Academic Program Review of Kingsborough Community College Association
in Science (A.S.) in Journalism and Print Media
Kingsborough Community College is fortunate to be in New York City, the nation’s media capital, resplendent with the headquarters of the advertising, newspaper, publishing, and broadcast centers. Also, a number of the largest circulating newspapers are within a short radius of NYC, as well as The Associated Press headquarters. Also present are association headquarters such as the 4A’s, The American Society of Magazine Editors, and MPA-The Association of Magazine Media, as well as special programs willing to sponsor the leaders of the media industry to speak with students, such as the Center for Communication, Inc., and the Annual George Polk Seminar, sponsored by Long Island University, Brooklyn. Expertise also can be drawn by more specialized groups such as the Overseas Press Writers and the Financial Writers Association. /
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Also in metropolitan New York City are senior college journalism programs such the City University of New York’s College’s Graduate School of Journalism , Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York University, Columbia University, Fordham University on the Rose Hill Campus and Fordham’s business communication program at the Lincoln Center campus. The surrounding presence of a strong media environment and its leaders further enhances, strengthens and shapes Kinsborough’s special mission within CUNY and within the nation’s media capital.
Because the Outside Evaluator is asked to review the Goals and Objectives in the Academic Program Review in detail in an analytic and evidence-based examination, rather than descriptive expositions, I proceed by detailing the goals and objectives of an ideal journalism and print media educational program.* explicating the criteria that outlining evidence as
*These Goals, Objectives and Indicators are anchored in mainstream standards and philosophy of contemporary mainstream journalism education. The following assessment articulates standards and best practices derived from the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism guidelines—the standards by which the roles and the quality of journalism education today are judged. The goals and objectives not pertinent to Kingsborough’s mission as the Outside Evaluator understands them have been excised. Tailored and emphasized have been others deemed most relevant to our goal.
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Department of Journalism and Print Media
Kingsborough Community College
Recommend:
Community College Journalism Association
Steven Ames, Executive Secretary-Treasurer
3376 Hill Canyon Avenue
Thousand Oaks, California
91360-1119 Tel: 805-492-4440 FAX 805-493-3479 E-Mail HYPERLINK "mailto:"
Poynter Institute for Media Studies
Karen Dunlap Brown, President
801 Third Street South
Saint Petersburg, Florida
33701-4920
Tel: 727-821-9494
FAX 727 821-0583
Student Law Press Center
Frank Lo Monte
1101 Wilson Blvd. Suite 1100
Arlington, Virginia 22209-1817
703-807-1904; (FAX) 703-807-2109
e-mail: HYPERLINK "mailto:"
Center for Communication (NYC)
Cencom.org
110 East 23rd Street
Wuite 900
New York, New York 10010
Cencom.org
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KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MISSION STATEMENT*
To provide students with a quality journalism education in order to equip them properly for careers in the mass media and new media, education, or, to transfer to a four-year institution of higher learning.
GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES
ASSESSMENTS FOR THE ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE (A.S.)
In
JOURNALISM AND PRINT MEDIA
Curriculum Goals(1-4)
Goal 1: To offer quality education in the journalism and print media sequence within the
Department of English while simultaneously fostering a learning environment within the
context of a liberal arts and humanities education.
Goal 2: To offer students consistent, quality opportunities to study and to write news for print media. Moreover, to help students prepare to staff, manage, and lead journalism organizations.
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*
Objective: To learn news values, the gathering of news, and writing in a variety of news styles by graduation. This includes “hard” news, “soft” news, commentary and editorials in
both traditional formats as well as in e-media style. Advertising or
public relations training should result in graduates able to conceive, research, develop and execute a public relations or advertising campaign for local, national, and global markets.
Indicator: Quantity and quality of submitted classwork, and published or
broadcast work on campus or through professional media outlets.
Objective: To offer instruction in the above area and encourage students to enroll in
cognate departments and programs that offer supplemental and allied
subjects.
Objective: To facilitate successful educational transfers to senior colleges and universities and initial job placements and to nurture the careers of graduates, whenever possible.
Indicator: Career placement and achievements of journalism
Indicator: Graduate earnings as compared to earnings as evidenced in
the annual report of student placement and salaries when
compared to national figures. This information is gathered
by the Director of the Annual Surveys of Journalism & Mass
Communication and distributed by the Cox Center
Director at the Grady College of Journalism
and Mass Communications, University of Georgia.
Goal 3: To teach students to communicate effectively in a pluralistic and democratic
society. This calls for a balance between liberal arts and sciences and journalism
courses. Also, to maintain an appropriate balance between practice and theory.
Objective: In order to conform as much as possible with the guidelines of the Accrediting
Council for Education of Journalism and Mass Communications, two-thirds of a
student’s program should be in the liberal arts, with normally no more than
one-third courses in skills areas.
Indicator: Analysis of department requirements.
Indicator: Analysis of student records
Goal 4: To encourage students to learn about the effects and functions of mass media
and e-media and to study the responsibilities and implications of public policy
and the mass media, and to evaluate trends in both mass communications and e-
media. Also, to educate students in the freedoms, limits and responsibilities of the
First Amendment
Objective: To offer a balanced, updated curriculum that allows students to attain these goals.
