51Թ has named Michael Beam, Ph.D., as the interim director of the School of Media and Journalism (MDJ). His appointment started July 1, after MDJ Director Emily Metzgar, Ph.D., began a new role as dean of Penn State University’s Bellisario College of Communications.
Beam joins MDJ as the interim director after serving as director of the School of Emerging Media and Technology (EMAT) for five years (2020–2025). He is a highly accomplished researcher, teacher and leader.
Beam spent more than a decade working as a computer system administrator and network technologist before he became a professor. His undergraduate degree is in Telecommunications (physics minor) from Ohio University, and he holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication from The Ohio State University. Beam has worked in community radio for more than 20 years, and he is known nationally for his music podcast The Beat Oracle (533 total episodes). The Beat Oracle highlighted experimental and future music and was one of the first shows in iTunes’ original music category. It continues to draw an audience even though it ended production in 2020.
"I am thrilled to step into the role of interim director for the School of Media and Journalism. Having spent the last 12 years working with the programs in the College of Communication and Information, I know firsthand how remarkable this community is,” said Beam. “The rapidly evolving landscapes of journalism, production, and public relations offer incredible opportunities for our students to tell stories, connect with audiences and leverage new technologies.”
This academic year, MDJ, EMAT and the School of Visual Communication Design will remain as they are in CCI while beginning to work closely with the four schools in the College of the Arts to prepare for a shared future. Beginning Fall 2027, all seven schools will come together to form the new College of Design, Media and the Arts.
“Michael is the right person to step in as interim director and partner with the MDJ faculty at a significant moment in the school’s history,” said College of Communication and Information Dean Amy Reynolds. “He brings deep knowledge of higher education and the professions the school serves. He is an accomplished, visionary and thoughtful leader, scholar, teacher and advocate for students.”
“I look forward to supporting the exceptional teaching, scholarship, and creative activity of our outstanding MDJ faculty,” Beam said. “My priorities this year include ensuring MDJ’s long-term success during this college transition, partnering with faculty to evolve our curricula alongside changing industry needs, and partnering with Student Media Director Katrina Chandler to champion the wonderful independent student work at 51Թ Student Media."
Metzgar served as director of 51Թ’s School of Media and Journalism for six years, joining 51Թ from Indiana University–Bloomington in the midst of the pandemic, and one year before a complicated reaccreditation process. Through that process, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) site team offered Metzgar praise for her leadership and described MDJ as a unit “transformed and energized,” following a period of provisional reaccreditation.
“I am excited for Emily and for Penn State – she has served 51Թ and the School of Media and Journalism extraordinarily well,” said Reynolds. “The School of Media and Journalism has advanced and grown in important, strategic ways under Emily’s leadership. We are grateful to have had the privilege to work alongside her these past six years.”
Dr. Metzgar’s accomplishments during her time as school director include the conversion of a master’s degree concentration into the nation’s only M.A. in Journalism Education (100% online); hiring seven exceptionally talented faculty members (three professionals-in-residence, three tenure-track professors and the Knight Chair in Scholastic Journalism); and meaningful investment in MDJ facilities and technology.
Additionally, Metzgar worked closely with faculty, students and the Student Media Board to hire Chandler, who has implemented a modernization plan that has ushered in a renaissance in 51Թ Student Media. In 2025-2026, 51Թ Student Media awards and accolades include recognition from the College Media Association, the Hearst Awards (widely considered the Pulitzer Prizes of college journalism), and the NATAS Central Great Lakes Chapter, including first-place honors for KSTV and A Magazine.