public relations, and new business development. In an age of daily digital change, Mariette has successfully led teams at Springer Nature through major technological and cultural transition. Her efforts have garnered numerous editorial honors including a National Magazine Award for “General Excellence” and recognition as a “Corporate Visionary” by the Folio Women in Digital Media Awards. She has additionally served as President of the National Association of Science Writers and as Executive Editor of Popular Science, where she was recognized as Editor of the Year by parent company Times Mirror Magazines.
Mariette’s leadership and international footprint have been recognized beyond the editorial boardroom. An outspoken champion of technical innovation, she currently chairs the Emerging Technologies Committee for the World Economic Forum – Scientific American annual “Top 10 Emerging Technologies” list and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is a committee member of the Climate Communications Initiative through the U.S. Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and has testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advocating for federal funding of basic scientific research.
A lifelong journalist, Mariette is a respected and familiar face at Boston University. She is a BU graduate, having received her B.A. in journalism from the College of Communication in 1986, and is a past recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Joseph and Gertrude Stern Memorial Prize for journalism promise. She has been an adjunct professor and visiting scholar at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, a science writer in residence at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and authored a chapter on science editing for Oxford University Press’s Field Guide to Science Writing.
Throughout the search process, it was evident to all who interacted with her that Mariette’s strong track record of energetic and strategic leadership, her intellectual curiosity and embrace of technological innovation, and her reputation as a gifted mentor and administrator capable of guiding large organizations forward through collaboration and adaptability are an ideal fit for the needs of the College of Communication.
Mariette will assume the Deanship on August 15, 2019. In the months ahead, I hope that you will join President Brown and me in formally welcoming her back to the BU community and in wishing her well in this leadership role. We look forward to working with her, and with all of you, to continue building on COM’s strong momentum and further elevating its stature as one of the nation’s premier communications institutions.
I would also like to express gratitude to the members of the Dean Search Advisory Committee for their excellent work and give special thanks to the Search Committee Chair, Professor Paul Schneider, for his leadership in a successful, collaborative search process.
Search Advisory Committee for the Dean of the College of Communication
Chair:
Paul Schneider, Professor of the Practice and Chair of Film & Television, College of Communication (elected by the College of Communication)
Members:
Jennifer Beard, Clinical Associate Professor of Global Health, School of Public Health (elected by the Faculty Council)
Tobe Berkovitz, Associate Professor of Advertising, College of Communication (elected by the College of Communication)
Margrit Betke, Professor of Computer Science, College of Arts & Sciences (elected by the Faculty Council)
Anne Donohue, Associate Professor of Journalism, College of Communication (elected by the College of Communication)
Natalie McKnight, Dean, College of General Studies (selected by the University Provost)
Martin Nisenholtz, Professor of Digital Communication, College of Communication (selected by the University Provost)