Syracuse University has formed a search committee to find a new dean for the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications following Dean Lorraine Branham’s death in April.

Branham served as Newhouse’s dean for 11 years until she died on April 2 after a battle with cancer. Amy Falkner, senior associate dean at Newhouse, is currently serving as the school’s interim dean. 

Craig Boise, the dean of SU’s College of Law, and John Wildhack, director of athletics, will co-chair the search committee. Falkner will sit on the committee with Board of Trustees and Newhouse Advisory Board members Jeffery Mangram and Mike Tirico.

Hub Brown, associate dean for research, creativity, international initiatives and diversity, and Joel Kaplan, associate dean for professional graduate studies, will also serve on the committee. Other committee members include several Newhouse faculty and staff, as well as an undergraduate and graduate student. 

SU is selecting a national executive search firm to support the search committee’s efforts. The search committee will meet after the selection, which is expected to be made this month. 

Here is the full list of committee members:

• Kelly Barnett, director of career development at Newhouse
• Hub Brown, associate dean for research, creativity, international initiatives and diversity and associate professor of broadcast and digital journalism
• Jonathan Chau, a junior magazine journalism major
• Laura Canuelas-Torres, a doctoral student at Newhouse
• Amy Falkner, interim dean of Newhouse and associate professor of advertising
• Hua Jiang, associate professor of public relations
• Joel Kaplan, associate dean for professional graduate studies at Newhouse and professor of magazine, news and digital journalism
• Lawrence Kramer, graduate of the Class of 1972, Board of Trustees member, Newhouse Advisory Board member
• Jeffery Mangram, associate professor at SU’s School of Education
• Anne Osborne, professor of communications
• Olivia Stomski, director of the Newhouse Sports Media Center, and professor of practice of television, radio and film
• Mike Tirico, graduate of the Class of 1988, Board of Trustees member and Newhouse Advisory Board member