Ed Kelley announced Wednesday he will step down as dean of OU Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Kelley told OU Daily his decision was based on his upcoming 70th birthday later this spring.
In an email to Gaylord faculty, he wrote his resignation will be effective June 30, the end of OU’s fiscal year.
“It’s important the program … (is) represented by someone who's younger, who can come in with new ideas and fresh perspective to take our program … and take it and make it even better going forward,” Kelley said.
Kelley was named dean of Gaylord College in March 2016 after serving about eight months as interim dean. Kelley received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from OU in 1975 and has contributed to news organizations including Deseret News in Salt Lake City, The Washington Times and The Oklahoman.
In 1996, Kelley was named National Press Foundation Editor of the Year for overseeing The Oklahoman's coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing. In 1998, he served as a juror to the to the Pulitzer Prizes, and was named to the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2003.
In a letter to Gaylord faculty explaining his resignation, Kelley wrote that, as a graduate of the program, he takes pride in knowing more about Gaylord College’s story than most others.
He wrote that Gaylord College had 10 people serve as full-time director or dean in its 110-year history. The nine before him stepped down by their mid-60s.
The college should have a younger leader, he wrote, to build upon the institution’s success created by its students, faculty and staff.
“Should Gaylord College — an institution devoted to serving the needs of a constantly changing, 24/7 media environment that soon will be dominated by Generation Z — be overseen by a white-haired dean who is 70 years old? I think not.” Kelley wrote in the letter.
Since he was hired, Kelley wrote that he’s viewed his job as dean as more of an alumnus rather than an employee. He wrote that he strategized during his time how to make the Gaylord College experience more meaningful.
“I’m convinced what we are doing in Gaylord College is miles better, in many ways, than a half century ago,” Kelley wrote. “But like any high performing institution, it always can — and must — do better. That’s the challenge for Gaylord’s next leader.”
Kelley told OU Daily he does not intend to seek a different faculty or staff role within the university. He said he’s unsure what his future will look like but is open to opportunities that don’t entail full-time leadership responsibilities around Norman or elsewhere.
In the letter, Kelley thanked Gaylord College for its support and former OU President David Boren for hiring him eight years ago. He wrote in the email the university will name an interim dean followed by a national search in the 2023-24 academic year.
“This job is the most satisfying one of the many I’ve held in my long career. To work with smart, creative people devoted to educating the next generation of journalists, communicators and creators has been nothing short of a blessing,” Kelley wrote. “And the students: I have great faith that we as a community and nation will be in good hands when, by mid-century, they are the adults, running every important institution, old and new.”
This story was edited by Karoline Leonard, Jazz Wolfe and Jillian Taylor. Francisco Gutierrez and Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
