We are thrilled to announce that, after a comprehensive search process, Simmons University has selected Dr. Ammina Kothari to serve as the new Dean of the Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities, and Social Sciences. She will officially join Simmons on August 1.
As dean, Dr. Kothari will play a pivotal role in the leadership of the Ifill School, a vital part of Simmons' forward-looking academic structure that is designed to accelerate student pathways and growth in meaningful careers. Dr. Kothari's background in media and communications includes extensive academic leadership and research experience – particularly as it relates to AI and implications for journalism. She is adept at developing and implementing cutting-edge undergraduate and graduate curriculum and building industry partnerships.
Dr. Kothari has served as Director of the Harrington School of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island since 2021, where she worked with local media partners to establish scholarship and internship opportunities for students. Under her leadership, the school established the Social Media Research Lab, which allows students to work with industry partners to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios. In 2023, Dr. Kothari was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honors society and was selected as a Scripps Howard Leadership Academy Fellow. A dynamic, energetic, and collaborative leader, she impressed the search committee with her leadership experience both at URI and earlier at the Rochester Institute of Technology. At RIT, she served as a program director at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and received the Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching, RIT's highest honor for tenured faculty. She has demonstrated an active commitment to interdisciplinarity and collaboration in her teaching and research.
Dr. Kothari's scholarship has a global reach and includes research on timely issues, including artificial intelligence and its implications for journalism and communication, social media and its impact on mental health, and issues affecting minority communities in the U.S. and around the world. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and presented at national and international conferences. Dr. Kothari holds a Ph.D. in mass communication, a master's degree in communication and society, and a bachelor's degree in English and print journalism.
"I am excited to join the Simmons community and to have the opportunity to develop and advance undergraduate and graduate programming that will allow our students to thrive," says Dr. Kothari. "During this period of rapid disruption in media and communication, students must be able to think critically, work in an interdisciplinary fashion, and engage in research and experiential learning opportunities. Gwen Ifill leaves a transformational legacy, and I am looking forward to working collaboratively to shape a vibrant future for the Ifill School as a communications and liberal arts leader in higher education."
The appointment of Dr. Kothari follows an expansive search which included vetting more than 60 candidates. The search committee interviewed 18 semifinalists and welcomed three finalists to campus to meet with members of the Simmons community. We want to thank Harris Associates for their assistance in this search, along with the Simmons search committee co-chaired by President Lynn Perry Wooten and Interim Dean of the Gwen Ifill School Diane Grossman. Committee members included Simmons Trustees Roberto Ifill and David Ferriero '74MS; alumnae Lisa Mullins '80, '05HD and Barbara Semedo '73 (both graduated with degrees in communications); student representatives Bella Yee '24 and graduate student Emily Li; and faculty members Eduardo Febles, Dawna Thomas, Briana Martino '08C, Wanda Torres Gregory, and Yunxin Li; and staff representative Halima Haruna. Please join us in thanking Interim Dean Grossman, and in extending a warm Simmons welcome to Dr. Kothari.