Jill Abramson, former Executive Editor of the New York Times, is set to begin a new chapter in her life - as a visiting professor at the Harvard University for the 2014-15 academic year. Abramson will teach undergraduate courses on narrative non-fiction in the Department of English for the fall and spring semesters.
Abramson is grateful and thrilled with her appointment at the Ivy League School.
"Narrative non-fiction journalism is more important than ever. Its traditions and how it is changing in the digital transition are fascinating areas of study," Abramson said in a statement.
Abramson, a 1976 Harvard College graduate, has a tattoo featuring the school's H logo and a tattoo of the T from the nameplate of The New York Times.
"Harvard is delighted to welcome Jill Abramson to the English Department, where her students in the Writing Program will profit enormously from her insights, experience and brilliance," said Professor Diana Sorensen, dean of arts and humanities.
This is not the first time that Abramson will be working as a professor. She has previously taught at journalism seminars at the Yale and Princeton Universities.
At New York Times, Abramson served in various prestigious roles from 1997 to 2014 including the role of an investigative reporter, Washington bureau chief, managing editor and the paper's first female executive editor among others. During her tenure as an executive editor for two-and-a-half years, the Times earned eight Pulitzer Prizes.
Abramson's good times were, however, short-lived. Her sudden dismissal in May shocked The Times newsroom and the media world.
Arthur Sulzberger, the newspaper's publisher, said that Abramson was fired because of her newsroom management style. Some newspapers speculated that her complaint about receiving lower compensation than her predecessor Bill Keller might have cost her the job. Critics argued that gender might have played a role in the decision.
Sulzberger dismissed all the allegations. He also said that her total compensation was higher than that of Keller's, New York Times reports.
Dean Baquet replaced Abramson as the first African-American to serve as executive editor, the highest-ranking position in the paper's newsroom.
During her commencement speech at the Wake Forest University, Abramson said it was the "honor of my life to lead the newsroom" and that she was "scared but also a little excited" about the future.
