The Armory building houses the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The school is undergoing a review process to examine the possibility of program discontinuance. The advisory committee for the process will begin to present their findings this week. (CU Independent file photo/Lee Pruitt)
With major technological advances affecting the way people receive their news, CU’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication is potentially restructuring and looking at possible discontinuance.
Now the information-gathering subcommittee will begin presenting its findings to the full discontinuance committee, which is the Academic Review and Planning Advisory Committee this week.
“The committee has completed its meetings required under the process,” said Jeff Cox, the chair of the program discontinuance committee and the associate vice chancellor. “We had open meetings with staff, students and alumni and met with a number of people who have an impact on the decision…the subcommittee have done their information gatherings.”
The discontinuance committee began procedures on Sept. 1, according to a news release, after CU announced its decision to consider SJMC discontinuance on Aug. 25.
With the information-gathering step completed, the discontinuance committee will begin to review the data. They will then make a decision to recommend whether or not the SJMC should be discontinued, according to the 2005 Policy for Academic Program Discontinuance.
According to the policy, in addition to discussing five budget objectives – such as potential cost savings or losses from elimination of the program – the committee must discuss nine objectives when considering program discontinuance for strategic realignment.
Centrality of the program to the campus mission, role of the program in the academic master plan, ability to better the campus’ national reputation, program excellence, cost, uniqueness, demand, contribution to campus diversity and its role in supporting other programs on campus are the nine issues up for consideration.
Cox said while it’s unlikely the discontinuance committee will recommend closing the SJMC, he is unsure what the committee’s final recommendation will be.
“We have heard lots of good ideas for change and lots of defense to keep the current structure, but I can’t speak of what the recommendations might be,” he said.
Alexis Sowell, a 20-year-old junior advertising major, said she hopes the committee decides to discontinue the current program so that it can be restructured.
“I think it should be changed and be made more like the [Technology, Arts & Media] program,” Sowell said.
Cox said current SJMC students should not worry about not receiving their degrees, regardless of what the final outcome may be.
“Any [currently enrolled] student…will be able to complete degree,” he said.
Since the SJMC’s future is still undecided, he said little is known about the SJMC professors’ job securities.
“It’s important to remember that no one has made any decisions, it’s possible at the end of the day that everyone’s protected, but then [the SJMC could be closed] and no one’s protected,” he said.
Once the committee makes its decision, it must then submit its recommendation to the provost by Oct. 31, Cox said. The provost will then review it before passing it on to the chancellor for further evaluation, according to the policy.
Cox said he is grateful for everyone’s contribution to the process.
“I appreciate the hard work of everyone and for everyone showing up [at the forums],” he said. “We are looking forward to getting the report to the provost by the end of the month.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Rose Heaphy at Josephine.heaphy@colorado.edu.
