Proposed merger updates released

As the IU Board of Trustees’ August meeting at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis is now less than a month away, a crucial decision will soon be made regarding the fate of the IU School of Journalism.

In February 2013, Provost Lauren Robel recommended in her State of the Campus address that the School of Journalism merge with the departments of Telecommunications and Communication and Culture.

On July 12, a letter addressing Alumni and a memorandum of understanding were released by School of Journalism Interim Dean Lesa Hatley Major. Major was appointed July 1 in place of exiting Interim Dean Michael Evans.

The Memorandum of Understanding, a five-page document based on input from alumni, faculty, staff and students of the school and several others, is an outline of how the nationally accredited journalism school will maintain its reputation and academic integrity within the new school if the merger is approved.

The MOU was drafted by the School of Journalism and the College of Arts and Sciences per request of the provost.

“We have heard from hundreds of alumni about this recommended new school, and we are very grateful for your ideas and support,” Major said in the letter. “Your concern about the future of journalism at IU has helped underscore the passion and commitment we all feel toward journalism education and has strengthened our position as we move toward the creation of the new school.”

JR Ross, president of the IU School of Journalism Alumni Board, voiced several concerns he and other alumni still have with the merger and the MOU.

“The MOU shows how they’re going to protect journalism, but we still don’t know how they’re going to enhance journalism,” Ross said. “If you’re going to take one of the best schools in the country and essentially blow it up and start over, you have to kind of show that there’s going to be a benefit to this.”

Ross questioned how big the budget is going to be following the establishment of the new school, what the curriculum is going to look like and even how the journalism schools’ namesake is going to be honored.

“There are a lot of alums who their biggest issue is moving out of Ernie Pyle Hall,” Ross said. “They must not have been here the past twenty years to see how cramped it is, but they have an emotional attachment to Ernie Pyle Hall and that whole thing ... there are still significant concerns about what’s happening.”

The next step in the creation of the new school lies in the revision of the proposal submitted to the provost last December. The School of Journalism and the College of Arts and Sciences will work together to revise the proposal, which was initially submitted by a committee of representatives from journalism, telecommunications and communication and culture.

“The proposal will serve as a framework around which we will build the new school,” Major said in the letter. “It will be specific enough to support and enhance our research mission and ensure we have the means to advance such signature programs as the Ernie Pyle Scholars and our travel courses.”

The Trustees’ approved renovations in Franklin Hall during their meeting at IUPUI in June. These renovations are being made to accommodate the school and student media, including the Indiana Daily Student, the Arbutus, Inside Magazine, American Student Radio, WIUX, IUSTV and other course-based media enterprises, according to the letter. 

“I’ve talked to the provost and I believe in her heart of hearts she thinks this is the best way forward with journalism,” Ross said. “I do not think she’s trying to destroy journalism at all. We just have a fundamental disagreement on how best to move forward with the school. I do believe the faculty, and Lesa, are doing their best to produce the best possible outcome and I just keep my fingers crossed that it works.”

Memorandum of Understanding key points

These points taken from the Memorandum of Understanding will only take effect if the merger is officially approved in August by the IU Board of Trustees. Here is what you need to know from the MOU.

    •    The newly merged school will be established effective July 1, 2014.
    •    Journalism faculty and staff positions, services and programs will maintain their current forms for five years following the establishment of the new school.
    •    Previous philanthropic gifts to the School of Journalism will transfer to and remain with the new journalism program.
    •    Donors may continue to designate gifts specifically for journalism following the merger.
    •    The merged school’s new location in Franklin Hall will accommodate student media, including the Indiana Daily Student, IUSTV and others.
    •    Undergraduate students admitted to IUB in the Fall of 2013 and Spring 2014 will follow the 2013-14 SOJ Bulletin requirements for a degree.
    •    Students arriving after Spring 2014 will follow requirements in place at the time of their arrival. Graduate students, both M.A. and Ph.D. will follow the same timeline.
    •    The College stipulates that SOJ courses and faculty teaching public relations and advertising will remain in the DOJ.
    •    The name of the department, formerly the SOJ, will be determined by faculty in the department in consultation with the Dean of the School.