Diana Martinelli, who has played a critical role in adapting and expanding
curriculum at
West Virginia University’s
Reed College of Media, was named dean of the school today (May 1).
Martinelli, who has served as associate dean since 2012, succeeds Maryanne Reed, recently named WVU’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs.
The appointment by current Provost Joyce McConnell is effective July 1.
“Diana is the natural next leader of the Reed College,” McConnell said. “She is a productive scholar, beloved teacher and skilled administrator who has earned the respect of her colleagues these past seven-plus years.
“I am confident she’ll work with our faculty, staff and students to build on the college’s current success and continue to grow its national reputation as a leader in modern media education,” said McConnell, who has been named president of Colorado State University.
Martinelli joined the former P.I. Reed School of Journalism in 2005 as the first Widmeyer Professor in Public Relations. In addition to serving as associate dean, she was acting dean of the College of Media from 2015-2016 when Reed was tapped to lead the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
Under Martinelli’s leadership, the College of Media received full reaccreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and recently earned the Certification for Education in Public Relations, making it one of only 39 certified programs internationally and the only one in West Virginia.
She helped facilitate the development of new interdisciplinary majors and has received university-wide teaching awards at both WVU and at Ohio University, where she was previously on faculty. In 2013, she was selected to be one of 17 participants in the Scripps Howard Academic Leadership Academy at Louisiana State University, and in 2017, she represented WVU as a Big 12 Faculty Fellow at the University of Oklahoma.
“I’m honored to take on this role and continue to work among incredibly talented colleagues and students,” Martinelli said. “As an alumna of the school and a long-time faculty member, the opportunity to now serve as its dean is particularly rewarding.”