Since AEJMC has made this “Twitter Official,” I wanted to post it here for you all and to say thank you for your support over all these years and for speaking highly enough of me to have someone give me a look-see for this gig.

JMC Educator was vital in my scholarly life, in that it was one of the few places that published ANYTHING about convergence when I was trying to build a dissertation on the topic. It was also where I went for information about which books looked good for my classes, which trends were happening in education and what mattered most to the people I respect and admire.

To be published in it was amazing.

To have my books reviewed in it was gobsmacking.

To be the editor, well… Just wow. I promise I’ll do my best not to screw it up for everyone else.

See the press release below:

New Editor Selected for Journalism and Mass Communication Educator

Vincent Filak of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh has been selected as the next editor of Journalism & Mass Communication Educator.

The Publications Committee for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, which oversees the journal, unanimously voted to select Filak for the position.

“Vince’s impressive background in research, teaching and service clearly demonstrates a deep commitment to the field of scholastic journalism and to journalism education,” said Teri Finneman, who chaired the editor search for the committee. “He presented an audience-centric vision for the journal, and his existing connections in this area of study show he is ready to be a great leader for authors and reviewers.”

Filak serves as a professor of journalism at UW Oshkosh, where he primarily teaches courses on media writing and reporting. He has published six textbooks in the field of journalism.

The Scholastic Journalism Division of AEJMC presented him with the Educator of the Year award in 2021, a year after he was honored by the National Society of Leadership and Success with an Excellence in Teaching award. In 2019, he received the Friend of KEMPA award for his work with high school journalism students through the Kettle Moraine Press Association. The National Scholastic Press Association presented him with its highest honor, the Pioneer Award, in 2012, “in recognition of significant contributions to high school publications and journalism programs.” In addition, he has received awards from the College Media Association for his work as a college media adviser and a mentor.

“Journalism and Mass Communication Educator has an amazing history of pairing the theoretical and the practical in a meaningful way for its readers,” Filak said. “I’m beyond grateful that I get to serve in this role for such an informed and engaged audience.”

Filak will serve as an apprentice under current Educator editor Jami Fullerton in the coming months and then begin his four-year term in October 2024.

Established in 1944, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator (JMCE) addresses the professional needs of the journalism and mass communication educator and administrator on both collegiate and secondary levels. Publishing quarterly, JMCE is the largest, highest circulation, and oldest of any scholarly journal in the world devoted to education in journalism, public relations, advertising, mass communication, media studies and related fields.

The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a nonprofit, educational association of journalism and mass communication educators, students and media professionals. The Association’s mission is to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education, to cultivate the widest possible range of communication research, to encourage the implementation of a multi-cultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve better professional practice and a better informed public.