Passing the torch

By Emily Becker

Two longtime deans leave legacies of innovation and steadfast stewardship.

After more than 40 years of combined service to KU, Ann Brill and Rick Ginsberg have stepped down from their positions as deans. Each will remain on the faculty to teach in their respective school, Brill in the William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications, and Ginsberg in the School of Education & Human Sciences.

Both began as deans in the fall 2005 semester, and since then, each has overseen significant changes to their school, including, for Ginsberg, a change in program areas that led to the addition of “Human Sciences” to the school’s name, and for Brill, the first major renovation of Stauffer-Flint Hall since 1982. They have collaborated with donors to establish new scholarships, programs and endowed professorships, positioned both of their schools as nationally ranked leaders, and influenced thousands of undergraduate and graduate students.

For Brill, who ended her tenure as dean in spring 2025, the fundamental question, “What would be best for the students?” guided her in the role. She kept the question displayed on her desk as a reminder.

“When we were talking about almost any topic, we could say, ‘Can we all agree that we are a student-centered environment and what that means?’” Brill says. “And from there, we could move on to things we didn’t necessarily agree on. But the fundamental value was always that we are student-centered.”

A lot can change in a field over the course of two decades. Staying innovative and agile in the face of such change is something Ginsberg, who stepped down at the end of the spring 2026 semester, hopes he’ll be remembered for. When he arrived at KU, he pushed for degree programs to be available online, an idea embraced by the school’s faculty and supported by the University. More recently, he has led faculty and staff to rethink how new technologies such as artificial intelligence can be used in the classroom.

“I hope, in some small way, I’ve helped push people to say, ‘Let’s look forward and figure out what to make,’” he says. That perspective helped the School of Education & Human Sciences secure some of the largest externally funded grants in KU history at the time.

A dean’s vision encompasses all aspects of their school, especially the physical spaces where that vision comes to life. Renovations at the School of Education & Human Sciences have included a new welcome center and advising spaces. In the School of Journalism, extensive renovations to Stauffer-Flint Hall were completed in 2020. Brill recalls hearing a current student describe the new, inviting space to a prospective student who thought the building looked like Harry Potter’s Hogwarts as “where the magic happens.”

Much of that magic wouldn’t have been possible without the support of donors, and Brill and Ginsberg led their schools with an understanding of the impact of private philanthropy. They’ve also been generous donors themselves. In addition to numerous previous gifts, Ginsberg is helping seed a new Dean’s Innovation Fund that will provide critical support for his successor. Brill’s generosity has helped inspire others to give and fostered relationships that are personally meaningful to her.

“There’s no one like KU fans, supporters and alumni,” Brill says. “I’ve been a Gopher. I’ve been a Marquette Warrior. I’ve been a Blugold. I’ve even been a Missouri Tiger. But nothing is like being a Jayhawk.”

Editor’s note: KU on April 21 announced Joshua Newman as the next dean of the School of Education & Human Sciences. He will begin his role July 1. Newman was most recently professor and associate dean for research in the college of education, health and human sciences at Florida State University. As of press time in May, the University had not announced the next School of Journalism dean.