Murano reviewing journalism at A&M - Bryan/College Station Eagle

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Published Sunday, August 10, 2008 6:05 AM

Murano reviewing journalism at A&M

By HOLLY HUFFMAN
Eagle Staff Writer

Texas A&M University President Elsa Murano said she is reviewing the current journalism program to determine what -- if any -- changes need to be made in order to better serve budding Aggie journalists.

University officials acknowledged that it could be some time before a formal review is complete and it remained unknown if any changes would be made.

Jeffrey Vitter, the incoming provost and executive vice president for academics who starts this month, will be tasked with studying the issue as he spends the next year developing a campus academic master plan, A&M officials said.

"This is a very important issue to Texas A&M and for Dr. Murano, as well," A&M spokesman Jason Cook said Friday, stressing that the president has made no promises about the future of the program.

"She is committed to beginning a dialog about the program: past, present and future."

The university scrapped its journalism department and accompanying degree in 2004, citing, among other factors, that it didn't have enough money to bring the program up to par.

The Journalism Studies program was designed to fill the void left by the elimination, officials said. It allows students to minor in the program, which includes internships, as well as a mentorship program with working journalists.

Currently, 64 students are pursuing minors through Journalism Studies, which just finished its fourth year.

Randy Sumpter, associate communication professor and program coordinator, said he plans this year to begin the paperwork that could transform the minor program into a interdisciplinary major.

Other indirect routes to journalism education are available at A&M. Students can major in agricultural journalism or conduct graduate-level work in science and technology journalism through the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Meeting with Murano

Murano had only been in office a couple months when she met with three members of the Former Journalism Students Association, an alumni organization made up of many former students who have been advocates for journalism education at their alma mater.

Association President Sue Owen Whaley, the features copy chief at the Austin American-Statesman, was among the association members who met with Murano. Roy Bragg, writer at large for the San Antonio Express-News, and Loren Steffy, business columnist for the Houston Chronicle, also attended. Both are past presidents of FJSA.

The trio went into the meeting with the simple plan of explaining to Murano the importance of having a journalism major at Texas A&M.

"I think everybody in FJSA has sort of different hopes and wishes. We're not demanding anything in particular. Most of us miss the days when A&M had a journalism department, and we think it's a huge loss," Whaley said. "We think it's a loss the university will feel for years and decades to come. We want to work to help journalism education at A&M and expand that however we can."

Texas A&M is the only university in the Big 12 that doesn't offer journalism as a major -- a decision that likely pushes some students to other schools, Whaley said. Such an effect is a detriment to the tradition-rich university, which sometimes struggles with being misunderstood.

As an example, Whaley points to the 1999 Aggie bonfire collapse, which killed 12 and injured 27 more when the 2 million pound structure toppled in the early morning hours of Nov. 18.

A 1994 graduate, Whaley had worked on bonfire and knew what it was like to be on the stack at that time in the morning. Whaley, like fellow Aggie journalists across the country, spent much of that day simply trying to explain the century-old tradition to her newsroom, reporters covering the story and other editors.

Many didn't understand what had been going on or why the massive structure was being built on campus, much less why students would have been at the construction site so early in the morning. That impacts news coverage, she explained.

"We have a body of former students out there," Whaley said, pointing to Aggie journalists who were stationed at such papers as The New York Times, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman and the San Antonio Express-News, as well as television stations.

"A lot of them graduated when A&M had a journalism department. But that body of former students is gradually going to thin out and vanish."

An ongoing review process

Murano told the group she would solicit more information while meeting with each of A&M's colleges and other major units, which she said at the time would be the next step in her presidency. She had a briefing with the College of Liberal Arts the following month.

The meeting, Cook said, was informational in nature as Murano attempted to get a handle on the history of the department as well as a picture of the program's current status.

Though she hasn't been actively researching the issue since then, she has been continuing to get feedback from the academic community, as well as from current and former students.

"I'll be honest with you, it's a regular question that she is asked particularly from working journalists who interview her," Cook said. "As you know, she's had an extraordinary amount of media coverage because of her unique story. That's always a question journalists ask: What is the status of the journalism program at Texas A&M?"

Each time a journalist asks that question, Murano responds with a question of her own, asking every journalist for their feedback about the program, Cook said.

Whaley said she didn't have any expectations going into the meeting, so she was thrilled to hear Murano say that the "door was open."

