BATON ROUGE - The LSU Manship School of Mass Communication has named Kimberly Bissell as its dean.

Bissell will take over from interim Dean Josh Grimm, who was installed after the unexpected death of Dean Martin Johnson in 2020. Bissell will officially take on the role July 24, pending Board of Supervisors approval.

Before being named the head of the Manship School — which educates LSU's students with curriculums in journalism, PR, advertising and political communications — Bissell served in multiple administrative roles at the University of Alabama's College of Communication and Information Sciences.

“We are very pleased to welcome Kimberly Bissell to LSU,” LSU President William F. Tate IV said. “Her exceptional research portfolio and experience in research administration will benefit the Manship School of Mass Communication’s already robust scholarly footprint, while her leadership and vision will take the School’s profile to even greater heights.”

“I am beyond grateful and honored to be joining the Manship School of Mass Communication and the LSU community,” Bissell said. “I am excited to be joining the tremendous faculty, staff, and students in the Manship School and firmly believe we will work together to elevate the School to the next level in teaching, research, and service to the University, Baton Rouge and the state.” 

The Manship School of Mass Communication is funded in part through contributions from the owners of WBRZ, the Manship Family of Baton Rouge. The Manship family's commitment to quality journalism spans more than 100 years in Baton Rouge with partnerships at educational institutions, former owners of newspaper and radio outlets and a committed focus to TV and digital journalism and entertainment at WBRZ and KRGV in south Texas. WBRZ is the only locally-owned and operated TV news outlet in Baton Rouge and the two stations make up what is only a few locally owned television stations in the country.

Read the full announcement here.