Dorothy M. Bland (1958–)

Dorothy M. Bland is a journalism educator at the collegiate level. Prior to working in higher education, she worked as a reporter, editor, and publisher for Gannett Co., Inc., the largest U.S. newspaper publisher.

Dorothy M. Bland was born in Little Rock (Pulaski County) in 1958, the fourth of six children of Dorothy Bland and Lee Bland Jr. Her mother was a maid and factory worker, while her father worked in maintenance. She graduated in 1976 from Parkview High School in Little Rock and received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro (Craighead County) in 1980, an MBA from George Washington University in 1988, and a doctorate in communication from Florida State University in 2020.

While a student at Arkansas State, she worked in a variety of roles at the Herald newspaper, including as editor. Following graduation, she began working for Gannett Co. in a career that would eventually include roles as a reporter and editor. She was a news executive at USA Today, served as publisher for the Chillicothe Gazette in Ohio, and was then publisher of Gannett Co.’s Fort Collins Coloradoan for eleven years.

Bland accepted her first academic position at Florida A&M University in 2007 as director and professor of the journalism division. She later joined the University of North Texas (UNT) Mayborn School of Journalism, where she has served as a dean and professor. Her tenure as dean was marked by significant achievements, including overseeing record-breaking enrollment, raising more than $2 million in funding, and launching a master’s degree program in digital communication analytics.

In addition to teaching college students, she has also been instrumental in mentoring aspiring high school journalists through Mayborn’s Multimedia High School Journalism Workshop. She has also helped place more than 100 students in internships at prominent news outlets such as KERA, the Dallas Morning News, CBS, and USA Today.

Throughout her career, Bland has been a staunch advocate for diversity in journalism, and her efforts have paved the way for students from historically underrepresented groups to enter the profession. She was awarded the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) 2024 Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Award for Distinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education, and she was named the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Educator of the Year in 2026. Her co-authored book, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategies: Learning from Journalism and Mass Communication Programs with Professional Impact, explores diversity initiatives and practices at U.S. college and university journalism and mass communication programs. That book earned an NABJ Outstanding Book Award in 2024.

Bland is involved in several professional organizations, including the Broadcast Education Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Online News Association, NABJ, and AEJMC. She also serves on the board of the Maynard Institute and the leadership council for the Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication at Florida International University.

She has received numerous accolades for her contributions to journalism and education. She was awarded the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2022 Distinguished Teaching in Journalism Award. In 2025, she was honored with the prestigious Richard J. Levine Journalism Champion Award by the Dow Jones News Fund. This annual award recognizes individuals whose work is in concert with the News Fund’s mission to recruit and train talented young journalists from diverse backgrounds, while promoting a strong and free press.

For additional information:
“Bland Named 2025 Award Recipient.” Dow Jones Newspaper Fund. https://dowjonesnewsfund.org/news/bland-named-2025-award-recipient/ (accessed October 7, 2026).

“Dorothy Bland.” Maynard Institute. https://mije.org/team/dorothy-bland/ (accessed October 7, 2026).

“Dorothy Bland, Ph.D.” University of North Texas. https://class.unt.edu/journalism/people/dorothy-bland-phd.html (accessed October 7, 2026).

Lillie Mae Fears
Arkansas State University