Montclair State University’s School of Communication and Media officially became the College of Communication and Media on July 1.
After an exponential increase in students since 2019, the College of Communication and Media, formerly known as the School of Communication and Media, aims to provide students and staff with funding, structured learning career opportunities and competition with peer institutions.
Dr. Keith Strudler, the Dean of the College and Communication and Media shared what made him decide to back this change.
“[It] allowed us to create more leadership, more innovative degrees and programming,” Strudler said. “It allowed us to be considered in a group of aspirational peers, who have independent colleges of communication and media, this is really about trying to compete more nationally.”
Dr Keith Strudler, the Dean of the College of Communication and Media. Kaitlin Swift | The Montclarion Photo credit: Kaitlin Swift
Dr. Strudler discussed the benefits that the change will provide for students and staff.
“By becoming a college, it allowed us to build more departments, to create more faculty leadership, to increase our staff,” said Strudler. “We have more opportunities for people to lead and innovate.”
These changes aim to incentivize hands-on learning, including ongoing partnerships with Telemundo 47, WNBC and NBCU, as well as continuing to fund classes like the Semester in LA Program, NewsLab and On the Road.
The Dreamscapes Learn lab, now housed in the College of Communication and Media, hopes to open doors for “educational pedagogy,” as explained by Strudler. The college looks to provide students with national visibility and greater opportunities for career exploration.
Dr. Todd Kelshaw, the Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs in the College of Communication and Media, discussed the history behind the change.
“Technologies are shifting, platforms are changing, our culture is shifting,” said Kelshaw. “[We’re] all interested in understanding how stories are told and skills of telling stories effectively.”
Dr. Todd Kelshaw, the Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs in the College of Communication and Media, poses for the camera Photo credit: Kaitlin Swift
According to Dr. Kelshaw, the College of Communication and Media is looking to make curriculum alterations and elective options in the near future for the animation and visual effects program.
Kelshaw highlighted the college’s co-curriculars being a main component in the shift from school to college.
“So much of the life, what’s going on in the college is in its co-curriculars,” said Kelshaw. “The student clubs and activities and projects, the beauty of those things is it a place where students from different majors come together to work on projects in integrative ways.”
Olivia Doe, a senior public relations major, expressed her enthusiasm about the change from school to college, discussing the outreach the college will receive as a benefit.
“I think it’s great,” Doe said. “The communications school being part of the College of the Arts made sense, but the school is so vast that it makes sense for it to be its own college.”
Senior public relations student Olivia Doe poses for the camera Photo credit: Kaitlin Swift
Junior journalism and digital media major, Batuhan Duman, expressed his opinions on the change.
“At this point, it seems like a pointless change,” Duman said.”I don’t know if it’s worth changing all the brochures and every single website.”
Batuhan Duman, a junior transfer student studying Journalism and Digital Media, gazes at the camera Photo credit: Kaitlin Swift
Alex Marrero, a sophomore studying television and film, shared their perspective on the change.
“I feel like right now we’re in this weird transition period between feeling like SCM and being CCOM,” said Marrero. “I don’t notice any changes yet. I’m interested because it’s going to open up more resources, like career training.”
Sophomore film and television student Alex Marrero smiles for the camera Photo credit: Kaitlin Swift
