If journalists were ranked like college football recruits, Kathleen McElroy might be rated as a 5-star.
The pomp and circumstance outside Texas A&M University’s Academic Building on Tuesday morning made it feel that way at least. Faculty and staff gathered around a table in front of the university’s iconic building as McElroy signed her contract to become A&M’s new journalism director for the revamped program. She will begin her role in August.
McElroy, A&M Class of 1981, was most recently a professor in the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism and Media. She was director of Texas’ School of Journalism from 2018 to 2022.
Coming back to A&M feels both weird and foreign, she said, but also natural and like it was meant to be.
“I’ve been strategic, I think, about my life, but not in a way that I must do this and I must do that,” McElroy said. “Things just sort of happened in a way that makes a lot of sense in my life, so I’m not surprised I’m here, but I didn’t plan to be here.”
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After graduating from A&M with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, McElroy was hired at The Eagle and worked in news, sports and features. She later worked at the Huntsville Item, the Austin American-Statesman, Newsday and The National.
In 1991, McElroy was hired at The New York Times and worked there as an editor in various positions for 20 years. In 2011, McElroy began her doctorate at Texas and graduated in 2014. She also holds a masters of arts from New York University.
In 2007, McElroy was selected to the Texas A&M Former Journalism Students Association’s Hall of Honor.
“I am optimistic about what’s ahead for journalism education at this university and believe strongly in offering the opportunity for our students to earn a degree through a well-rounded curriculum,” said Jose Bermúdez, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
A journalism major was approved by A&M’s Board of Regents in February and will be offered as a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science degree. A&M President M. Katherine Banks said in her state of the university address last September that the first students in the new journalism program will start in fall 2023 and the program will be housed in the College of Arts and Sciences. The program will be under the Department of Communication and Journalism, pending approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
For 55 years, including McElroy’s time at A&M, the university had a journalism department and degree before it was discontinued in 2004. A&M has continued to offer journalism education in indirect paths as a minor and later as a degree in university studies.
Recruiting McElroy is a huge step forward for A&M’s journalism program, noted Hart Blanton, head of the Department of Communication and Journalism.
“In time, through academic and industry partnerships, our goal for A&M journalism is nothing short of becoming a trusted source for news and information in the state,” Blanton said.
While at Texas two or three years ago, McElroy was a part of an external review of A&M’s journalism program. She noted the assessment isn’t complete yet because although there is quantitative information, there is a need for qualitative information.
“You need to talk to people to know why things are a certain way,” McElroy said. “I think a big mistake you can make in any leadership position or management is assuming things are either perfect or broken. Things often tend to be somewhere in between and the best way to do that is to talk to people and find out what they think is broken and what they think is perfect, and along with your own assessments.”
One item on her agenda is to build collaborations with A&M’s existing student media platforms, such as The Battaltion, KAMU and 12th Man Productions.
“There’s all these things where I think we can do more collaborations and we can do better collaborations,” McElroy said. “I think there’s so many ways you can rethink what journalism is.”
Nonetheless, McElroy said her hope is for A&M’s journalism program to grow and produce more journalism graduates, whether they go into newsrooms or other industries.
“The whole idea is what can we do for journalism majors and what can we do for journalism and what can we do for news consumers?” McElroy said. “I think that’s got to be at the front. And, of course, that’s all infused with Aggie spirit.”