Sent April 2, 2026
Dear academic and administrative leaders,
I am delighted to announce that Regina Lawrence will be the next Edwin L. Artzt dean of the School of Journalism and Communication, following a national search. She has been serving as interim dean since August and most recently held the roles of associate dean of SOJC Portland and director of the Agora Journalism Center.
Regina is a creative, innovative, and strategic leader. During her time as interim dean, she has demonstrated a commitment to enhancing a culture of engagement and belonging in which faculty, staff, and administration work together to shape the future of the school. At a time when higher education — as well as journalism, media, and communications — face intense disruption, she brings the depth and vision needed to navigate this important moment of transformative change.
Since joining SOJC in 2015, Regina has been a member of the SOJC executive leadership team and served as co-chair of the SOJC Graduate Affairs Committee. She also has been an active leader on the UO Portland campus, including chairing the campus-wide Academic Collaborative.
Among her many accomplishments, she has worked with SOJC leadership, faculty, and staff to grow the Portland-based professional master’s programs, the Agora Journalism Center, the Oregon Reality Lab, and the new SOJC Portland multimedia production studio.
Regina is a nationally recognized expert on political communication, gender and politics, local news ecosystems, community-centered journalism, and the role of media in democracy. She has published numerous books, peer-reviewed studies, and public facing reports and currently serves as editor of the journal Political Communication.
In 2024, she received the Public Engagement Award from the Journalism Studies Division of the International Communication Association, which recognizes a scholar who has successfully engaged with publics and organizations outside of academia in ways that meaningfully impact both scholarship and journalistic practice. In 2025, she received the Murray Edelman Lifetime Distinguished Career Award from the American Political Science Association.
Regina received her bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Metropolitan State College in Denver, her master’s in political science from the University of Colorado at Denver, and her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Washington.
I want to thank the members of the search committee and its co-chairs, Jen Reynolds and Julianne Newton, for their dedicated work in evaluating an exceptional pool of candidates.
Please join me in congratulating Regina on her new role.
Sincerely,
Christopher P. Long
Provost and Senior Vice President