Indicators: Curriculum analysis
Student achievement in these areas
Survey of graduates
Periodical revision of curricula to match the needs of the media industry and appropriate e-media trends.
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CURRUCULUM DISCUSSION HERE
Notes –
RECOMMENDATIONS
Existing Courses:
“Courses For Future Consideration”
Journalism Law and Ethics
Public Relations and Advertising
Off-Campus Internship
Digital Media or New Media
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PROGRAM GOALS (5, 6, 7)
Goal 5: To provide a coherent, creative, state-of-the-arts educational service to the
service to the journalism and communications industry as well as to society by
providing quality employees.
Objective: To encourage students enrolled in Kingsborough’s Journalism and Print Media
to pursue other media.
Indicator: Enrollment of students in four-year senior colleges
Objective: To encourage those journalism and print majors not immediately going to
graduate schools to enter the media industry.
Indicator: Initial Job placement
Evidence: Second and third jobs and beyond, acquired by alumni
Following graduation.
Goal 6: To cultivate and nurture relationships with the metropolitan media, metropolitan
high schools, and selected media organizations.
Objective: To maintain existing quality internships, especially those supervised
by a Kingsborough and to forge and support new, quality internships
Indicator: Acquisition of internships
Indicator: Internship performance of students as reported by supervisors
Objective: To lend support to other journalism endeavors
Indicator: Sponsorship of conferences and professional and high school workshops.
Objective: To serve the community through high school and community college
visits and talks, as well as helping high-school teachers to upgrade
their teaching of journalism and broadcasting skills.
Indicator: Visits to high schools
Indicator: Attendance at free educational seminars, such as the annual George Polk Seminars and the Center for Communication presentations with media professionals.
Objective: To offer forums and summer institutes for working journalists and
High school journalism teachers and advisors.
Objective: To improve numbers of student retention and successful completion of program
Student Goals (8)
Goal 8: To encourage students to follow their journalism interests using professional activities such as developing portfolios, building networks and and excelling both on and off campus.
Objective: To obtain employment off-campus in the news media, e-media or information fields,
or, to attend senior-level colleges and then perhaps law schools following graduation.
Indicators: Student placement;
Objective: To participate and excel in student activities on campus and to gain
recognition for student efforts.
Indicators: Students winning campus awards.
Departmental service and bylined publications on Seawanhaka and
other campus media (See discussion in Appendix A-8)
Facilities, Equipment, Support Goals (9, 10)
Goal 9: To acquire and maintain appropriate resources and technology – including
hardware and software necessary to support the department mission. In order to
accomplish this, the department might need to raise funds both internally and externally
in order to support overall programs and mission.
Objective: To obtain equipment and facilities appropriate for the educational
objectives in both quality and quality.
Objective: To ensure the news laboratory should have enough space and
equipment for proper journalism career training. A student ratio of
no more than 15-1 in laboratory sections should be maintained and
The teaching loads should be consistent with those of other campus units.
Indicator: Laboratory seating space and number of student computers and faculty workload.
Objective: To maintain a representative library collection of the most reputable
books, current periodicals, films and other standard information
resources of the field. Also, students must have access to
appropriate databases, computer networks, online service and other
sources of information.
Indicator: Department journalism library, books, periodicals and on-line
subscriptions.
Evidence: Acquisition of data banks necessary to support curriculum and
coursework.
Evidence: Department library re-arranged, sorted, and culled.
Goal 10: To acquire and maintain administrative support for quality journalism education.
Objective: To adhere to AEJMC accreditation guidelines regarding faculty
qualifications and size. In addition, there should be institutional
support for grant, sabbaticals or leaves of absence.
Objective: To provide an appropriate level of quality in
administration, instruction, facilities, equipment and support services
that fulfills the mission of the program.
Indicator: Records must show the student’s requirements and progress
systematically and students must be and effectively advised.
OUTREACHGOALS (11,12, 13)
Goal 11: To acquire and metropolitan recognition for the journalism and print media
program.
Objective: To forge relationships with national and international organizations and foreign
Countries, such as the US Department of State’s International Visitor
Program and the People’s Republic of China
Indicator: To articulate with foreign journalists to the department and students.
This includes invitations by the People’s Republic of China to
lecture at Universities in the PRP.
.
. Objective: To broaden the department’s exposure to the greater public
. Indicator: Public Affairs show on Public Access TV hosted by department . .
. Indicator: Media placements and broadcasts by faculty members
Evidence: See above Kruglak Award publicity reference
Goal 12: To provide support for New York State journalism programs
Objective: To provide a focal point and organizational, logistics and facility support on . . . campus for workshops taught by the New York Association of Black ...... Journalists.
Objective: To provide support to the New York City Press Association and the New York
State Press Association.
Goal 13: To provide support for alumni. Education should not cease when a student
leaves campus, but, instead, must remain an interest for graduates throughout
their career. This program will inspire and foster a vision that is creative, current and effective.
