Some journalists are pushing back against North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory’s recent remarks that the state needs more truck divers and tech workers, and less political science majors, sociologists, psychologists, and especially, journalists.

But the dean of UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication said she wasn’t really bothered by McCrory’s comments, because she sees an opportunity to educate the governor.

“I think it was also responding to his audience,” said Dean Susan King, “After all, he had a group of journalists following with him. So, it was a good laugh line.”

The school will soon change its name to the School of Media and Journalism. King said the name change will reflect the school’s ability to adapt to the rapidly changing “knowledge economy.”

“Here at this school at UNC, we teach students in journalism, public information and public relations, and advertising, marketing and branding” she said. “Our students who are studying journalism are creating new apps – how to engage audiences around information.”

The J-School’s dean said she didn’t make much of Gov. McCrory’s remarks in Greensboro on Thursday, made during a three-city workforce initiative tour.

Seeing the “glass half full,” King said she’s glad the governor seems to realize the jobs potential in information technology.

She said that on that level, at least, the governor will like what he sees if he visits the J-school on University Day in October.

King told WCHL that undergraduates are coming out of the UNC journalism school and moving into jobs at the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Google.

She added that 86 percent of the students got jobs in their desired fields within six months of graduating, according to the most recent survey that she’d seen.

King noted that while newspapers are struggling, outlets such as BuzzFeed and Mashable are thriving, and hiring.

Still, she said she’s aware that conventional attitudes based on the state of the newspaper industry could have an effect on students’ decisions when choosing a major.

“If they only hear negative things about the School of Journalism, they might think, oh I don’t want to go there. There are no jobs. But in fact, that’s not the story here, because they are being prepared for a number of different jobs.”

However, King was quick to report that enrollment at the J-School has remained steady in recent years.

She said she hopes to have an opportunity to discuss all of this and more with McCrory on Oct. 12.

“I know he’s coming to University Day,” said King. “And I hope I get a chance to have a little discussion with him, because I’m very proud of what we’re doing here. And I think if he came here, he’d be, probably, surprised.

“Why would he know what’s going on today in a modern journalism school? You know, most of our alums don’t know how dynamic the school is.”