OSWEGO, N.Y. — SUNY Oswego announced it has named Jennifer Knapp dean of the School of Communications, Media and the Arts (SCMA), effective this Friday.
Knapp has been serving as the school’s interim dean since July 2022 when SCMA dean Julie Pretzat decided to return to classroom work for this academic year, Scott Furlong, SUNY Oswego’s provost and VP for academic affairs, said at the time.
Knapp has served SCMA as a professor, department chair, and associate dean and has participated in key initiatives for SUNY Oswego since her arrival in 2008, the school said.
SUNY Oswego says it sees Knapp as “uniquely positioned” to lead the SCMA and its more than 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students, and nearly 100 full-time faculty.
“I am very excited to have Jen join the Academic Affairs team as dean of the School of Communication, Media, and the Arts,” Furlong said in a SUNY Oswego news release. “Throughout her time here at SUNY Oswego, she has taken on greater responsibilities — all of which have enhanced opportunities for our faculty and students. She works well with the faculty and staff, and possesses strong listening and problem-solving skills, which will continue to serve her well. The SCMA continued to move forward during her time as interim dean and now as dean I see Jen taking SCMA to the next level during this very exciting time at SUNY Oswego.”
As the administrative officer leading the work of the SCMA, Knapp will oversee the completion of an $80 million renovation of Hewitt Hall; lead the school in advancing its goals through a shared governance model that draws from and elevates the strengths of SCMA’s diverse departments, programs, faculty and students; engage in the university’s enrollment and retention efforts; uphold the institutional priority of inclusive community; and support the work of the SCMA advisory board composed of alumni working in the fields represented across the SCMA.
“I am a proud member of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts, so to have the opportunity to lead the school into its next chapter is thrilling,” Knapp said in the school’s release. “The completed renovation of Tyler Hall and the current renovation of Hewitt Hall are a testament to the university’s commitment to our programs, and will allow our students, faculty and staff to continue to demonstrate that we are the premiere university for these programs. Other than when SCMA was first created, this might be the most exciting time in its history.”