From being an alumna to a dean, Catherine Staub’s time at Drake will always play a big part in shaping her life. Staub’s retirement will commence on June 30, 2026, making this her final year as the dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Nearing her 40th year at Drake, Staub has no doubt that her time spent here bringing out the best in students is what made the SJMC her second home. Staub says the connections made throughout time, especially with students and colleagues, were what made her time fulfilling.
Staub’s passion is to pass down her knowledge in journalism to her students to get them excited about what their future can bring. According to Staub, the “SJMC family” is called that for a reason, being a “we over me” mindset within the walls of Meredith Hall.
“I get such energy from students, and it’s exciting to see students as they learn and develop new skills and set off for their first internship and then first full-time job, and I will miss that very much,” Staub said. “It will certainly be difficult to leave my colleagues. We’re already committed to other students, to the alumni, to each other, and that’s very rare.”
Coming to Drake as a first-year, Staub made herself known to professors and peers as a first-generation student on campus who was willing to take on anything thrown at her.
“I wouldn’t have had the career that I had if it wasn’t for the mentors I met as a student of Drake, and continue to be close friends to this day,” Staub said. “ My very best friend in the entire world, we met here before we started our freshman year at Drake. We were assigned as roommates, and we roomed together the whole time, and to this day, she’s my best friend.”
Staub has helped students grow in different ways and drawn recognition to organizations at Drake, like the award-winning student publications. She encourages students to have a strong mindset for success after college.
“Our students are just motivated, excited and energetic individuals who excel and put in work to excel and have that culture of excellence, but it’s never a zero-sum game,” Staub said. “It’s never a ‘I will succeed at the expense of others. I will succeed only if somebody else doesn’t succeed, or loses or falls.’ That is not our culture — we recognize that it takes an entire team to put together a film … and that culture of shared excellence and purpose is a big part of what contributes to this ongoing success that we have.”
Staub has also built connections with first-year students, preparing them for what professions are out in the world for journalism majors through her self-created Dean Team Program. The Dean Team, under Staub’s mentorship, aims to give students the feel of working in news firms or sports stadiums, providing an outlook for what their future holds.
“I wanted to expand the opportunities that we’re able to provide for our students in this school. I really see the role of dean as a service role to our students, faculty, staff, alumni and to the Drake community,” Staub said.
Over her time spent at Drake, Staub has etched her personality into not only students but also her staff. According to Assistant Dean Mallory Quinn, the two have been connected even before Staub began her dean career, when Quinn started making time in her schedule to chat with Staub every day.
“She’s been a big part of the SJMC family for a long time now, so having her step away from the position is always sad. A very important part of our family is not going to be here every day, but I am also happy for her because she’s going to be starting the next chapter of her life … Not having her here to see her smiley face and chat with her in the hallways and see all the wonderful things that she does for our students and our Drake community is going to be sad,” Quinn said.
Though Staub’s departure will affect Drake, Staub said she believes she’s done all she can and is ready to pass the torch to the next dean to continue the legacy she built for the SJMC.
“I never dreamed that I would have ultimately landed in this role, and it has really just been a privilege of a lifetime,” Staub said.
“I hope everyone knows how grateful I am to all of them for trusting me with this role. It doesn’t matter if people remember my name or not. I hope that’s part of my legacy, that people recognize that you can have that caring, supportive culture and still have a culture of excellence.”
