Dr. William B. Keller

TUSCALOOSA – Dr. William B. Keller, who served as executive director for the Alabama Press Association for 15 years, has joined the College of Communication and Information Sciences journalism faculty at The University of Alabama.

As senior lecturer in community journalism, Keller will teach community journalism classes and beginning news writing and reporting classes. He will also help coordinate the department’s outreach efforts with the newspaper industry in Alabama, including helping launch a master’s degree in community journalism, to be taught on site at The Anniston Star.

In making the appointment, Dr. E. Culpepper Clark, dean of the UA College of Communication and Information Sciences, said, “We are fortunate to have someone of Bill Keller’s knowledge, judgment and experience to assume this senior position in our journalism department. He will play a major role as we continue our community journalism emphasis.”

Dr. Ed Mullins, chairman of the UA journalism department, said, “He will continue to foster links between higher education and the newspaper industry, something he did so well at APA.”

A native of Albertville, Keller received three degrees from the University: a doctorate in higher education administration in 1983, a master’s in journalism in 1976 and a bachelor’s in history in 1967.

He has worked as managing editor of The Sand Mountain Reporter in Albertville, a reporter for The Tuscaloosa News and as an editor/publisher of The Daily Home in Talladega.

While in graduate school, Keller taught a section of the foundation course for which he becomes the lead instructor. He will conduct the lecture and oversee 10 labs each term of Journalism 311 Reporting.

He will continue to develop ties with industry through Journalism 317 Community Journalism, which he taught as an adjunct in spring 2004, bringing in more than a dozen industry speakers.

“I’m honored to return to my alma mater to teach, and I’m pleased to be able to continue to support the newspapers of Alabama,” Keller said. “I look forward to working with the distinguished faculty here to help students learn high standards of real-world journalism. I also look forward to helping the faculty and The Anniston Star launch the innovative, on-site master’s degree in community journalism in Anniston.”

Keller also taught journalism at the University of Montevallo when he was head of UM’s media relations/publications office.

Most recently, he ran Keller Communications, a consulting firm whose clients included The University of Alabama/Anniston Star Knight Fellows project to establish the nation’s first Community Journalism Master’s Program, the Alabama Press Association and Alabama Power Co.

From 2000-2002 he was vice president for public relations for Alabama Power.

Keller and Mullins said they plan to continue community journalism field trips, which take students to Alabama newspapers to work briefly under local editors with grant support from the APA Journalism Foundation.

The College of Communication & Information Sciences at The University of Alabama is among the largest and most prestigious communication colleges in the nation. C&IS has graduated more than 12,000 students and consistently is ranked among the top 10 in number of doctoral degrees awarded and in many of its research programs. C&IS graduates have won four of the six Pulitzer Prizes awarded to University of Alabama alumni, and the forensics and debate squad, housed within the College, has garnered 14 national championships.