Letter from Founding Dean Lori Bergen

Dean BergenWelcome to the first new college on the CU-Boulder campus in 53 years—and to the wonderful community we are building around it.

The College of Media, Communication and Information (CMCI) opened in fall 2015. It was created to match the times we live in—times of revolutionary change in the way people communicate, the tools they use to do it and the impact that change has on society.

CMCI students, by definition, embrace this new world. Our faculty members prepare them to thrive in it.

Let me define CMCI, and its benefits, more specifically.

We are a community. In personal terms, that means we provide a warm and welcoming environment.

In academic terms, it means we are interdisciplinary. Today’s communicators need a wider variety of knowledge, skills and experience than ever before. CMCI unites students and faculty from seven academic specialties to work and learn from each other. Students move easily between classes in different departments. Faculty members who study problems from different perspectives collaborate to find new and better solutions than they might ever have thought of before.

We are innovative: Our students use the newest tools and learn the latest skills from top experts in their fields. They go outside the classroom to test their knowledge in workshops, internships and community partnerships.

We are creative: CU is set in the beautiful mountain city of Boulder. On and off campus, students are surrounded by imaginative people who think big and try new things.

We are thoughtful: When things are moving fast it’s especially important to step back and think carefully about what’s happening. What problems are these changes in communication and technology causing and how can they be fixed? What opportunities does change provide and how can society benefit? Our students learn communications theory along with practice. Our faculty’s research contributes to society’s discussion of the issues facing us.

Together, at CMCI, we think, we innovate, we create. We welcome you to learn more about us.

Warm Wishes,

Lori Bergen
Founding Dean