Deryl R. Leaming is former Professor of Journalism and Dean of the College of mass Communication at Middle Tennessee State University. He earned his Ph.D. in  Mass Communication from Syracuse University, his M.A. from the University of Nebraska, and his B.A. from Fort Hays State University. He is also a graduate of a special program at the Menninger School of Psychiatry. Dr. Leaming served for more than 20 years as a department chair and dean at several different universities. He is an active member of the Society of Professional Journalists, having also served on the society’s national board and as a regional director. He and his colleagues at Marshall University won the coveted First Amendment award from the society in 1993 for their courageous support of the university’s student newspaper and the principles embodied in the First Amendment. He is the author of Academic Leadership: A Practical Guide to Chairing the Department (Anker, 1998), the editor of the online journal, Academic Leadership, and the author of many journal articles.