Cleveland State University’s School of Communication will undergo a leadership transition from current director Robert Whitbred, Ph.D. to communication professor Anup Kumar, Ph.D., at the end of the 2026 academic year. 

Dr. Whitbred has been at CSU since 2006, and has been chair of the SOC since 2019. During his tenure, the school introduced significant new initiatives aimed at expanding student opportunities and strengthening its academic programs. He oversaw the development of integrated majors with sociology and criminology, and anchored the introduction of multimedia production in digital content creation, podcasting and broadcasting.

Within the SOC, he oversaw a vibrant communications division which continues to excel in educating CSU's students. And in the journalism and public relations division, he was central to building or encouraging community relationships and partnerships with key regional and local institutions like Classic Teleproductions, Ideastream, Cleveland Jewish News, and The Land. 

Now, Dr. Kumar steps into the role with plans to build on that foundation while bringing a vision to the department’s future that emphasizes even more hands-on production, and further engagement with emerging technologies including artificial intelligence.

Robert Whitbred, Ph.D.

During his time as director, Dr. Whitbred oversaw a period of significant transition for the School of Communication, balancing long-term goals with unexpected challenges that reshaped the program.

“There's been a lot of change, and in some cases, turmoil,” Whitbred said. “There was a big university reorganization that we had to work through.” 

Whitbred, who joined Cleveland State University 20 years ago as an assistant professor, is completing his seventh and final academic year as director.

He took on the role with a clear goal: to modernize the school’s curriculum and better align it with the demands of a changing digital media landscape.

“The original vision was to modernize the curriculum in the sense of moving towards a more digitally based, more skills-based and more experiential opportunity for students-based curriculum,” he explained.

One year into his leadership, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted universities across the country, contributing to declining enrollment and forcing departments to rethink how they operated.

“After the pandemic hit, I had to reset everything,” he said. “Enrollments and the numbers of majors and minors were down.”

In response, Whitbred focused on stabilizing and rebuilding the program. The School of Communication expanded its community outreach, updated course offerings and worked to reestablish hands-on learning opportunities. 

That included further developing, with his predecessor as chair Dr. Gary Pettey, a podcasting studio and computer learning labs in the basement of the Music and Communication building, and then as chair post-COVID reviving and renovating the school’s broadcast studios, green room and master control room, which he and Prof. John Ban did almost single-handedly.

With the tools in place, Dr. Whitbred moved to content and production, starting with a broadcast minor for the school and Cleveland State, based originally on the production of Cleveland Conversations in partnership with Classic Teleproductions and produced in conjuction with classes taught by Professors Ban and Dave Tarbert. 

“We didn’t have the curriculum of broadcast journalism,” he said. “We’re looking to help students who want to be sports anchors, speak on camera and be a producer. The skills are in demand, and there’s a lot of things they can do with those skills.”

Whitbred followed up Cleveland Conversations with the school's broadcast minor, which started enrolling students in spring 2025 before it went live in fall 2025.

Central to those efforts, Whitbred said, was faculty collaboration and trust.

“No director of an academic unit can be successful unless the faculty they have the privilege to lead buy into what you are trying to accomplish,” he said. “You have to build trust.”

He credits faculty with helping foster a positive culture within the school – one that prioritizes both student experience and professional preparation.

“We’ve developed a culture where people really want to be here,” Whitbred said. “We do everything we can to make this a welcoming place.”

For Whitbred, student success remained at the center of every decision, from curriculum updates to new initiatives.

“Students are really customers. Without students, we don’t have anything to do,” he said. 

As enrollment numbers begin to recover post-COVID, Whitbred believes the foundation is in place for continued growth.

“I hope that we’re at a point where we’re ready to experience explosive growth moving forward,” he said. “Our numbers are growing, word is beginning to get out and all the elements are in place to get back to where we were.”

