KINGSTON, R.I. – July 5, 2023 – Ammina Kothari, director of the Harrington School of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island, has been selected to the Scripps Howard Leadership Academy cohort this summer at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, July 16 through 20.

A professor of journalism, Kothari is in her second year at the University. At the Harrington School, she oversees more than 1,300 students and 62 full-time faculty across eight programs, a $6.8 million media hub, and a cutting-edge broadcast center. Kothari’s research explores the role of technology in transforming communication and journalism practices with a focus on AI and newsrooms, data ethics, media literacy, and social media.

The last two years have been busy ones for Kothari as she has spent time learning the URI Harrington School culture, cultivating relationships with faculty and staff, and building a vision for Harrington. In addition to spearheading a new professional master’s degree in science communication, and a new online graduate certificate in social media, Kothari has reconstituted the school’s advisory council, embarked on successful fundraising, grown the Harrington alumni network, secured industry connections, and overseen the completion of the renovation of Ranger Hall, the school’s home.

The topic for this year’s Scripps Leadership Academy — “Innovating in Transformative Times” — is a timely one as URI embarks on an ambitious new strategic vision. The leadership academy will give her the opportunity to discuss with peers the challenges facing journalism and mass communication schools and industry, as well as strategies for successfully leading her program, as students and media consumers alike face a changing media landscape, and the need at the same time to provide a platform for all voices. 

Kothari says she is up for the challenges and honored by the selection for the immersive leadership program. “I’m excited to be a part of this opportunity,” she says. “The focus is timely.”

Storytelling matters

URI has invested in the Harrington School in recent years, reopening a renovated Ranger Hall in the fall, with $15 million in renovations to make Ranger a dynamic home for the University’s communication and media students. 

Although she brings a focus on technology, for Kothari, the mission of the Harrington School remains centered on effective communication. That’s part of what drew her to URI.

Kothari came to the U.S. as a student from Tanzania and originally wanted to be a graphic designer. She attended art school but realized she preferred news reporting and switched to journalism. The interaction of technology and communication, and how their intersection can spur conversation, have been her motivation to stay in this always-transforming field and to provide opportunities for new students entering the field. 

“The pandemic highlighted the need for communication and storytelling to effectively convey complex information in a timely manner,” Kothari says. At URI, she’s brought a focus on digital storytelling and a belief in the power of narrative as a way to extend interdisciplinary work. 

The Providence resident recognizes that journalism as a field is in flux but Harrington graduates are still getting jobs in the news industry.

When people ask about career options with a journalism degree, she tells them: “If you have a journalism degree and learn the foundation, you have skills that are transferable for any industry. Students graduate with the ability to analyze a high volume of material, write concisely and engagingly, and utilize listening and observation skills. Effective communicators can break down complex issues, make a simple issue current, make a complex issue relatable, connect the dots on a range of issues. Communication skills are transferable and necessary for so many fields.”

She is passionate about the future of journalism and advances in data journalism to contextualize data with human stories.

Kothari says that news media are grappling with a loss of trust and while some question the relevance of journalism, she remains confident in the importance of news reporting: 

“Who’s telling the stories? Which stories are being heard?” she asks. “With the advances in generative AI, it’s crucial for news organizations to be transparent about the news production process and invest in community relations to build trust and address information disparity about which stories get told and shared.” 

Kothari says it’s not only a time of transformation, it’s a time of opportunities. 

“The Harrington School is here to provide those opportunities for students,” she says, “and be part of communication solutions.”