Journalism professor Lisa Collins will serve as the interim director of the School of Communication and Design heading into the 2020-2021 academic year.

Collins has taught at Loyola for seven years and worked on programs in the School of Communication and Design such as the Gray Producer Incubator Pilot Program and the School’s Capstone journalism course.

Collins has also served as the director of online education for the School of Communication. In that role, Collins said that she advised all online students and planned when professors would teach online courses.

Collins, along with other journalism professors, also guided students through their live broadcasts of President Tania Tetlow’s inauguration and the 2019 French Quarter Fest.

“Those of you who know Professor Collins well recognize the incredible enthusiasm, vision and skill she brings to her new role,” said Kern Maass, dean of the College of Music and Media, in an email sent out to the college. “Over the last two months, her guidance has proved inordinately helpful to students and colleagues alike, and with her help, we will be bringing new insights forward in the fall.”

Collins will be taking this position as Sonya Duhe, the previous director, finishes up her last year at Loyola this May.

“Dr. Duhe has done so much to raise the bar for our school, and I just want to keep that going so that we can continue to make the program great,” said Collins. “I love Loyola and I just want to keep making the program better.”

Collins said that she will be working with Duhe into the summer through this transition period.

The college will conduct a national search to permanently fill the position next year.