James E. Hawkins the former dean of the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, died late last month at the Coliseum Northside Hospital in Macon, Georgia. He was 64 years old.
A native of Newport News, Virginia, Dr. Hawkins earned a bachelor’s degree at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. He went on to earn a master’s degree and Ph.D. at Ohio State University.
Dr. Hawkins began his career as a journalist for WLWC-TV in Columbus, Ohio, and served as a reporter for the Associated Press and the Oakland Tribune. He joined the faculty at Florida A&M University in 1977 as an assistant professor of broadcast journalism. He served as dean of the journalism school from 2004 to his retirement in 2012.