Celebrating the retirements of Emuel Aldridge and Tudor Vlad

It is with bittersweet emotions that we recognize the retirements of two professors—one who has led students into the future through teaching new media technologies and the other who has educated international journalists about applying the principles of freedom of speech and an independent press in their work.    

Emuel Aldridge, a senior lecturer in the New Media Institute, and Tudor Vlad, executive director of the Cox International Center, are retired effective Aug. 1.

“Emuel will be missed in myriad ways, not the least are his love of students and embrace of emerging technology,” said Charles N. Davis, dean of Grady College. “Emuel embodies the daring-do that forms the spirit of the NMI. He’s also never, ever not smiling.”

Davis also recognized Vlad, who has worked at the Cox Center for nearly 25 years. Vlad will continue serving Grady College as a senior advisor to the dean for international programs, continuing to expand the relationships that the College has in Romania and across the region.

“To know Tudor is to admire Tudor,” Davis said. “His kindness and collegiality are the stuff of legend around here. I honestly have never met anyone who doesn’t love the man.”

Emuel Aldridge

Emuel Aldridge has been an integral member of the NMI team since 2006, teaching students how to code and build websites, educating them about producing native iOS applications and preparing them for their capstone projects.

“Emuel taught me how to build my first website in New Media Production many years ago, shaping my future more than he likely knew at the time,” recalls Chris Gerlach, an academic professional in NMI. “From teacher to mentor, coworker to friend, his influence has been a constant in my professional growth and my love for the NMI. He’s taught thousands of students, mentored countess projects, and debugged more broken apps and websites than he probably cares to remember.  And, he did it all with a smile, a relentless patience, and a kindness that leaves a lasting impression. He’s left an incredible mark on the NMI over the last 10+ years, and I’m blessed to have been a part of the journey.”

John Weatherford, principal lecturer at NMI, has worked alongside Aldridge the past severa years, as well.

“The NMI wouldn’t be the NMI without Emuel,” Weatherford said. “He added so much to what we teach—for example, he wrote the original workbook for Web Development that became the foundation of the NMI’s program-wide use of Open Educational Resources. More than that, though, Emuel shaped how we teach the ethos of the NMI—he was forever kind and patient, student-centered, encouraging and authentic. I’ll miss seeing Emuel around the NMI, but we’ll all feel his impact every day.”

Aldridge has a bachelor’s degree in sociology, a master’s degree in geography and an Ed.D. in adult education, all from UGA.

Tudor Vlad

Tudor Vlad is a senior research scientist and executive director of the Cox International Center. His research focuses on training programs for international journalists, educating them on media challenges in emerging democracies by promoting freedom of speech and independent journalism.

Vlad arrived at the Cox Center as a Fulbright Scholar in 1999. He continued his research as a visiting research scientist, taking on increasing responsibilities, most recently as executive director of the Cox Center in 2022. He has conducted more than dozens of media trainings internationally, as well as hosted numerous international journalists through initiatives like the Murrow Fellow program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Vlad has also mentored leaders through other programs, including the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, one of the State Department’s most prestigious programs.

“Tudor has had a monumental impact on the Cox Center and, more broadly, international journalism,” said Jonathan Peters, head of the Department of Journalism. “He has organized and conducted, often with significant grant support, workshops for journalists around the world to help them navigate all manner of media challenges, with a focus on emerging democracies. And he has done it all with thoughtfulness, courage, passion, and decency. The Cox Center’s ongoing success is a major credit to Tudor.” 

Prior to joining Grady College, Vlad served as a journalist and professor in Romania for more than 20 years. Vlad was a member of the faculty of the Department of Journalism at the Babes-Bolyai University program, a program that he founded and chaired. This was the only department in Central Europe having three independent sections (Romanian, Hungarian and German).

 Vlad is the author of two books, “The Interview. From Plato to Playboy” and “The Romanian Writers’ Fascination with Film” and co-editor of “Copyright and Consequences” with Lee Becker, professor emeritus. He has also served as director of the World Free Press Institute.

 Vlad has a bachelor’s degree in literature from the University of Bucharest in Romania and a Ph.D. in philology from the Universitatea Babes-Bolyia in Romania.

Author: Sarah Freeman, freemans@uga.edu

Congratulations, Emuel and Tudor!