Dr. Kristie (Kris) Bunton will become the new dean of the Bob Schieffer College of Communication, according to an email from Provost Nowell Donovan.

Bunton is replacing former Dean David Whillock, who has accepted a position as Associate Provost with special responsibilities for the Academy of Tomorrow.

Bunton has held the position of Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota since 2011. She played a very full and diverse roll in the administration of the College, according to the provost’s email. Prior to that she was chair of the Communication and Journalism Department at St. Thomas.

Jacqueline Lambiase, search committee chair, said that Bunton’s research focuses on ethics.

“This is an issue and an area of the discipline that Dr. Bunton is very interested in and wants to foster within a program like the Bob Schieffer College of Communication,” Lambiase said. “All four programs at TCU have a great connection space for ethics.”

Bunton holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri. She has her Ph.D. from Indiana University focused on Mass Communication.

In an email to the faculty and staff of the College of Communication, Bunton wrote that she was drawn to TCU and the Schieffer College because the programs appear to be student-centered.

She said she was impressed by the commitment to “educating students for lives as skilled, responsible communicators and ethical leaders.”

Bunton added that she is honored and grateful to have been selected for the position.

“Truly, I am honored to be your next dean, and I am grateful to everyone who played a role in the process that resulted in my appointment,” wrote Bunton. “I am eager to meet each of you and to understand your contributions to the College.”