Marnel Niles Goins was just what American University needed when it came to a new dean for the School of Communication: a leader with extensive administrative experience and a former D.C. student whose goal is to prioritize student experiences.
Niles Goins, who started as dean on July 1, holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Oakwood University, as well as a master’s degree and PhD from Howard University in organizational and small group communication. She is also the acting president of the National Communication Association and has a background serving in university roles, most recently as dean and professor of the College of Sciences and Humanities at Marymount University.
The University finds itself in a period of transition, with turnover in some of the university’s top positions over the past year, including University President Jonathan Alger. Yet, Niles Goins explained the importance of creating a sense of stability while starting her new position.
“A lot of this role is establishing relationships … And I’m up to it. You’re going to see my face around here,” Niles Goins told The Eagle.
A large part of being SOC dean is working with the school’s finances, said Niles Goins, including managing internal communication with stakeholders, overseeing budgets and maintaining strong relationships with donors. With a minor in mathematics and a prior position as chief administrator of the School of Science, Mathematics and Engineering at Marymount University, Niles Goins is no stranger to managing money.
In her last role as a dean, Niles Goins established four more majors for her school, increased funding and helped improve retention rates, according to her website. SOC’s retention rates dropped 10 percent from 2009 to 2020 and were last recorded at 75 percent, according to the SOC website. However, Niles Goins said that she is prepared to increase these rates.
“My job is to talk about the school, wherever I go, and to make people really excited about sending their kids here, coming here, donating, writing about AU,” Niles Goins said. “That’s one of the things I’ll be working with the faculty and the students and the staff, to make sure that we do that as much as possible.”
She plans to improve “racial and gender dynamics in organizational settings.” This could look like a variety of changes; some possibilities include adjusting course content, implementing new staff or even creating new majors, as she did at Marymount.
“We want to make sure all of our students have the opportunity to be successful,” Niles Goins said. “And I’m not defining success, because that can look different for different students.”
Niles Goins also plans to use her experience to make more financial aid available for students studying communications under her leadership.
“I want to be sure that any type of student who comes from any type of background is able to engage in all the same types of opportunities, regardless of cost,” Niles Goins said. “SOC is known for being a leader in experiential learning, and as much as I can assist with making those opportunities incredible, and offset any expenses, again, this is related to fundraising, I would love to be able to do that.”
While incoming and current students are always a focus, Niles Goins plans to go a step further to help connect students to alumni to gain access to career opportunities.
“A consistent message [from alumni] that I am hearing is, ‘use me,’” Niles Goins said. “These are people who are successful in their industries and what they want to do is share with current SOC students what they did, what their plans were, how they made it to where they are right now. And in doing so, it really helps to prepare students for careers after they graduate.”
As dean, Niles Goins plans to maintain a clear line of communication between students, faculty and administration. Ensuring that students are aware of the changes affecting them is part of that.
“We’re here for the students,” Niles Goins said. “We’re here to make sure that they have good experiences here, that they are successful, that they graduate, that they have jobs, that they are informed citizens who act in an ethical way.”
This article was edited by Samantha Skolnick, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Ariana Kavoossi and Ella Rousseau.