The Former Journalism Student Association hasn't had any contact with Murano since the March meeting, but Whaley said she understands that the process will take some time.

In the meantime, the association that she heads is focused on recruiting former students and getting them back in touch with A&M. The group has an Aggie Journalists blog and more than 200 people now connected through the networking sites LinkedIn and Facebook.

Getting people reconnected helps to provide mentors for current students, which in turn supports the journalism program. Until a change is made, the Former Journalism Student Association will focus on helping to strengthen the program that currently is in place.

The group also scheduled a free reception Oct. 11 at the MSC Stark Galleries on campus, where members will induct a former student into a Hall of Honor.

The journalism minor

Sumpter said Friday that he felt the status of the program was "good." Since its inception, students have had the opportunity to participate in solid internships and be mentored by working journalists -- many Aggies, themselves -- who have been brought to campus as part of the Journalists in Residence program.

"I think that journalism education has reached a crossroads in this country," Sumpter said, explaining that many people are unsure of what to do next. "The most successful programs in the next five years not only will have resources, but they will have taken time to carefully think about what's going to happen next in journalism. That's key for journalism departments across the country and certainly not a point that's lost on me."

It is impossible to say how long such a review of the journalism program will take or what if any changes might be made, Cook said.

Decisions involved with creating a new major or reinstating an old one aren't made hastily, he said, and input must be gathered from a variety of areas including the A&M System Board of Regents and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Such a process could take up to a year or more and must involve the new provost, who will serve as a sort of chief academic officer for A&M. Discussions about the future of the journalism program ideally will take place as Vitter is developing an academic master plan for the campus, Cook said.

"It's going to be a road map type process charting out academically where Texas A&M is heading into the future in relation to Vision 2020," Cook said, explaining that the plan would serve as a guide for future hires, construction and planning.

Murano also is likely to lean on A&M's Communications Advisory Board, which serves as an advisory panel for the university's marketing and communications department and includes some members of the Former Journalism Student Association.

The president is scheduled to brief the board on the status of the program during a meeting in October.

• Holly Huffman's e-mail address is holly.huffman@theeagle.com.

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20 comment(s) found!

Posted by: Charles L. Jackson On: 8/13/2008

Comment Title: Murano reviewing journalism at A&M
You use the term "couple months" in the article. Couple is a noun in this sense, as are months. Couple is not an adjective--it is either a noun or a verb. It is always and properly "couple of months" as in "pair of dice," "host of reasons," etc., etc. An excellent article, by the way.

Posted by: Rowdy Yates On: 8/12/2008

Comment Title: j-school
While I disagree that good journalists come from other disciplines (by lines at Texas papers prove me out and broadcasters are really talking heads, not journalists)I do agree that it is embarrassing that we do not have a j-school. Maybe we can take some of the football ticket price $ and get one.

Posted by: On: 8/12/2008

Comment Title: Disgraceful
I agree with the comment below that a major university such as A&M has no big time journalism department is unbelievable. Hopefully, this will all work out in the near future.

Posted by: RJ On: 8/11/2008

Comment Title: Aggie Observer Is Right
When I was in grad school at A&M a few years ago, the decision was made by Gates to re-examine the journalism program, I think was the language of the explanation. I mean, after all, it was pretty bad. The Batt was sinking in quality and scores of good journalism internships were being taken by students from UNT, UT, and other schools closer to bigger cities in Texas. I have a friend who majored in journalism at UNT and he's now the assistant editor of a north texas paper and even he can tell you that A&M's department had problems with lack of funding, professional guidance, and other things. But, also, this did open a huge door for other students failing in their current majors to jump ship over to Journalism. But, to note, these students do it to Ag. Leadership, Development, and Ag. Ed alot more. I considered journalism but I just found the department substandard, without the right stuff to make it a competitive department. Besides, I've noted from personal observation that to be a good journalist its better to have a degree in a non-journalism major than with one. I've also heard that from other journalists I know. But, it should also be said that A&M is never going to be good at every thing academically. Every university has its good and bad departments. For example, anything ag related is usually pretty good at A&M, because, duh, it is the land grant school. But other degrees, such as geography, suck hard because they just can't compete with the more social science heavy schools. A&M needs to learn this, it can't be the best at everything. Sorry, but you just can't.

Posted by: Hal Ridley '75 On: 8/11/2008

Comment Title: Journalism
I believe that it is a disgrace that a university of A&M's stature does not have a major in this area.

