Provost Russell Moore, seen here during a press conference in August to announce the proposed discontinuance of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has made a recommendation to Chancellor Phillip DiStefano in support of discontinuing the SJMC. (CU Independent/Lee Pruitt)
According to the letter written to the chancellor, Moore particularly supports two of the recommendations of the SJMC Program Discontinuance Committee.
Moore said he supports the discontinuance of the SJMC “… to permit a strategic realignment of degree programs, faculty, and other resources to better serve the collective interests of the Boulder campus as a whole,” as the discontinuance committee suggested in its report.
The second recommendation of the committee that Moore is supporting is that journalism education should continue on the campus, but no longer be its own separate college.
According to the discontinuance report, “journalism education does have a place with other liberal arts disciplines in a comprehensive research university. Having heard from a wide variety of sources, we are convinced that this broader conception of journalism education can and should be part of the campus curriculum.”
Now that Provost Moore has submitted his recommendation to the chancellor, the chancellor will evaluate his recommendation as well as the discontinuance committee’s recommendation and will make a recommendation to CU President Bruce Benson by the end of the month.
Benson will have the responsibility of making a recommendation to the Board of Regents. He will have 60 days after receiving the chancellor’s report to make his recommendation.
Ultimately, as the sole entity that can discontinue a program on campus, the Board of Regents is the determining party in whether the SJMC will be discontinued.
It is also expected that the separate and final Information, Communication, and Technology Exploratory Committee report will come in early spring 2011, which may influence the president’s and/or the regents’ decisions.
For those seeking more information on the discontinuance process or on the ITC Exploratory Committee, visit the academic review website.
Contact CU Independent News Budget Editor Ellie Bean at Beanee@colorado.edu.
