Mass Media, Art, & Design Accreditation Information

Graduation and Retention Rates

Retained in Department  

Retained in University  

Graduated in Department  

Graduated in University  

Strategic Plan

1. Curriculum
   1. Continue to adapt curriculum and courses so that students are prepared to be competitive in the richly diverse and converged mass media landscape.
   2. Provide students with both a solid foundation in established theories and practices of mass communication and an appreciation for embracing emerging communication technologies.
2. Resources
   1. Continue to aggressively advocate and compete for institutional resources such as funding, physical space, labs, equipment and software so that the Department has the tools required to assist students in making the transition from academic to professional environments.
   2. Work with our alumni and Professional Advisory Council to create partnerships and endowments that enhance the student's learning experience.
3. Convergence and Cross-Collaboration
   1. Create opportunities that enable students in the four options to work in converged and collaborative environments in class settings and in student-produced media.
4. Experiential Learning
   1. Create opportunities that enable students to benefit from experiential learning in internships, practica, student media and capstone classes that provide hands-on experiences alongside media professionals.
5. Advancing a Culturally Proficient Workforce 
   1. Recruit and retain students and faculty to create a broadly representative department.
   2. Integrate an appreciation of advancing a culturally proficient workforce and cultural-representation issues into class curricula.
   3. Increase curricular attention to considerations and challenges of creating messages within a global society.
6. Faculty and Staff
   1. Support faculty and staff with training and resources to update their skills in order to assist student learning in converged, collaborative and technology-rich environments in both class settings and student media.
   2. Support faculty and staff with training and resources to enhance their professional and creative growth.
7. Recruitment and Retention
   1. Increase enrollment and retention to maximize prominence and attract resources for the department.

Revised 5/13/15

Definition of Advancing a Culturally Proficient Workforce

To remain in line with ACEJMC requirements for Advancing a Culturally Proficient Workforce, the department adopts the following glossary of relevant terms:

Glossary:

1. Equity –Fairness and equal opportunity. People have different circumstances and therefore need different resources and types of support to achieve equal outcomes. 
2. Involvement– The practice of creating environments in which every person feels respected, valued, and able to fully participate, regardless of their backgrounds or identities. 
3. Cultural Proficiency –The ability to communicate effectively and work with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds, recognizing and respecting differences while fostering understanding and collaboration. 
4. Equal Opportunity– Ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their backgrounds, have the same chances to succeed, including fair access to resources, opportunities and advancement. 
5. Underrepresented Individuals or Groups– Persons with limited representation in the field of journalism or media communication whose involvement helps provide a broader range of viewpoints. 
6. Discrimination –Unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of nationality, race, age or sex. 
7. Harassment –Any unwanted or inappropriate behavior that demeans, threatens, or intimidates individuals based on their identity or background. 
8. Bias –A preconceived opinion or judgment, typically negative, that may affect one’s ability to make fair or objective decisions.

Strategic Plan

OUTCOME I. The Department of Mass Media, Art, and Design will create a program that fosters equal opportunity, respect for a range of points of view, and provides participatory opportunity for all elements of society while educating culturally proficient communicators prepared for a global society. The unit ensures that all individuals are treated fairly and with dignity, emphasizing shared values of professionalism, personal responsibility, and excellence. The unit focuses on empowering all individuals through equal access to opportunities and the promotion of skills, regardless of background or identity. 

1. Continue to adapt curriculum and courses so students are prepared to be competitive in the richly diverse media landscape. 
2. Maintain a required course in the core curriculum that addresses the media’s historical representation of under-represented identities. 
3. Prioritize units of study in our courses related to topics identified in our definition of advancing a culturally proficient workforce. 
4. Recruit and retain qualified faculty and professional staff to create a broadly representative department that is able to integrate an appreciation of advancing a culturally proficient workforce and cultural representation in their work.
5. Working in conjunction with the University’s Human Resources Department, we will utilize and continually refine a search and hiring process that is designed to maximize the search for faculty candidates and professional staff from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. 
6. We will expand on the advancing a culturally proficient workforce of our resident faculty and professional staff by inviting guest speakers and recruiting supplemental faculty who have professional expertise and represent a range of different perspectives, opinions and backgrounds. 
7. We will provide experiential learning opportunities for students that foster accurate representation of diverse perspectives, opinions and backgrounds in the content we create.

OUTCOME II. The Department of Mass Media will engage in active recruitment that leads to a student body that reflects the socioeconomic makeup of our state and the needs of an increasingly diverse society. 

1. We will regularly participate in targeted programming designed to recruit and retain a culturally diverse student body.
2. We will participate in targeted programming within the Southeast Missouri State University campus communities, either through sponsoring activities and events, or significantly collaborating with other SEMO entities on advancing a culturally proficient workforce-focused initiatives. 
3. We will participate in targeted programming, either through sponsoring activities and events, or significantly collaborating with other entities on advancing a culturally proficient workforce-focused initiatives.
4. We will seek to increase scholarship funds designated to enhance the advancing a culturally proficient workforce of our student population.  

OUTCOME III. The Department of Mass Media will engage in the creation of new knowledge and understanding around our definition of advancing a culturally proficient workforce through scholarship and professional development. 

1. We will produce scholarly and creative works that advance understanding concerning our definition of advancing a culturally proficient workforce.
2. We will engage in professional development activities that promote our definition of advancing a culturally proficient workforce on our campus and beyond, as either creators or participants.  

Standard 4 KPIs

These measures and analysis are reported annually to the Assessment Committee

amended May 3, 2023