Brooke Barnett will take over the College of Communication in June 2019. Photo courtesy Elon University.

ZACH HORRALL | DIGITAL EDITOR | zhorrall@butler.edu

Brooke Barnett will begin as the newly hired dean of the College of Communication on June 1, 2019, Butler University announced today.

Barnett will take the place of interim dean Jay Howard, who has been serving in that position since July 2017 after replacing Gary Edgerton.

Barnett comes from Elon University, where she served as associate provost for academic and inclusive excellence, as well as professor in the school of communication. She has been at Elon since 2001.

In an email announcement, Provost Kathryn Morris said Barnett received rave reviews from much of the Butler community.

“Dr. Barnett’s candidacy for Dean of CCOM was enthusiastically endorsed not only by the search committee, but by all who interacted with her during her campus visit,” Morris said in the announcement. “I believe that with the combination of the excellent faculty, staff, and students in CCOM and the experienced and engaged leadership Dr. Barnett will bring as Dean, our College of Communication is poised for a successful and exciting future.”

Elon Provost Steven House said in a statement that Barnett has improved Elon by working to make the university more inclusive and welcoming in her 17 years there.

“She has made considerable contributions to advance the university through her work as a tireless, caring and talented administrator as well as a distinguished teacher-scholar-mentor in communications,” House said. “We thank her for her outstanding service to Elon and wish her the best in her new role at Butler University.”

Barnett has Hoosier roots as well. She received her Bachelor’s degree in English and Communication at Georgetown College before attending Indiana University-Bloomington to get her Master’s degree in Journalism and her Ph.D. in Mass Communication.

Managing editor Marisa Miller contributed to this story.