Senior News-Editorial major Gwen Cameron, 21, implores the Program Discontinuance Committee to keep the fundamentals of journalism in any future program at a School of Journalism and Mass Communication open forum on Sept. 14. The SJMC is operating normally and will allow all currently enrolled students to finish their degrees. (CU Independent/Rob Denton)
This story last updated: Wednesday Oct. 20, 3:40 p.m.
The second committee charged with gathering information from students, faculty, industry leaders and staff in deciding the future of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication is underway as its open forum brought in an initial wave of community feedback Monday.
The eight members of the Information, Communication and Technology Exploratory Committee will examine the existing information and technology to see how it could better serve the university in the future. It will also emphasize research and scholarship, according to a handout given to audience members regarding the charge to the committee.
Steve Outing, director of the Digital Media Test Kitchen at CU’s journalism school, asked the committee whether they had been reading the public comments that had been sent to the e-mail address for public input, input@colorado.edu. None of the committee members had read the e-mails that had been sent to the address, they said on Monday. Committee chair Merrill Lessley even said that he himself had tried sending an e-mail to input@colorado.edu and that he did not receive what he had sent to that address.
CU spokeswoman Malinda Miller-Huey said Monday the public feedback was being filtered by one of the exploratory committee members.
Lessley said Wednesday that the committee had decided to refine the process so that all committee members would receive the e-mails being sent to input@colorado.edu.
“So far, there has been good response and good feedback,” Lessley said.
Although journalism is not a direct part of the discussion, the final report will be considered when deciding the future of the SJMC.
“The provost has proposed to create something that currently does not exist on campus,” said Lessley, committee chair and professor of theater and dance. “This is, first and foremost, research facilitated to work in basically the rubric of information, communication and related technologies.”
Public feedback is crucial to this process and committee members are eager to hear from them about the introduction of a new program structure that must relate to the campus, community and industry, said Uriel Nauenberg, professor of physics.
“The purpose of this meeting is to tell us the exciting areas the committee should consider,” Nauenberg said. “We do not know right now what we should do. We want your feedback.”
Issues such as maintaining the fundamental creative processes in the study of media, the inclusion of educational and university tactics, employing a central location where information is readily available to the public, and how outside money from endowments may influence the decision-making process were among the concerns raised.
“Before we can create something this different, unusual and exciting, we have to know what we are capable of and map back those strengths to accomplish the goal,” Lessley said.
Focusing on the interests of the faculty and facilitating the areas they are excited to work with is one of the primary goals of the committee, said Michael Lightner, chair of the department of electrical, computer and energy engineering.
“We have met with the faculty and the point is to illicit from them and members at large what areas for this intersection are critically important to carry forward and find out what is going on,” Lightner said. “You need a faculty-driven, administrative support solution to operate successfully.”
According to the handout given to audience members, feedback received through open forums and e-mail will be considered in the submission of preliminary findings sent to the Provost by the end of 2010.
At this time, it is unclear as to what that will look like, Lessley said.
Contact CU Independent News Budget Editor Sheila V Kumar at Sheila.kumar@colorado.edu or CU Independent Staff Writer Christine Larsen at Christine.larsen@colorado.edu.
