SRU academic department renamed Strategic Communication and Media

Slippery Rock University’s Department of Communication is now the Strategic Communication and Media Department after a name change to better emphasize the career-oriented design of the department’s degree programs and opportunities for students to work in media on campus, such as WSRU-TV.

Nov. 12, 2020

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — An academic department at Slippery Rock University has a new name: SRU's Department of Communication is now the Strategic Communication and Media Department. The names of the six academic programs within the department will remain the same, but the name change of the department better aligns with the career-oriented design of the degree programs.

"The new name emphasizes the professionalization of our students and the types of careers that they will go into following graduation," said Katrina Quinn, professor of strategic communication and media and department chair. "This also emphasizes the important role of media and media production in the curriculum."

There are nearly 300 SRU students majoring in six programs within the department: advertising, communication studies, converged journalism, digital media production, integrated marketing communication and public relations.

   YALE

The proposal was made in collaboration with the department and Enrollment Management. Approval of the name change, which takes effect immediately, was made by University administrators on the president's cabinet.

"We endorsed this move as a positive, future-focused step that increases visibility and improves placement for student recruitment efforts," said Amanda Yale, chief enrollment management officer. "The new name has received favorable appraisals from internal and external marketing partners."

The addition of "media" will also highlight the opportunities for SRU students to pursue careers in media and gain experience at SRU as part of award-winning, student-run media groups, including The Rocket newspaper, WSRU-TV and WSRU-FM.

"Adding the terms 'strategic' and 'media' to our name better defines what we do as a department," said Brittany Fleming, assistant professor of strategic communication and media and faculty adviser for WSRU-TV and The Rocket. "In addition to preparing students with the hard, technical skills they need for the workforce, our courses teach and train students to target an audience and strategize the best method for reaching and communicating with that audience. The award-winning work of our department and student media organizations is the perfect illustration of that."

All class prefixes will remain "COMM."

To learn more about the department, visit SRU's Strategic Communication and Media webpage.

MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Zackal | 724.738.4854 | justin.zackal@sru.edu