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Dean's Profile

Dean Loy Singleton

The dean of The University of Alabama's College of Communication and Information Sciences is Dr. Loy Singleton.

After graduation with a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin, he spent five years as an Air Force pilot then returned to Texas and earned a master’s degree in journalism and a doctorate in mass communication research. After 10 years on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he joined The University of Alabama faculty as chair of the Department of Telecommunication and Film in 1989. He was appointed dean July 2006.

Singleton's teaching and research interests include electronic media history, law and policy, and the development and impact of new telecommunication technologies.

One-on-One with the Dean

Q: What do you personally bring to the position of dean?
A: The main thing I bring is 18 years experience in the College in administration as a department chair, so I have a familiarity with the evolution and culture of the College and its constituencies beyond the University.

Q: What does the College have to offer incoming students and alumni?
A: For students it has excellent facilities, an outstanding staff of media professionals, highly ranked faculty who combine scholarship with production and knowledge of media and a national network of alumni working in the media industries.
For alumni we offer a focal point for remaining in contact and getting the word out about their College. Our national alumni association provides our alums the opportunity to network and support one another in their careers.

Q: What led you to pursue a career in communication?
A: I grew up in a generation that was really impacted by mass media and its content in the 1960’s. It was natural to have a curiosity about how media shape us and the institutions in our lives that are important. So when I had the opportunity to go to grad school, studying media was natural. When I began I found most interesting the relationship between media and law. Media law and regulation eventually became my focus. My career as a scholar and administrator has taken place in a time when there has been a real revolution in the media in terms of content and law. This was an excellent time to be involved because it has changed so much in the last 20 years.