Nov. 30, 2023
Dear Alumni and Friends of the School of Media and Journalism:
Many of you have seen a story published by The Herald and reprinted by The Jonesboro Sun regarding the future of the multimedia journalism degree program at Arkansas State. We want to explain where the situation stands, as well as our plans for moving forward.
The Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) issues annual reports on "non-viable" degree programs at colleges and universities when the rolling three-year average number of graduates falls below a required threshold.
Unfortunately, our graduation trends for the multimedia journalism program have been extremely low during the last three years:
2020: 4 graduates
2021: 6 graduates
2022: 3 graduates
Additionally, the number of students majoring in this program has also been in decline:
2020: 59 students
2021: 43 students
2022: 36 students
At the ADHE Coordinating Board meeting on April 28, nine programs at A-State, including the B.S. in Multimedia Journalism, were discontinued.
This is unacceptable for a university with a storied history of producing outstanding print and broadcast journalism graduates who have become state and national success stories.
We have collected data showing that while A-State has experienced significant declines in journalism graduates since 2010, other universities in the state and around the country have fared better – either through growth or maintaining student numbers.
To be sure, the journalism industry is experiencing headwinds. A recent study by Northwestern University showed the nation has lost 3,000, or one-third, of its newspapers and 43,000, or two-thirds, of its newspaper journalists since 2005. At A-State, we must provide a journalism program that provides the education and skills to meet today's evolving media climate and opportunities.
On July 13, Provost Calvin White and I met with the School of Media and Journalism faculty, who under university shared governance must develop and approve all curriculum changes. We expressed support and potential funding for a new, collaborative vision for the journalism program, one that combines the tools needed to thrive in the digital age, with the skills and core values of traditional print journalism. As of today, we are still awaiting their proposal.
We remain optimistic that the faculty will work together, not only to save a rich and historically strong program, but also for the benefit of our students and university.
Students currently in the multimedia journalism program have been notified and assured that they will be able to complete their degree as planned.
Meanwhile, we hear, understand and agree with concerns about the potential loss of this important program. We will continue to address viability issues and seek collaboration for the future of journalism at Arkansas State.
Sincerely,
Todd Shields
Chancellor
chancellor@AState.edu