University of Colorado Boulder Provost Russell L. Moore today announced the formation of a five-member steering committee and eight campus discussion groups that will take the next key steps toward creating a school or college in the area of information, communication, journalism, media and technology, or ICJMT.
The steering committee will be chaired by Andrew Calabrese, long-time faculty member in journalism at CU-Boulder, and will coordinate its activities with Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs Jeffrey Cox. Committee members besides Calabrese include Professor Tim Brown (Electrical Engineering/Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program), Professor Leysia Palen (Computer Science), Professor Michael Theodore (Music and Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society, or ATLAS) and Professor Katherine Eggert (English). Professor Merrill Lessley of Theatre and Dance, who last fall chaired the campus's Information, Communication and Technology Exploratory Committee, will consult with the committee to connect the two processes.
"The steering committee represents a vital cross-section of experienced CU faculty with a strong interest in the creation of an ICJMT-focused college or school, and with detailed knowledge of CU's academic strengths and structures," said Moore. "I am charging it with taking input from eight designated campus discussion groups and forwarding recommendations on forming a new school or college to me by the end of the 2011-12 academic year."
Cox said the eight discussion groups, composed of faculty from a variety of disciplines, will discuss the different disciplines and academic dimensions that should be combined to form a new school or college. The discussion groups' composition and areas of focus are listed below:
Discussion Groups
Group No. 1 This group will discuss journalism, documentary filmmaking, creative nonfiction and other modes of delivering nonfiction content across platforms. Dan Boord (Film Studies), Meg Moritz, (Journalism and Mass Communication, or JMC) and Jan Whitt (JMC)
Group No. 2 This group will discuss media studies, communication and mass communication. Stewart Hoover (JMC), Peter Simonson (Communication), Lori Emerson (English), Janice Peck (JMC) and Ernesto Avecedo-Munoz (Film Studies Program)
Group No. 3 This group will discuss advertising, design and related issues. Brett Robbs (JMC ) and David Slayden (JMC)
Group No. 4 This group will discuss issues of technology, computation and related issues. Dirk Grunwald (Computer Science), Tamara Sumner (Cognitive Science Institute, Computer Science) and Eric Stade (Math)
Group No. 5 - This group will discuss journalism science, the environment and related issues. Tom Yulsman (JMC), Alan Townsend (Environmental Studies Program), Len Ackland (JMC) and Sandra Fish (JMC)
Group No. 6 This group will discuss arts, media technology and related issues. Michelle Ellsworth (Theatre and Dance) and Mark Amerika (Art and Art History)
Group No. 7 This group will discuss the humanities, media technology, digital humanities and related issues. Mark Winokur (English), Diane Sieber (Herbst Humanities, ATLAS) and Michael Zimmerman (Philosophy)
Group No. 8 This group will discuss communication, internationalization, globalization and other related issues. Meg Moritz (JMC) and Bella Mody (JMC)
"These eight discussion groups will give us a set of wide-ranging views on forming a new ICJMT school or college," said Cox. "These are the individuals whose ideas and experiences will be vital in shaping the direction and disciplines of a new college or school."
Cox said the discussion groups' meetings will be open to other faculty to attend by invitation, but are closed to the media.
"We want to facilitate open and free discussion among the groups," Cox said. "However, we will host a public meeting on Sept. 22 to kick off the activities of the discussion groups and the steering committee, to discuss how the two will interface and the timeline for delivery of recommendations to the provost."
Details on the meeting will be publicly announced later in the summer, Cox said.
Information on the ICJMT process can be found at academicaffairs.colorado.edu/academicreview/icmt-next-steps/.