Karin Gwinn Wilkins

Dean of the School of Communication and Journalism
Karin Gwinn Wilkins was appointed dean of the Stony Brook University School of Communication and Journalism effective August 17, 2026. She was previously the dean of the School of Communication at the University of Miami. 

As dean at the University of Miami, Wilkins oversaw the school’s ranking rise to nearly the top one percent in the country; strengthened the student experience through additional degree programs, community building, and new study abroad and study away programs; and recruited, retained and supported faculty. She previously spent more than two decades at the University of Texas at Austin, serving in senior academic leadership roles in the Moody College of Communication including associate dean for faculty advancement and strategic initiatives, holding distinguished endowed professorships, and directing multiple interdisciplinary and global programs.

An internationally recognized scholar in global communication, development communication and media studies, Wilkins is the author and editor of numerous influential books and articles. Her most recent edited book, Critical Communication Research with Global Inclusivity, was published last year by Routledge. She serves on the editorial boards of several journals, and previously served as editor-in-chief of Communication Theory. She has held extensive leadership roles in national and professional associations, including the Alliance of Schools and Colleges of Communication and Journalism and the International Communication Association.

Wilkins holds PhD and master’s degrees in communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies from Bucknell University.

 

CONTACT:

Lisa Pfeifer
631-632-2130
Stony Brook University
Melville Library N4029
Stony Brook, NY 11794-3394