R.J. Morgan

Written By Overby Center

Dr. R.J. Morgan, MJE, is an instructional associate professor in the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi and executive director of both the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association and Integrated Marketing Communication Association. He was managing fellow of the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics from 2022-2024. A former high school educator and a finalist for Mississippi Teacher of the Year in 2011, Morgan serves on the national certification committee for the Journalism Education Association and as head of the Scholastic Division of the Association for Educators of Journalism and Mass Communication. He received the Elizabeth Dickey Distinguished Service Award from the Southern Interscholastic Press Association in 2018, earned master journalism educator status from JEA in 2020, and was honored with AEJMC’s Robert P. Knight Multicultural Recruitment Award in 2023. Morgan spent 16 years covering college sports for the Associated Press and has written pieces for Religion Unplugged, Sporting News magazine, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. As a Bob Dylan scholar, Morgan teaches a class on "Bob Dylan and the South" at the University of Mississippi and is currently working on a related book project. Morgan has a Ph.D. in education leadership from the University of Mississippi and earned undergraduate and master’s degrees at Mississippi State University. He lives in Oxford, Miss.

Articles by this author

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‘Highway of Diamonds’ further solidifies Dylan’s relationship with Black America
‘Highway of Diamonds’ further solidifies Dylan’s relationship with Black America

R.J. Morgan, a member of The Overby Center panel of experts, discusses “Highway of Diamonds” and how it further connects Bob Dylan to the African American community.

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The Mississippi Miracle in education is real and it’s based on community
The Mississippi Miracle in education is real and it’s based on community

R.J. Morgan, a member of the Overby Center panel of experts, discusses how Mississippi went from near the bottom in education to the top. It began with a controversial plan, but the results have been a remarkable success.

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Press Forward Mississippi and MSPA collaboration is an  important advance for young journalists
Press Forward Mississippi and MSPA collaboration is an  important advance for young journalists

R.J. Morgan, instructional associate professor in the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi and director of the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association, discusses the annual Fall Statewide Convention at the University of Southern Mississippi. MSPA has a new partnership with Press Forward Mississippi which aims to strengthen local media.

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Only a Pawn in Their Game: Bob Dylan, Medgar Evers and the Delta Folk Jubilee of 1963
Only a Pawn in Their Game: Bob Dylan, Medgar Evers and the Delta Folk Jubilee of 1963

As Mississippi celebrates the 100th anniversary of Medgar Evers’ birth, his daughter Reena Evers-Everette, joined by Mississippi Today’s Jerry Mitchell and Dr. RJ Morgan, a professor at Ole Miss, talked about how she remembered her father and how Mitchell played such a big role within her family. 

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Only a Pawn in Their Game: Bob Dylan, Medgar Evers and the Delta Folk Jubilee of 1963
Only a Pawn in Their Game: Bob Dylan, Medgar Evers and the Delta Folk Jubilee of 1963

The music and early civil rights work of legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will be the focus of a fall program at the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics. “Songs of Freedom: Bob Dylan’s Mississippi,” will be presented Oct. 8 at 5:30 p.m. in the Overby Center Auditorium on the Ole Miss campus.

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Postcards of the hanging: Dylan's Minnesota conjures a complicated past
Postcards of the hanging: Dylan's Minnesota conjures a complicated past

R.J. Morgan, professor at the University of Mississippi, discusses singer-songwriter Bob Dylan’s music and Minnesota’s history of violence.

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After the pandemic, giving students real-world learning experiences has become more difficult, important

Mississippi has been pro-active in beginning and maintaining a variety of activities that benefit scholastic journalism students.

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In new Dylan biopic, his civil rights work is glossed over for other narratives

His music about the struggle for freedom became a powerful symbol of the times, especially in the South.

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Scholastic journalism programs continue to have a life-changing effect

Despite challenges over budgets and freedom of speech, high school journalism is thriving in Mississippi.

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New book on Jack Ruby offers insights into his life and events after JFK assassination

R.J. Morgan, a member of the Overby Center panel of experts, reviews Danny Fingeroth’s new book, Jack Ruby: The Many Faces of Oswald’s Assassin.

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MSPA Successfully Hosts Largest Post-Pandemic Convention
MSPA Successfully Hosts Largest Post-Pandemic Convention

More than 450 high-school journalists gathered at the University of Mississippi on April 2 to celebrate achievements and learn from both peers and professionals.

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