As he prepares to step down, Whitbred emphasized the importance of continuing that momentum under new leadership, encouraging both students and faculty to support incoming director Dr. Kumar.

Whitbred plans to remain at CSU as a faculty member, where he looks forward to returning to the classroom, expanding on initiatives and continuing to support the school’s development.

“I am looking forward to going back to being a routine faculty member,” he said.

Anup Kumar, Ph. D.

As Whitbred steps down, Dr. Kumar will take over leadership of the School of Communication, bringing both longstanding experience at CSU and a revitalizing vision for the program.

Kumar joined Cleveland State in 2008, after finishing his Ph.D. at The University of Iowa. At CSU he has made his mark across the university, including two years as president of the faculty senate from 2022-2024.

Kumar came to the U.S. after a distinguished career as a journalist in his native India, where he worked for a decade at the country's leading English-language newspaper, "The Times of India" (readership 13+ million). He said CSU's urban setting and proximity to media outlets made Cleveland an ideal place to teach young communication professionals.

“There are greater opportunities to teach students journalism and about media and politics because of (Cleveland State’s) location,” Dr. Kumar said. “It is very central to where media organizations are.”

As he prepares to step into the director's role, Kumar emphasized his plans to build upon the foundation established during Whitbred’s tenure, while expanding opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience.

“Primarily, I want to continue the work Dr. Whitbred has done,” he said. “But it will require a lot of work going forward.”

A key priority will be the continued growth of the school’s journalism and public relations programs. A broadcast major developed under his predecessor was approved in fall 2025 by the board of trustees. Kumar will oversee its introduction into the curriculum once the Ohio department of education greenlights the initiative.

Dr. Kumar also said he hopes to further integrate digital content production into the curriculum and increase opportunities for students to create real-world media, building on the foundation already laid.

“I would also like to further expand opportunities for students to actually produce content,” Kumar said. “Content that's newsworthy, but also content that is public affairs oriented.”

Alongside these new opportunities, Kumar plans to introduce coursework that reflects shifts in the media industry. Among his ideas is a class focused on entrepreneurship in media and communication, aimed at helping students navigate an evolving job market, especially with its fragmentation and the proliferation of platforms.

“There are a lot of opportunities in entrepreneurship,” he said. “That means not just looking for a job in an organization, but becoming an entrepreneur in the field of media and communication.”

In addition to curriculum updates, Kumar hopes to strengthen the school’s connections with Cleveland’s professional community by bringing professionals, alumni and media organizations directly to campus. 

“We will continue bringing (professionals) here so that students can make direct connections with them,” he said, an initiative fostered through the school's student division of the Society of Professional Journalists mentored by Ed. Horowitz, Ph.D.

Preparing students for a rapidly changing media landscape will also be central to Kumar’s leadership.

Kumar noted the importance of communications students developing a wide range of applicable skills – such as digital and technological skills, as well as leadership and networking capabilities. 

“It’s all about how you stack up your skills,” Kumar said. “Writing and speaking come first, and then you build on those with other skills.”

He pointed to the growing importance of artificial intelligence and the need for students to understand both its practical applications and ethical implications.

He added that integrating AI into coursework – potentially through a dedicated class – will be an important step in ensuring students remain competitive in the job market.

Kumar acknowledged the challenges that come with leading an academic program, particularly in an environment shaped by limited resources and increasing expectations.

“The biggest challenge is to do more with less,” he said. “We have to make choices about what to prioritize, but we can never forget that students are at the center of everything. Not only how we educate them, but how we prepare them for the world.”

Despite those challenges, Kumar said he is energized by the opportunity to advocate for both students and faculty while guiding the school into its next phase.

“My doors will be open,” he said. “I encourage students to come and speak to me and provide constructive feedback so we can continue to improve.”

With a focus on growth, industry connection, community engagement, and students at the heart of it all, Kumar’s leadership signals a continued evolution of the School of Communication in the spirit his predecessors have nurtured since the school's founding in 1972.