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School Reorganization Approved
Columbia, Mo. (June 21, 2005) -- The Missouri School of Journalism will have a flatter organizational structure effective Aug. 1.
The current three departments and four sequences will be reorganized into a structure with seven groups of faculty, each led by a faculty chair. The School's faculty unanimously approved the change at its May faculty meeting, and the MU Provost and the Chancellor endorsed the recommendation in early June.
The groups will be Advertising Faculty, Electronic Journalism Faculty, Convergence Journalism Faculty, Journalism Studies Faculty, Magazine Journalism Faculty, Newspaper Journalism Faculty and Photojournalism Faculty.
It is anticipated that the new structure will encourage more collaboration in curricular and research initiatives. Faculty from several groups, for example, could work formally and informally on shared interests in public affairs reporting, graphics and design, international journalism and other areas. The master's program made a similar change several years ago when it established a models-based curriculum.
Greater administrative efficiencies and some cost savings in centralizing some faculty-centered logistical and clerical activities such as promotion and tenure and classroom scheduling also are expected.
"New technologies and citizens' expectations are rapidly changing the mass media," said Dean Mills, dean of the School. "The new, more fluid structure will make it easier to work together on innovations in teaching and research that will better serve society."
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