MU to host new satellite campus of LLK Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication

MU to host new satellite campus of LLK Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication

 

The Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver (LLK) Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication, based at Florida International University and the premier national organization dedicated to diversity and equity for women communicators, has designated Marymount University as its third satellite center and the first to be located in the greater Washington, D.C., region.

The Center aims to empower both female professionals and academics in all the fields of communication in order to develop visionaries and leaders who make a difference in their communities and professions, while also serving as a national thought leadership center on issues that impact women across the communication industries. Founded in 2013, it also has satellite centers at both Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. and Stephens College in Columbia, Mo.

“It’s very exciting for us to welcome Marymount University as a satellite campus of the Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication at FIU,” said Dr. Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver, Executive Director of the LLK Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication. “Our partnership will enable Marymount students to interact with and be part of the community of students from around the country in the workshops, seminars, national conferences and other programs that the Center sponsors throughout the year.”

“Ever since our founding in 1950 by the women of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary order, Marymount University has always placed a special emphasis on preparing women for the workplace and for the careers of tomorrow,” explained Dr. Irma Becerra, President of Marymount University. “This collaboration with the LLK Center is just the latest example of how our institution is living out its mission every day, and providing our Saints new pathways to future success.”

Signature programming of the LLK Center is accomplished through scholarly research, seminars, the Leadership Webinar series, mentoring programs, fellows’ programs, an annual national conference that envisions the way forward for future generations of communicators, an annual workshop for young women academics and other symposia.

These programs and events create opportunities to envision and develop ways for future generations of female communicators to excel in leadership. This is accomplished by actively supporting and encouraging female communicators by creating an educational forum that supports the development of a leadership brand, entrepreneurialism and innovation.

“I’m delighted that Marymount University will be a satellite campus for the LLK Center, as our Communication program faculty are all advocates for women in the communications field and I am confident that this partnership will be a successful one,” said Dr. Marnel Niles Goins, Dean of Marymount University’s College of Sciences and Humanities.

Leading Marymount’s satellite campus of the LLK Center as Co-Directors will be Dr. Kimberly Meltzer, Director of Marymount’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Associate Professor of Communication, and Dr. Melissa Harris, Assistant Professor of Communication at Marymount University. Dr. Meltzer teaches and conducts research about journalism and technology as well as political communication, and investigates journalistic adaptation to technological change from the perspective of journalists themselves. Her research is also concerned with the political and social implications of those adaptations, and she asks questions about how journalists perceive their own work, the work of their peers and its effects on citizens.

Prior to her academic career, Dr. Meltzer worked for news organizations such as CNN, NBC, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Discovery Communications and Gazette Newspapers.

“We are thrilled about this partnership and are looking forward to working together with our colleagues through the LLK Center to strengthen the opportunities for our students and women in communication,” Dr. Meltzer explained.

Dr. Harris, meanwhile, is known for her research at the intersections of culture, media and gender studies. She is currently conducting research on the cultural communication rite of passage known as “The Talk” within Black families, and the implications of such conversations on gender, media and the public and private sphere. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication, Culture and Media Studies from Howard University, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communication Studies from California State University, Fresno.

“I am thrilled to be a part of this outstanding opportunity to bring the LLK Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication to our Marymount community,” Dr. Harris said. “We look forward to continuing the legacy of imparting leadership and development to young scholars through our satellite campus.”