“Chris’ clear sense of vision and mission for the School of Communications, coupled with his commitment to a collaborative and transparent leadership style, made him the ideal candidate to lead the school,” said Bob Smart, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and chair of the search committee.

Roush said, “Journalism is more relevant than ever before. We’re seeing major changes in the way journalism delivers content as it shifts from print to online, and digital and mobile platforms. But the influence journalists have on politics, business and other areas of society has never been more important.”

Roush also was bolstered by an impressive record of accomplishments at the University of North Carolina, where he was director of the Carolina Business News Initiative, which provides training for professional journalists and UNC students, and oversees other business journalism educational programs.

Many of his former students work throughout the industry at outlets such as CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Reuters, the Financial Times, and the business news desks of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Business Insider.

Roush has been nationally recognized for his teaching. The Scripps Howard Foundation and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication named him “Journalism Teacher of the Year” in 2010. He also has been named the “North Carolina Professor of the Year” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. He also edited “Master Class: Teaching Advice for Journalism and Mass Communication Instructors.”

He served on the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication board from 2014-18 and currently serves on the board of the Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation.

A global expert on business journalism, Roush has taught on five continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and North America. He has been quoted about business journalism in many prominent publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and American Journalism Review. He also has written about business journalism in the Columbia Journalism Review and American Journalism Review.

Roush is the author of two books about business journalism — "Show Me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication” and "Profits and Losses: Business Journalism and its Role in Society.” He is the co-author of "The SABEW Stylebook: 2,000 Business Terms Defined and Rated."

His book, “Thinking Things Over: Vermont Royster’s Legacy at The Wall Street Journal,” is a biography of a UNC graduate who won two Pulitzer Prizes and served as editor of The Wall Street Journal from 1958-71.

Roush blogs about business journalism at talkingbiznews.com, which won a Society of American Business Editors and Writers "Best in Business" award in March 2010. He also created a website on the history of business journalism at bizjournalismhistory.org and a website for college students interested in business journalism at collegebizjournalism.org.

Roush hold a master’s degree in mass communication from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree in history and journalism from Auburn University. He has worked for various publications, including the St. Petersburg Times, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, The Tampa Tribune, BusinessWeek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Bloomberg News. He also was editor-in-chief of SNL Financial, which publishes newsletters and magazines for investors, and a contributing editor to Business North Carolina magazine.

Roush also taught business journalism at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and the University of Richmond.