The Elliott School's Vision
The guiding vision for establishing the Elliott School in 1989 was people, programs and facilities committed to communication integration. To achieve that vision the school recruited faculty whose teaching and research interests exemplified the diverse and dynamic communication industries; adopted a model curriculum of integrating communication skills, theory, research, law and ethics; and moved into a new building in 1995 equipped with up-to-date technology in classrooms and labs.
The Elliott School has been especially successful in implementing an integrated curriculum that is relevant and marketable. From the progressive strategic plan outlined for the school at its inception, the Elliott School continues to promote the vision that: 1) communication specialists should also be communication generalists; 2) communication graduates need a strong liberal arts education; 3) all of the communication industries are engaged in the same functions: gathering information, and creating and disseminating messages; 4) communication professionals cannot afford to be unschooled in any of the basic skills — oral, visual or written; and 5) the strongest communication programs in higher education are those which combine disciplinary strengths in an interdisciplinary matrix.
At this stage, the school is working to advance its commitment to communication integration. In the fall of 2003, the Elliott School created a communication and graphic design minor. Acting on the recommendation of local advertising and public relations professionals, the Elliott School partnered with the College of Fine Arts in fulfilling this need.
On a grander scale, the school envisions two major steps. A first step is to create "communication spaces" outside the traditional classroom to encourage student interaction across emphasis areas and give our facility the look of a vibrant center of communication excellence. A second step is to create greater student-faculty-community collaborations to encourage a seamless integration of teaching, research and service.
To begin to achieve these ends, the Elliott School is pleased to launch a three-year fund-raising campaign to enhance and expand the technology infrastructure to meet critical instructional needs that will prepare students for the age of digitalization. It is the first fund-raising effort since the Elliott School was founded in 1989. The proposed technology funding will provide: 1) an open media lab where the student newspaper, live TV-news, new media, and speech performance components of our curriculum can intersect; and 2) updated technology infrastructure throughout the building to meet faculty instructional and research needs. To learn more about the ESC technology campaign, email Susan Huxman.
The Elliott School of Communication is distinctive because its faculty, staff, students, and many supporters are committed to staying "ahead of the curve" in creating a vibrant community of communication in action.
We want you to share our vision!