Charles Whitaker, the dean of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, will welcome NU-Q’s freshman class at the school’s Convocation Ceremony in August.
Whitaker was named dean of Medill in June after serving as interim dean for one year. He previously served as the Helen Gurley Brown Professor and associate dean of journalism. Whitaker earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Medill, the school. Before joining the Medill faculty, Whitaker was a senior editor at Ebony magazine.
Whitaker has published books and research articles that critique and examine the magazine industry from several different perspectives including an assessment of the racial and sexual diversity of its workforce, and the art of feature writing for consumer and business-to-business publications.
“Dean Whitaker, a professional journalist and respected scholar, is an acknowledged expert on the magazine industry—and was recently named to the national board of the American Society of Magazine Editors,” said Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO at NU-Q. “A master-teacher with experience across undergraduate and graduate programs at Medill, he has been a champion for students of color and a liaison with several professional associations and industry programs."
NU-Q’s Convocation Ceremony is attended by faculty, staff, and students to welcome its newest class and marks the beginning of a new academic year. In addition to Dean Whitaker’s address, the incoming class will hear from Dean Dennis and Sarah Shaath, president of NU-Q’s Student Union.
NU-Q’s Class of 2023 is diverse with students coming from more than 30 nationalities. As undergraduates, NU-Q students major in communication (media industries and technology) or journalism and strategic communication. They also benefit from a well-rounded education, which includes a variety of disciplines in the liberal arts from history and political science to literature and economics.
This will be Northwestern’s 12th class on its campus in Qatar. Since 2008, Northwestern has welcomed more than 660 students to its only international campus; its 350 alumni join more than 200,000 Northwestern alums around the world working as journalists, diplomats, business leaders, and academics.
