CJC Says Goodbye to Dr. Molleda

By Shelby Pulley

Juan-Carlos Molleda, Ph.D., has been a member of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (CJC) family for 16 years. He has served as the chair of the Department of Public Relations since December 2013.Throughout his time at CJC, Molleda also served as the director of the Master of Arts in Mass Communication Global Strategic Communication program while providing assistance to hundreds of students.

He recently accepted the position of dean for the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication. Molleda will be the first strategic communication and international scholar to lead the school, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

I talked with Molleda about his time here at CJC and what he hopes to accomplish in the future at UO.

Was there one “defining moment” for you here at CJC?

One of my defining moments was at the very beginning of my tenure here, when I realized that the internationalization aim of the university was close to my own internationalization goals. The university wanted to expand its reach to the world and allow faculty to have visibility outside of the United States. Since then, I have felt the continuous support of the college for my international activities. Everything I have done related to this has been because of the support from the university.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am very proud of having achieved the promotions I did, from assistant professor to full professor, from the department’s graduate coordinator to director of the global strategic communications program and then finally, the chair of the department. I have progressed throughout the years at the university and that is very rewarding to me.

What else would you have liked to have accomplish at CJC?

I would have liked to see the success of the new online master’s program in public relations and communications management, both in Spanish and English. I also wish that I could have helped continue developing the public relations department in terms of its preeminence, both nationally and internationally.

What attracted you to the position in Oregon?

At first, it was the university itself. Oregon is a very progressive university in a beautiful and progressive location. However, I was also interested in what Oregon and its journalism and communications school have been doing in terms of sustainability efforts and reaching out to society. I like the idea of being a part of the community and doing things in the community and for the community. When I originally went to interview for the position, I went with an open mind. I had read about the programs they have already developed and one of them in particular caught my attention. They have a program called “Science and Memory” that takes both Journalism and Advertising students to Alaska to study the climate and help them produce beautiful multimedia content. And while I didn’t know I was going to be selected for the position when I interviewed, we turned out to have a great connection.

What will be your key areas of focus there?

I would really like to emphasize sustainability communications. I think the location is ideal to keep on working on the impact of communication in society. I also think we can really move forward issues of concern, not only for the state of Oregon but for the nation and the globe. The university also wants to expand its international operations, which is very exciting for me because I already have experience in this area. Specifically, it wants to expand its efforts in Asia because of how close it is to the Pacific Ocean. Oregon also wants to grow the Ph.D. program, which is something I am really eager to be a part of. It’s going to be a challenge, but I think if you work with those involved it is something that can be done.

What recommendations would you offer CJC leadership to advance the college?

I think the CJC is already doing wonderful things. We need to keep emphasizing experiential learning programs as well as supporting the research and Ph.D. programs in the college. We are attracting really great Ph.D. students and are placing them in amazing programs across the nation and internationally, which is the best way to expand the reach of the university. We are also present in the most impressive academic conferences and we just need to keep maintaining these excellent opportunities for both our undergraduate and Ph.D. students. Finally, we need to keep on refining our online offerings because they have been very successful and people will expect more from these programs.

Shelby Pulley is a senior public relations and political science major at the University of Florida. She is currently working as a communications intern for the College of Journalism and Communications.