v.
13, #1 February 2006 Also in this issue: • Appeals Board appointed • Council President's paper named diversity leader • Timeline of changes • 2006 - 2007 visit schedule • Higginson leaves Council office • Member & program updates • Meetings calendar • Masthead & contact information |
Accrediting Committee:
River North this time
The Council's Accrediting Committee will meet March 11 – 12 at the Westin Chicago River North Hotel, 320 North Dearborn Street. The meeting will be in the Grant/Lincoln room, located on River Level I. The Committee will consider 18 full accreditation reports from this year and one revisit report following a provisional-accreditation decision last year.
Note that this is not the same Westin hotel where Committee meetings have occurred in recent years.
Online reservations: The Westin has created a dedicated Web site for this meeting. You can use the site to learn more about the event and to book, modify, or cancel a reservation from December 14 to March 15.
The site is well organized and will take you through the process efficiently. Access it by going to:
http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/acejmc06
Telephone reservations: In-house reservation hours are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST. If all in-house reservation agents are busy, the call will be routed to Westin's central/ worldwide reservation agents. All calls received after 6 p.m. will go to the central/ worldwide agents.
Phone numbers:
In-House reservations 1-312-329-7000
Central reservations 1-800-233-4100
Our reservation cut-off date is February 17. When you call or log on to make a reservation, you will need a credit card to hold the reservation, but no deposit will be charged on it.
Appeals Board appointed
Council President Saundra Keyes has appointed the Appeals Board for 2006 – 2007. Members are: Charles Edwards, dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Drake University (chair); Eddith Dashiell, Associate Professor and Assistant Director, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University; and Merrill Rose, an independent strategic communications consultant in New York City.
The Appeals Board hears appeals from schools and departments of accreditation decisions by the Council.
Council President's paper named diversity leader
The Honolulu Advertiser and the Argus Leader of Sioux Falls, S.D., were named winners of the fourth annual Robert G. McGruder Awards for Diversity Leadership. Council President Saundra Keyes is editor of the Advertiser.
The Associated Press Managing Editors association and the American Society of Newspaper Editors give the award, in partnership with The Freedom Forum, which provides the funding. Each winner receives $2,500 and a sculpture representing leadership. The awards go to individuals, newsrooms or teams of journalists who embody the spirit of McGruder, former executive editor of the Detroit Free Press and a relentless diversity champion. McGruder died of cancer in April 2002.
" The Honolulu Advertiser is more than making good on its mission to 'provide a voice for all of the community,'" said Suki Dardarian, an awards judge and deputy managing editor/metro of The Seattle Times . "The mission permeates everything it does. Its staff is among the most diverse in the nation -- in a community that is rich in diversity. And the staff's appetite to learn more about that community, explore the nuances of that diversity and improve its coverage is impressive."
Timeline of changes
ACEJMC has adopted several changes in its standards, policies and procedures in the past few years. As a result, administrators and members of the Committee, Council and site visit teams easily could be confused by the overlapping schedule as the changes become effective in the various phases of the accrediting process. The following timeline is intended to clarify the schedule.
September 2003 |
• all schools were to have assessment plans in place • self-studies required assessment plans |
2003-2004 |
• all schools were to collect assessment information, per their plans |
2004-2005 |
• all schools were to apply assessment information toward improvements • self-studies written for visits next year used new (9) standards (without amendments related to review of master's programs) • site visit teams applied old (12) standards for the last time • directory book contained both old and new standards |
2005-2006 |
• provisional accreditation period becomes two years (schools retain 1-yr option) |
2006-2007 |
• site visit teams apply new standards with master's-review amendments (i.e., make separate judgments of standards compliance and separate accreditation recommendation) • revisits for provisional accreditation include team chair and an individual not previously involved in the visit |
2007-2008 |
• no changes unless new policies adopted in the interim |
2006 – 2007 site visit schedule
The Council will send 15 site-visit teams to schools in the 2006 – 2007 academic year. Schools marked with * are seeking accreditation for the first time; the rest seek re-accreditation.
