BYU School of Communications Director Ed Adams was announced as the incoming dean of BYU’s College of Fine Arts and Communications on Monday, May 11.
“I am pleased to inform you that following a careful and deliberate search process, Professor Ed Adams has accepted the appointment as the dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications. He will begin his five-year term as dean on June 15,” Academic Vice President Brent W. Webb said in an announcement sent to faculty and staff on Monday.
“Dr. Adams received strong support from the faculty and search committee, and he has the full confidence of the BYU administration,” Webb said. “He brings a combination of experiences that prepare him well for this new responsibility. I am confident he will continue the legacy of outstanding leadership by his predecessors in the dean’s office. Ed is looking forward to working with you in the further development of the college.”
Outgoing Dean Stephen Jones has worked with Adams both as a department chairman and as one of his associate deans. “We are grateful for his dedicated efforts to further the work of the school. During his tenure he has overseen the school’s move to the Brimhall Building, guided the creation of the AdLab, hired a vast majority of the current faculty, led significant curricular changes, encouraged and supported faculty scholarship and student mentoring, transformed The Universe to a weekly publication, worked to gain school status, and prepared for and successfully completed multiple accreditation reviews.”
Webb paid tribute to Jones at recent commencement exercises, noting BYU’s somewhat unique practice of calling on faculty members to serve as deans for a season, not as a long-term career move.
“I express deep gratitude to Dean Stephen Jones, who has demonstrated vision and high standards in his service, has exercised strong advocacy of the college and its programs and faculty, and who has brought excellent insights and skills to our university councils,” Webb said Monday.
The news follows the April 30 announcement that journalism professor Ed Carter will replace Adams as director of the School of Communications, beginning June 1.
“Many names were submitted and considered for this position,” Jones said. “The name that was most often mentioned was Dr. Ed Carter’s, and over time it became clear that he was the right choice for this position.”
Carter is an attorney, journalist and associate professor of communications. His professional and academic interests involve communications law, including copyright law. He worked for approximately four years as a daily newspaper reporter before attending law school. He has a part-time law practice involving appellate litigation and has done freelance reporting and writing for regional magazines. He and his wife, Kimberly, have four children.
Prior to his arrival at BYU, Adams taught at universities in Texas and Ohio. His professional experience was as an administrative director of a magazine publishing company in Phoenix, Arizona. He and his wife, Gwen, have been married 33 years, and they have five children and three grandchildren. In his spare time he enjoys researching family history, doing yard work and going on dates with his wife.
Jones studied composition as an undergraduate at BYU and received MM and DMA degrees in composition from the University of Cincinnati’s Conservatory of Music. He has received commissions from, but not limited to, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, the Utah Arts Festival and the Meadows Wind Ensemble at Southern Methodist University. His works have been played throughout the United States and internationally.