Objective: To maintain regular contact with alumni, periodically access their
journalism and mass communication experiences, and use this
information in department planning.
Indicator: Journalism excellence in Specter, the student newspaper, and other
campus publications.
To utilize whenever possible, alumni to aid in placement,
internships and fund-raising. This can be achieved through newsletters,
questionnaires and the supporting of an alumni database, interactive website, and career-long, professional email address for networking. (Note: This benefit costs nothing to maintain).
Indicator: Alumni interest, such as sponsoring internships and hiring journalism graduates.
Indicator: Alumni financial giving.
Objective: To produce, distribute, and place on the department website an annual or semi-annual alumni newsletter and update
Objective: To produce a recruitment brochure and create and maintain a program website.
Objective: To provide assistance for journalism alumni whenever possible and
to us their expertise.
Indicator: Regular contact with alumni and periodic assessment so
the results may be weighed and possibly integrated into the department’s operation.
Indicator: Newsletters, alumni surveys with responses and self-
study reports. Also, alumni records should be used in
public service programs, current student placement, and acquisition of internship and fund raising.
DIVERSITYGOAL (14)
Goal 14: To strive for both diversity and inclusively in goals and curricula as well as in recruitment and retention of students, adjuncts, and full-time faculty. That is, to equip students to understand, to cover, to communicate with, and to relate with the multi-ethnic, racial and cultural and diverse city and society in which we live.
Objective: To recruit and retain multi-racial faculty of both genders.
Indicators: Full-time faculty and adjuncts should be balanced in
professional experience, formal education, age,
gender, race, and rank.
Moreover, the academic and professional experience
Of the faculty should exhibit a balance in professional
Development, as well as in formal education,
Professional experience, gender, race and rank.
Objective: To recruit and maintain, whenever possible, a diverse mix of journalism majors in terms of race, country or geographic region of origin, and age.
.
FACULTY GOALS (15, 16)
Goal 15: To encourage excellence in faculty teaching, research, service and creative endeavors.
Objective: To maintain high standards through various means, including a regular program
of evaluation that includes student input and peer observation and evaluation.
Assessment of faculty teaching should be determined through classroom visit and student feedback concerning the quality of instruction as compared with that recorded in other parts of the university. Recognition for teaching excellence should be monitored carefully and deficiencies corrected.
Objective: To design innovative courses necessary for student mastery and preparation in the changing media environment.
Objective: To ensure that the department conforms with AEJMC standards that urge that faculty be academically and professionally qualified. Moreover, full-time faculty must have the primary responsibility for teaching, research, service and creative activity. These faculty should show evidence of growth and productivity and their resumes should be kept current.
Objective: To perform department service, faculty are expected to participate in college, campus and institutional service. This includes working on department, college and university-wide committees as well as the George Polk Award.
Objective: To engage actively in a plan or research, to be explicated in faculty presentations. Other in Goals 6 and 12.
Objective: To encourage faculty scholarship and professional activities.
Moreover, faculty members have an obligation to engage in these areas and in updating their knowledge.
Objective: To foster creative activity and the types of media projects for which practitioners normally are recognized. This should be considered as part of formal academic scholarship and should be supported through initiatives that enhance the quality of classroom instructions by allowing the faculty to remain up-to-date.
Objective: To alert faculty concerning some of these opportunities is partly the unit administrator’s responsibility. Faculty should strive for excellence in their syllabi, assignments and classroom instruction. Course syllabi should be current. Whenever possible, faculty should attend professional development programs and teaching workshops. Moreover, the university administration should encourage high teaching quality and evaluate teaching, just as faculty should strive for recognition and awards for their teaching.
Goal 16: To form an appropriate departmental governance unit with workable procedures.
Objective: To offer intellectual, academic and professional leadership to advance its cause
and best interests within the university and through its constituencies. The
chair’s leadership must be trusted by department faculty and administration.
Indicator: To vest in the faculty responsibilities of governance, curriculum,
faculty ARPT and academic decisions concerning students
. should be accurate, up to-date and accessible to all for appropriate
Advising. Minutes of faculty meetings, committee reports and other g governance processes should be placed on file.
APPENDIX
The Journalism and Print Media sequence consists of Journalism in the following concentrations by taking an integrated cluster of courses in journalism and other disciplines, supplemented by appropriate on-campus and off-campus internships.
A-1 Print Journalism: The historic strength of the Journalism Department is to help students acquire the editorial skills necessary to work in newspaper and magazine journalism. The news-editorial core is augmented by specialized courses in reporting, editing and magazine article writing taught by leading professionals from the world of New York journalism. Working as a reporter or editor for the student campus newspaper is an integral part of a student’s training. Students normally apply for scholarships and attend internship and job fairs of organizations such as the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund and the American Society of Magazine Editors. Students have received summer internships from leading newspapers and magazines located across the nation.
A-3 Desktop Publishing and On-Line Journalism: Students develop proficiency in QuarkXpress and other desktop publishing programs currently used by media professionals. Editing and layout classes are taught. Class projects become part of a student’s professional portfolio. Students also learn to use the Internet and specialized databases for computer-assisted reporting.