Visit Date |
School |
Oct. 8 – 11 |
Pennsylvania State University |
Oct. 15 – 18 |
* Savannah State University * Boston University |
Oct. 22 – 25 |
University of Minnesota University of Wisconsin, River Falls |
Oct. 29 – Nov. 1 |
Ohio University Abilene Christian University |
Jan. 21– 24 |
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale |
Jan. 28 – 31 |
East Tennessee State University University of South Florida |
Feb. 4 – 7 |
Temple University |
Feb. 11 – 14 |
University of Illinois University of Memphis Washington & Lee University |
Feb. 18 – 21 |
Columbia University |
Higginson leaves Council office
Charles Higginson, who has been assistant to the Council's executive director for more than 11 years, has accepted a position on the editorial staff of Mother Earth News magazine. His last day with the Council is Jan. 20.
After that date, all communications with the Council office should go either to Susanne Shaw or Cheryl Klug. Contact information is listed below.
[Editor's note: It has been a pleasure, a privilege and, occasionally, an inspiration to work with the dedicated and thoughtful people who further the work of the Council. I have been proud of the advances the Council has made during my time here. I like to think I have contributed to those advances. I wish you all the very best — Charles Higginson]
Member and program updates
Amari joins Wick Communications
Council member Jane Amari has joined Wick Communications Co. and will serve as editor and publisher of two community newspapers in southeast Arizona. She will run the San Pedro Valley News Sun in Benson and the Arizona Range News in Willcox, both in Cochise County, Ariz.
Amari retired as editor and publisher of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson in June 2005. She has 38 years' experience in newspapers, having served also as vice president of news for Pulitzer Newspapers Inc. and in management posts at Gannett, Knight Ridder, Times Mirror and the Kansas City Star.
Auburn University
Mary Helen Brown has been named chair of the Department of Communication and Journalism. She replaces William Dale Harrison.
Florida A&M University
James Hawkins, dean, School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, is serving as administrator of the Division of Journalism following the departure of Kimberly Godwin.
Northwestern University
John Lavine, former Council president, became dean of the Medill School of Journalism in January, succeeding Loren Ghiglione in the position. The university committed to a major new investment in the School, which Lavine said would be "likely in the millions." He said he would pursue an aggressive schedule to create a new program to produce market-ready journalists with a strong grasp of new media and a deeper understanding of the values and interests of audiences and consumers.
An expert on media strategy and management, Lavine holds appointments as a professor of media management and strategy in both Medill and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. He was ACEJMC president from 1986 to 1992.
Temple University
Thomas Eveslage is serving as interim chair of the Department of Journalism. Bonnie Brennen was the previous chair.
University of South Florida St. Petersburg
Tony Silvia has been named director of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. Robert Dardenne had served as interim director.
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The Mass Communications Program has allowed its accreditation to lapse and should no longer be considered an accredited program.
University of Southern Indiana
The Department of Communications has named J. Wayne Rinks as acting chair, replacing Dal Herring.
Meetings calendar
Accrediting Committee
March 11 - 12, 2006
Westin River North Hotel
Chicago
Accrediting Council
May 5 - 6, 2006
Hampton Inn
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Poynter Institute, host
Accrediting Council
Sept. 1, 2006
Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers
Chicago
ACEJMC Ascent
Newsletter of the Accrediting
Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications
Vol. 13, No. 1, February 2006
President, Accrediting Council
Saundra Keyes
Editor
The Honolulu Advertiser
605 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 525-8080
Vice President, Accrediting Council
Will Norton
Dean, College of Journalism and
Mass Communications
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68588-0443
(402) 472-3041
Chair, Accrediting Committee
Doug Anderson
Dean, College of Communications
201 Carnegie Building
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 863-1484
Vice Chair, Accrediting Committee
Tom Kunkel
Dean
Philip Merrill College of Journalism
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
(301) 405-2383
Executive Director
Susanne Shaw
Stauffer-Flint Hall
1435 Jayhawk Blvd.
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045 - 7575
(785) 864-3986
e-mail: sshaw@ku.edu
Office Manager
Cheryl Klug
Stauffer-Flint Hall
1435 Jayhawk Blvd.
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045 - 7575
(785) 864-3973
e-mail: cklug@ku.edu
Council Website:
http://www.ku.edu/~acejmc