Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony has been named director of the Jackson State University Department of Mass Communications.
Dr. James C. Renick, provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs, made the announcement at the department located at the Mississippi e-Center @ JSU on Friday.
“We are most pleased to welcome Dr. Hayes-Anthony back to the university to direct a department she helped to develop,” Renick said. “Finding a leader of her caliber is an important first step in the creation of a School of Journalism and Mass Communications.”
The goal of transforming the department was announced in August to leverage JSU’s assets, including radio and television stations and Weathervision.
Since 1998, Hayes-Anthony has served as professor of Communications and chair of the Department of Communications at Belhaven University.
Prior to that, she served at JSU for 10 years, first as director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Mass Communications and later appointed head of the department.
Under her leadership, the department received national accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Dr. Mario Azevedo, dean of the college of Liberal Arts, noted that the department is undergoing a restructuring to reflect changes in the industry. “With her deep experience, she will add immeasurably to that effort,” he said.
Hayes-Anthony earned both her bachelor of science and master’s degrees at JSU, and obtained her Ph.D. in Organizational Communication Broadcast Law at Southern Illinois, Carbondale.
Hayes-Anthony has a distinguished career in broadcast journalism. A native of Jackson, she made a name for herself as the first African-American female news anchor on WJTV Channel 12.
She was appointed assistant superintendent of public information for the Jackson Public School District and spokesperson for the Jackson School Board, before accepting the position at Belhaven.
At Belhaven, she has been a leader in promoting media ethics.
She has received a number of accolades from her work and civic involvement, including being named the 2014 recipient of the Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher Award.
She has served on the Mississippi Board of Health since 2007, appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour. In her second six-year term, she has served as co-chair of the Audit Committee and chair of the Communication Committee for the Board since 2009.