Awards

Chancellor and Provost Medallion - 2020

IU Bloomington Provost's Medal

Bicentennial Medal - 2019

About James Shanahan

James Shanahan is a Professor in the Media School at Indiana University. From 2015-2021 he was the Founding Dean of the Media School. He is a mass media effects researcher and a member of the Observatory on Social Media (OSoMe). His research interests focus on cultural indicators, cultivation theory, media effects and public opinion. Special areas of focus are communication in relation to science and the environment. Under his leadership as a dean, the Media School created new academic undergraduate and graduate programs in the newly renovated Franklin Hall and brought together more than a half-dozen media-related research centers. With Shanahan’s guidance, faculty and staff developed a broad array of experiential learning opportunities for the school’s 2,200 students, including the Semester in Los Angeles program.

In addition to serving as dean, Shanahan was integrally involved in the university’s Prepared for Environmental Change Grand Challenge and served as the associate director of the Environmental Resilience Institute. He has authored and edited several books, including Climate Change and Resilience in Indiana and Beyond, Media Effects, Living with Television Now (co-edited with Michael Morgan and Nancy Signorielli), and Television and its Viewers (with Michael Morgan). Shanahan demonstrated his commitment over the years to advancing the university’s mission and has greatly contributed to many talented students’ professional endeavors in the industry.

In appreciation of the leadership, research, and talent he has brough to the IUB Media School, Shanahan was presented an IU Bloomington Chancellor and Provost Medallion in 2020.