Journalism school deans are making news, not necessarily in a good way

The deans of two of the country's most prestigious journalism schools have made headlines recently without intending to. This seems an echo of the John Merrill controversy that we talked about with journalism educators getting caught up in criticism of their own work.

John Lavine, head of the journalism school at Northwestern University was "caught" by one of his own student journalists using unattributed, possibly fabricated quotes in an alumni magazine. That apparent ethical/ professional lapse has caused an uproar. Read about it at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/22/AR2008022202794.htmlJohn Lavine heads the journalism school at Northwestern University

Nicholas Lemann, dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, inadvertently sent out to students a copy of his self-evaluation intended for the provost's eyes. It contains an articulate assessment of the state of journalism education in a world where journalism is changing and media are in disarray. Read about the memo at http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45&aid=137927

I'd love to read your reaction to either or both of these. But at the very least can you tell me this: what exactly is a provost and what does one do?