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UI School of Communication Takes First Step to Reorganize
January 24, 2003
MOSCOW - University of Idaho’s School of Communication – a high-enrollment “discipline that links other disciplines” - has cleared the first hurdle to transform into a more focused School of Journalism and Mass Media (JAMM) as well as three other new programs in the liberal arts.
The new configuration of studies received approval of the UI Faculty Council Jan. 22. Now, the plan moves to the provost’s office and then to the State Board of Education. If all approve, the plan takes effect July 1. Chris Campbell, current director of the School of Communication, would be director of the new school.
The school of about 500 majors and other UI students, 11 full-time faculty members, 12 adjuncts and numerous teaching assistants would reduce to about three-fourths in size, said Campbell, and become more specialized in professional mass media.
The new school will offer four undergraduate degrees in advertising, journalism, public relations and radio/TV/digital media production. Currently, the school offers one communication degree with multiple options in varying communication fields.
“We’ve designed an applied curriculum to provide students with a hands-on education to prepare them for careers as media professionals,” said Campbell. The new school also will continue its affiliation with Northwest Public Radio and Idaho Public Television and encourages experiences in student media and professional internships.
Three other segments of the current school will move to other departments in UI’s College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS):
The Psychology Department will become the Department of Psychology and Communication Studies and offer a new undergraduate degree in communication studies;
The Theatre Arts Department will become the Department of Theatre and Film and offer a new film studies minor;
The Art Department will become the Department of Art and Design and include visual communication courses in photography and digital imaging.
“These changes will allow programs formerly housed in the old School of Communication to find their own identities,” said Joe Zeller, dean of CLASS. “We believe these new directions will be attractive to potential students, and we intend to seek external support from the businesses and industries which employ the graduates of these programs.”
The program changes will require no new state money, Zeller said. Current School of Communication faculty will teach courses in their new units.
Campbell said the more focused studies in the new school actually would enable greater development of partnerships and alliances that could eventually lead to raising outside resources and a named school. He added that JAMM seeks accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
“We’re scheduled for a review by ACEJMC during the 2005-06 academic year,” said Campbell. “That process is important because it gives the program a seal of approval from the media industry.” No journalism program in Idaho currently has ACEJMC accreditation.
The school’s professional advisory board endorses the plan, according to A. L. “Butch” Alford, Jr., publisher of the Lewiston Morning Tribune and adviser to the school. He calls the plan “a step forward for the school, university and the profession. I especially applaud the move toward accreditation, which provides checks and balances for quality and ensures that adequate resources are allotted to the enterprise.”
Zeller said the other new programs transferred to liberal arts also are better positioned to grow. “Communication studies, film and visual communication are areas of study that have earned prominence on campuses around the country. I would expect their popularity to continue here.”
Contacts: Chris Campbell, director of the School of Communication, chrisc@uidaho.edu, (208) 885-6459; Joe Zeller, dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, jzeller@uidaho.edu, (208) 885-7885; or Nancy Hilliard, University Communications, (208) 885-6567, hilliard@uidaho.edu
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