Three days after sending off graduating Quinnipiac University School of Communications students at the class of 2023 commencement ceremony on May 14, SoC Dean Chris Roush confirmed his resignation in a Facebook post Wednesday. 

Roush, who joined the university administration in 2019, wrote on Facebook that he takes pride in the “upward trajectory” of the SoC, and shared that he is leaving the university due to “personal and family reasons.” 

Roush shared to Facebook an email statement Provost Debra Liebowitz wrote and sent to the Quinnipiac community Wednesday. Roush’s resignation will take effect on June 30, Liebowitz wrote. 

As the university conducts a national search for Roush’s successor, Liebowitz wrote that Terry Bloom, senior associate dean of the school of communications, will step into the role of interim dean. Simultaneously, Ben Bogardus, associate professor of journalism, will serve as the interim associate dean. 

During his tenure at Quinnipiac, Roush brought several initiatives to the SoC and served on the University Leadership Council. 

These initiatives included the launch of student spaces within the Center for Communications, Computing and Engineering, including the Quinnipiac Podcast Studio and the Open-Air Studio, Liebowitz wrote. 

Roush also helped establish Ability Media Group,a student-run outlet focused on representing journalists with different abilities and covering stories that impact those with disabilities. Roush’s contributions also include the formation of many scholarships, such as the community-funded Barry Sacks Sports Journalism Scholarship, awarded to sports journalism graduate students in honor of the late Quinnipiac instructor and sports broadcaster, who died in February 2023. 

“Under (Roush’s) leadership, the School of Communications has achieved several impressive milestones, including successfully leading the faculty and staff through a five-year strategic plan to ensure state-of-the-industry curriculum, facilities and student services,” Liebowitz wrote. 

Prior to joining Quinnipiac, Roush taught for 17 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Media and Journalism, where he served as the Walter E. Hussman Sr. distinguished professor in business journalism, the director of the master’s program and the senior associate dean. 

While at UNC Chapel Hill, Roush founded and served as the editor-in-chief of the North Carolina Business News Wire, where he oversaw journalism students reporting on the state’s business community. 

Roush has an extensive journalistic portfolio in business coverage. He has contributed to news organizations such as the Florida-based Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Tampa Tribune, as well as Georgia’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution and financial news outlets BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News. 

Roush is also the founding director of Talking Biz News, a business journalism-focused website, and has authored several books, including “Show me the Money; Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication,” a business journalism textbook. 

“From the moment he joined Quinnipiac, (Roush’s) commitment to building the school’s distinctions and an inclusive environment for students has been inspiring,” Liebowitz wrote. “It is not surprising that he is extremely popular with students in the school because of his extensive direct engagement with them and the many ways in which he created immersive opportunities for their learning.” 

Liebowitz wrote that Roush will return to North Carolina following his resignation.