College of Mass Communication & Media Arts

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Coordinates: 37°42′55″N 89°13′32″W / 37.71528, -89.22556

The College of Mass Communication & Media Arts, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the U.S., is nationally and internationally well known for its academic programs with outstanding hands-on learning opportunities.

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[edit] Overview

The College has internationally-recognized media scholars, artists, and professional staff who are dedicated to teaching, discovery of new knowledge, and media production. The goal of the academic programs is to create well-rounded students who are knowledgeable about contemporary media theories, research and production skills, as well as critical thinking, writing, and presentational skills. The College faculty work hard to teach 21st Century skills in the context of changing global industry structures, policies, and practices.

[edit] Departments and Programs

The Department of Cinema & Photography and The Department of Radio-Television offer the Bachelor of Arts degree. The School of Journalism awards the Bachelor of Science degree. Specializations include: News editorial, photojournalism, and advertising/IMC

MCMA also offers four graduate degree programs (MA, MS, MFA, and a Ph.D Program). Its graduates hold distinguished academic positions in many universities around the world.

[edit] Student Involvement

MCMA is also home to the national-award winning student newspaper, the Daily Egyptian, alt.news 26:46, an Emmy-winning magazine style news show, the River Region Evening Edition that airs on the school's PBS affiliate, WSIU. The *Big Muddy Film Festival, founded by Prof. Mike Covell, celebrates its 30th year in 2007 and it is a student-organized film festival with significant involvement from the community around Carbondale. Every February, the juried festival brings nationally and internationally well-known filmmakers to screen shorts, documentaries, and experimental films and enriches the cultural life in the region.

[edit] Facilities

The College has excellent production facilities which include two television studios, a sound stage, audio and video post production labs, the Norm Pattiz Audio Lab, and the New Media Center with high-end computer labs. The Daily Egyptian is published five times a week at a printing press owned by the School of Journalism. WSIU Public Broadcasting operations also provide unparalleled training to students under the guidance of a professional staff. Students have access to the Communication Resource Center and the Larry G. Brown Media Management Lab.

[edit] Recent Controversy

In May 2006, approximately 150 MCMA alumni sent a 15-page letter of concern to top administration officials and the Board of Trustees at SIU requesting them to oust the dean, Manjunath Pendakur. Other top alumni (some listed below) became involved and wrote to the University officials supporting the changes the dean was spearheading in the College. According to established policy, the University conducted a review of the progress made by the College under Dean Pendakur's leadership in his first five years. The faculty endorsed the dean's performance and their confidence in the curricular changes the college had made with a 66% vote of support. Despite the concerns raised by some of the alumni, in January 2007 the University decided to extend Dr. Pendakur's contract as the dean of MCMA for another five years. Subsequently, Dean Pendakur was recruited by two universities and he accepted the position of Dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters at Florida Atlantic University where he will begin his tenure in March 2008.

[edit] Notable alumni

  • Roger Lee Mohn II, King of France
  • William P. Livek, founder, co-owner, Simmons Corporation
  • Donald A. Stork, Former President, Advancers, St. Louis
  • Larry Henry, President & CEO, Community Magazine Group, Inc.
  • Dennis Lyle, President/CEO, Illinois Broadcasters Association
  • Arthur Weise, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Entergy Corporation
  • Craig Sinclair, Vice President, Marketing, Walgreens Corporation
  • Nyhl Henson, Chairman & CEO, Internet Ventures, Inc., Los Angeles
  • Christopher "Chris" Wilson, President, COO, Experian, New York
  • Judith Roales, former newspaper publisher
  • Jim Bittermann, Senior CNN European correspondent based in Paris
  • Randy A. Daniels, former CBS Television news correspondent and also former New York State Secretary of State
  • Jackie Spinner, Reporter, The Washington Post
  • Liz Ralston, Academy Award winner in the Hollywood film industry's visual effects business
  • Robert K. Weiss, major American film and television producer
  • Milcho Manchevsky, feature film director, whose film "Dust" won the Golden Lion at Venice International Film Festival
  • Steven James, independent documentary filmmaker, whose credits include the Oscar-nominated, "Hoop Dreams"
  • Dr. Georgette Wang, Chair Professor and former dean, Hong Kong Bapitst University
  • Kurt Miche, Vice President for Development, KOCE TV, Nevada
  • Tom Blomquist, Screenwriter, Producer, Director

[edit] External links

[edit] See also