College of Communications Department of Communications P.O. Box 6846, Fullerton, CA 92834-6846
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T 657-278-3517
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F 657-278-2209
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dr. Jason Shepard, Chair, Department of Communications, 657-‐278-‐5301 COMM Department wins full reaccreditation from ACEJMC The Department of Communications at California State University, Fullerton, won full reaccreditation from the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication at its May 1 meeting in Phoenix. “Accreditation puts another stamp of excellence on our department,” says Dr. Jason Shepard, chair of the Department of Communications. Shepard represented Cal State Fullerton at the Council meeting along with Dr. Irene Matz, interim dean of the College of Communications; Dr. Ed Trotter, former department chair and former acting associate vice president of undergraduate programs; and Dr. Bill Briggs, former dean of the College of Communications. Faculty of the Department of Communications spent the past year writing a 344-‐page self study, hosting a four-‐day site visit of five external reviewers, writing a 53-‐page response to questions, and attending accrediting committee and council meetings in Chicago and Phoenix. In recommending the Department for full six-‐year reaccreditation, ACEJMC’s site team highlighted the Department’s strengths as: • Recognition as a benchmark program at the university because of its size and importance • An appreciative student body of extraordinary diversity • Retention and graduation rates better than the university’s • A vibrant internship program in a major media market • Capstone courses focusing on professional practice • Multiple international opportunities for students through the innovative work of faculty • A strong, independent student media and a new PR/AD agency since the last review • A reputation in its region for producing capable students In addition to ACEJMC reaccreditation, the Department of Communications this year secured full six-‐year recertification from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) through its Certification of in Education for Public Relations (CEPR).
THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY Bakersfield / Channel Islands / Chico / Dominguez Hills / East Bay / Fresno / Fullerton / Humboldt / Long Beach / Los Angeles / Maritime Academy Monterey Bay / Northridge / Pomona / Sacramento / San Bernardino / San Diego / San Francisco / San Jose / San Luis Obispo / San Marcos / Sonoma / Stanislaus
Page 2 The PRSA team found the Department to be an “outstanding program with a strong action-‐ oriented curriculum, excellent faculty, good interaction with professionals and the community, and a well-‐run department and college.” The Department of Communications is one of the largest mass communications departments in the country, with more than 2,200 students and 70 full-‐ and part-‐time faculty members. It was been accredited by ACEJMC since 1971 and certified by CEPR since 2002 In April, President Mildred Garcia presented Shepard with Cal State Fullerton’s 2015 Leadership Award for his work as a first-‐year department chair leading the department through its accreditation process. ###
