LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Bellarmine University Board of Trustees has approved a new School of Communication that will open officially for the 2009-10 academic year. The school follows creation of the Institute for Media, Culture and Ethics in 2007 and the addition of the Master of Arts in Communication degree in 2008. The new school is a milestone in Bellarmine's Vision 2020, an ambitious plan for growth that includes increasing enrollment, enhancing student life and adding new schools and academic programs.
"The School of Communication is the next logical step as we rise to meet the fast pace at which new media have transformed the way we send and process information," said Bellarmine University President Joseph J. McGowan. "The community response to our Master of Arts in Communication was overwhelmingly positive. This new school will weave media and communication into the educational experience of the other schools at Bellarmine, preparing students to meet the demand for excellent, ethical communicators across all industries."
The school comprises three main components: the undergraduate major in communication, the master's program and the Institute for Media, Culture and Ethics. The diverse, inclusive program will emphasize intercultural and international communication through course offerings, service learning, study abroad opportunities and partnerships.
"We look forward to developing and defining the curriculum in consultation with deans, students and faculty," said Ed Manassah, who will serve as the school's executive director, while continuing in his role directing the institute. "This school represents a new, innovative model that highlights a collaborative process, a cooperative method and a hybrid delivery system."
"Our master's degree in communication has attracted applicants from diverse fields in the public, non-profit and private sectors," said Gail Henson, Ph.D. Henson has 35 years in collegiate teaching experience and serves as associate director of the new school and chair of the department of communication. "By expanding and integrating communication across the university, we are answering the needs of our students and the community-at-large."
The graduate program in communication currently offers three emphases: healthcare communication, convergent media and strategic communication.
The School of Communication at Bellarmine joins the Bellarmine College of Arts and Sciences, Frazier Thornton School of Education, Lansing School of Nursing, Rubel School of Business, Center for Interdisciplinary Technology and Entrepreneurship and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
The school will hold a special event to celebrate the launch this summer. For more information about the Bachelor of Arts or Master of Arts in Communication, please visit:
http://www.bellarmine.edu/cas/communication/
Bellarmine University is an independent Catholic university offering more than 50 majors, as well as graduate degree programs and a doctor of physical therapy. Forbes magazine and the Princeton Review rank Bellarmine among America’s best colleges, and U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks Bellarmine as a top tier university.
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