John Soloski, dean of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication for the past four years, resigned from his position on June 30.
Leonard Reid, a veteran faculty member in the college, will serve as interim dean.
In a letter to Arnett C. Mace Jr., senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, Soloski said his resignation is due to the personal and health impacts of the position. Mace says Soloski will be assigned during the coming year for study and retooling in anticipation of a return to the faculty the following year.
Reid, who has been on the college faculty since 1980, is currently associate dean for research and graduate studies. A former head of the department of advertising and public relations, he served as interim dean before Soloski became the fifth dean in the 86-year history of the Grady College.
Reid says he welcomes “the challenge of again serving the college in the capacity of interim dean. In this transition period, we at Grady will focus on maintaining and advancing the goals and initiatives of the college.”
An authority on libel and media law and a leader in journalism education, Soloski came to UGA in 2001 from the University of Iowa, where he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees and had been on faculty since 1978. His undergraduate degree is from Boston College.
Nationally known for his scholarship in the field of advertising, Reid is an authority on advertising effects and content, advertising creativity, the advertising of controversial products and managerial aspects of advertising.
This year he became one of only 31 scholars elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Advertising, the organization’s highest honor. He is a former vice president of the academy and a former editor of its Journal of Advertising.
Before coming to UGA, Reid held positions at the University of Illinois, Arizona State University and Michigan State University.