In Professor H. Leslie Steeves, Ammina Kothari found an SOJC mentor and a friend who helped her carve out a niche in media studies.

by Sydney Seymour, Class of ’25

In researching graduate schools, Ammina Kothari was looking for a scholar with expertise in African media. What she found at the UO School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) was a mentor who shared her passion for African cultural diversity and feminist studies and who appreciated her relentless drive to advocate for her beliefs.

Today, Kothari is the dean of the Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Simmons University in Boston, and she still keeps in touch with mentor H. Leslie Steeves, SOJC professor of media studies and senior associate dean for academic affairs.

An interest in media research brought her to UO

After earning her bachelor’s degree at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, in 2006, Ammina Kothari ’08 began her first research project, examining how news organizations framed war and civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This project sparked her interest in media research, particularly in examining how decisions are influenced by the way information is presented, which is known as the framing effect.

When looking for graduate schools, Kothari sought a scholar with expertise in African media. That’s how she came across Steeves, who turned out to be a perfect match. Steeves’ research focuses on communication and information technologies in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Dr. Leslie Steeves was instrumental in my being at the University of Oregon,” Kotari said.

As a Communication and Media Studies Master’s student, Kothari visited Steeves’ office weekly. Her thesis looked at New York Times coverage of the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, which eventually became her most cited study.

“Leslie was very patient with me,” Kothari said. “There were moments when I thought I was not going to be able to do it. But I was very committed, and the faculty believed in me. There was support and an environment that allowed me to ask questions, but also make mistakes and learn how to receive feedback.”

But she did finish her thesis and even won the 2008 T. Neil Taylor Award for Best Thesis.

UO’s focus on work-life balance was a benefit

She came to the UO with her young son and was happy to discover she wasn’t the only parent in her cohort.

“Two of my other friends would sometimes bring their children too, and the three kids used to play together,” she said.

It was a refreshing culture, she said. “There’s something about the UO SOJC that is not like every institution, where it’s encouraged to have that work-life balance and know that your life goes on too, and you’re not just a student.”

She remembers how her son would occasionally sit beside her reading a book and snacking on Cheerios in her evening classes.

“My son had a lot of questions,” Kothari said. “He was always very, very curious. And he was always welcomed and acknowledged.”

Developing a love of teaching at the University of Oregon

While working on her thesis, Kothari had a fellowship at the Yamada Language Center to teach Swahili, which is how she developed her interest in teaching.

“If you had asked me before I came to the University of Oregon if I wanted to be a professor, I would have said, ‘No way, that’s not for me,’ ” she said. “I credit my interest in academia, and also, on some level, my success and appreciation for teaching and research to the two years I spent at the University of Oregon.”

Steeves said the UO was lucky to have Kothari as a language teacher.

“Ammina speaks beautiful coastal Swahili among her many languages,” Steeves said. “She became very involved with African Studies on campus as well as at the SOJC.”

She left Eugene, but kept Professor Steeves close

Kothari loved living in Eugene and wishes she could have stayed longer. But she moved to Indiana to be with her husband and pursue her Ph.D. at Indiana University Bloomington.

Even though she left the SOJC, she remained in touch with Steeves, who was on her Ph.D. committee.

“That’s the nurturing, supportive environment that the SOJC provides,” Kothari said. Even though she spent four years in Indiana with a different cohort, she’s still connected with some of her friends from the University of Oregon.

After earning her Ph.D., Kothari became the director of the undergraduate journalism program and an associate professor at Rochester Institute of Technology for nine years. That’s where her research started to look more at how technology disrupts communication.

Helping students succeed became her focus

During the pandemic, Kothari took a job at the University of Rhode Island (URI) as director of the Harrington School of Communication and Media, where she focused on preparing students for life post-graduation and connecting them with career opportunities.

“Once you take on an administrative role, you start thinking about how the program helps our students succeed,” she said. “And it stops being just about you doing your work.”

After about three years at URI, the lead recruiter for the Gwen Ifill School encouraged Kothari to apply for the dean’s position. Named after alum and African-American journalist Gwen Ifill, the school is one of about 30 small liberal arts undergraduate colleges that are women-focused.

“I wanted to be at a woman-centered institution because, as a woman, I want to make a difference in this space,” Kothari said. “When I was studying journalism, I saw Ifill on TV, and as a woman of color, she became somebody for me to look up to, so it was an honor for me to be recruited and selected to serve in this position.”

After 14 years of teaching, she now spends most of her time in strategic, administrative and networking meetings. When she has the time, she still loves doing research. She’s currently working on multiple projects, mainly looking at AI and social media’s implications for journalism and communication.

The University of Oregon taught her how to conduct research

“One thing I will always appreciate about both Leslie and my training at the University of Oregon is that I was encouraged not only to research the what but understand the why and how,” she said. “This has steered how I approach research and how I teach because I always want students to think about why they are interested in doing something.”

This approach also shapes her work as a dean.

“I always remind myself, ‘If I was a student, how would I want to be treated?’ That’s how I like to treat every student,” she said. “I always start any meeting with, ‘Tell me about yourself.’ I want to learn where you are from and your interests. Then I have a better framework to help you.”

For Kothari, the right kind of mentorship could be life-changing.

“If I am successful, it’s because a lot of people believed in me and gave me that support and the time,” Kothari said. “Everybody has doubts and needs somebody to believe in them. And Leslie is a perfect example of this for me. So I will never decline a call or request for an informational interview. If somebody wants me to look over material or even wants access to my research because it’s behind the paywall, I give it to them, because you never know, that small validation might change somebody’s life.”

As for Steeves, she always expected great things from Kothari.

“I am not at all surprised that Dr. Kothari has been so successful because of her brilliance, leadership skills, vision, fearlessness and resilience,” Steeves said. “Plus, she’s a compassionate and empathic person with the ability to quickly earn the loyalty and trust of colleagues.”

Sydney Seymour '25 (she/her/hers) is a media studies major minoring in ethics. She is a writing intern for the SOJC and the editor-in-chief of Align magazine. Connect with her on LinkedIn.