Dawn M. Francis

Associate Professor of Communication Studies

610-225-5682
Andrews Hall, Office 201
dawn.francis@eastern.edu

Dr. Francis is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Eastern University. She has over 25 years of experience in curriculum design and development for learners in higher education and corporate environments. Dr. Francis teaches undergraduate courses in multimedia journalism, integrated marketing communication, event management, public speaking, and career and professional development.

Dr. Francis was invited as one of several outstanding journalism educators to join the 2021 Solutions Journalism Educators Academy sponsored by The Catalyst Journalism Project at the University of Oregon. She now uses that experience to teach students how to integrate a solutions focus into their multimedia reporting in her capstone course in the major. Her students’ work has won several prestigious awards for its in-depth coverage of many of our nation’s most pressing social justice issues. Specifically, Dr. Francis and her capstone students won the following awards: a First Place Pinnacle Award from the College Media Association for their reporting on criminal justice reform (2021); a Gold Davey Award in the Website - Social Responsibility category for their digital storytelling about caregivers of loved ones with dementia (2022); a Silver Davey Award in the Website - Activism and Social Responsibility categories for their focus on gun violence as a public health issue (2023); and a Student Keystone Media Award for Public Service/Enterprise Package from the Pennsylvania News Association for their focus on issues related to Title IX (2024).

Dr. Francis is a scholar-practitioner whose academic publications are focused on communicative engagement for social justice and the common good. She is the recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching, as well as the Rose and Raymond Green Faculty Scholars Award, both from Cabrini University. Dr. Francis received her B.A. in English and Communication from Cabrini University, her M.S. in Journalism from Ohio University’s Scripps School of Journalism, and her Ed.D. in Higher Education - Academic Leadership from Widener University’s School of Human Service Professions.

Education

  • Ed.D., Higher Education – Academic Leadership, Widener University

  • MS, Journalism, Ohio University

  • BA, English & Communication, Cabrini University

Courses Taught
  • COMM-105, Mass Media
  • COMM 225, Journalism
  • COMM 230, Introduction to Event Management
Research Interests

Dr. Francis presents and publishes on communication education for social justice, solutions-focused storytelling for social change, and strategies for mission-driven faculty professional development.

 

Professional Associations and Services
  • AEJMC – Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
  • NCA – National Communication Association
  • PCA – Pennsylvania Communication Association
  • Delta Epsilon Sigma – National Honor Society for Colleges and Universities in the Catholic tradition
Publications

Francis, D. M., Corbo, A. M., & Schwelm, A. (2024, Pending Publication). Mother Cabrini: A trailblazing civic servant, community activist, and spiritual leader. In J. K. Burk & C. L. McDowell (Eds.), The civically engaged woman: The rhetoric and activism of the silenced voice. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.

Francis, D. M. (2021, July). Using root cause analysis to help students examine social problems. Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication: A Journal Published by the Small Program Interest Group, 11(1), 61-64.

Francis, D. M., Colbry, S. L., Hoyle, A. G., Ratmansky, L., Sheety, A. S., & Szpara, M. Y. (2017) Opting in to a faculty scholarship community: Benefiting productivity and personal well-being. The 
Journal of Faculty Development, 31(3), 1-10.

Francis, D. M., & Colbry, S. L. (2016). Campus community integration on a mission: Transformative
learning for social change. In C. Wankel & L. Wankel (Eds.), Integrating curricular and co-curricular endeavors to enhance student outcomes (pp. 289-319). Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Group. 

Francis, D. M. (2014, Fall). What’s the plan? Teaching digital storytelling as a project process. Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication: A Journal Published by the Small Program Interest Group, 4(2). Retrieved from http://aejmc.us/spig/2014/whats-the-plan-teaching-digital-
storytelling-as-a-project-process/

Francis, D. M. (2013, August). Educating journalists: A brief history on the debate of higher education goals. New Foundations. Retrieved from http://www.newfoundations.com/GENERAL/EdJournalist.html