Posted by: Prof On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: Indeed
A&M will never be recognized or respected as a great university until is excells in the "soft majors". The languages, humanities and disciplines that make The University of Texas and others truly respected. A&M loses its focus and allows the journalism department to die because it wants to be a trade school for the oil bidness. Bottom line: A&M needs to spend more money on developing itself into something other than a research school.

Posted by: On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: the point of the story
.....isn't about the weight of the bonfire. it's about A&M trying to become a better university and maybe one day have a recognized program like t.u., Texas Tech or North Texas.

Posted by: On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: Journalism Dept and Major Killed for Good Reasons
After repeated reviews over a ten year period, indicating a badly under-performing department, President Gates decided to kill the department. The faculty were supposedly journalists, but were not practicing their profession - virtually none were writing. The standards for student performance was very low. Due to the tenure system, about the only way to cure such a stable culture of incompetence is to close down the program. Given the repeated feedback to the department that it was in trouble, President Gates was completely justified in closing this department. Journalism is an important discipline and we should have a small, high quality program. We should move slowly, however, and start with a small number of high quality faculty and students - AFTER this small program is off to a good start for at least five years, then the re-establishment of a department can be evaluated.

Posted by: On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: Two Ton Stack of Logs??
Let me see now, over 7000 logs, with many of the bigger ones weighing a healthy fraction of a ton each, requiring tractors and cranes to move. Someone needs to check their math, must have been hundreds or thousands of tons. Where did this low number come from?

Posted by: Aggie Observer On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: You're blinded to reality, Infidel '91
To Infidel '91: I have not insulted all Texas A%M journalism graduates. There were indeed hard-working motivated students in the department, and that minority has done well in the profession despite the challenges they faced in their undergraduate days. The department was indeed overburdened by an enrollment that exceeded its ability to maintain accreditation standards. It is not as if aspiring journalists from all over the state were flocking to A&M. Instead, former business and engineering majors, who couldn't cut the mustard in their declared majors, looked for an avenue to a diploma and an Aggie Ring. They found it, unfortunately, in journalism, among other majors. Go back to the archives of The Eagle and The Battalion, read the statements from journalism professors and from the administration, and read the ACEJME accreditation reports. The truth should be obvious to you. If not, you're wearing a particularly opaque set of maroon blinders, a common malady around here.

Posted by: infidel '91 On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: RE: 2 tons?
"The approximately 7000 logs, many of the larger ones weighing half a ton each, would result in over a million tons... check your facts on the weight of the bonfire!" I think you need to check your math. One million tons divided by 7000 logs would mean each log weighed about 142 tons.

Posted by: infidel '91 On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: RE: you have completely missed the point
If I have missed the point, you've done nothing to enlighten me. What do your allegations about the old journalism program have to do with creating a new one? And now that you've insulted all of us with A&M journalism degrees, perhaps you can substantiate all your allegations by telling us how or from where you were able to make your observations.

Posted by: Aggie Observer On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: You have completely missed the point
Elimination of journalism had nothing to do with perceived conservative bias at Texas A&M, nor was it related to the kind of thinking that scrapped Bonfire. The Journalism Department had become refuge to hundreds of Aggies who came to A&M to major in engineering or business but who couldn't pass the tough math and science prerequisites. Instead of being told to leave Aggieland when they could not be admitted to upperclassman status in their original majors, A&M decided to take care of these "good Ags," find a way to get them a diploma and an Aggie Ring, and grant them admission to the Aggie Network. They ended up in journalism, a major they didn't care about and one in which they gave the minimum amount of effort. At one point a program designed for 400 students struggled to support an enrollment of 1,000--most of whom had no intention to make a career in the field. It was understaffed with regard to faculty and facilities, and in danger of losing its accreditation. This is the motivation behind the new General Studies degree, to take care of students who under perform but don't flunk out, and is part of a new lineup of "soft" majors, such as sports management, which athletes can use as a refuge in place of agricultural development and agricultural leadership. If journalism comes back, it should be a rigorous major limited to motivated students who want to work in print or broadcast media, or in advertising or public relations -- not as an expedient for some lazy legacy student to get his Aggie ring.

Posted by: On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title:
Liberal Arts will never be taken seriously at this close minded school. Let's get them talking about cows though and they'll never stop.

Posted by: On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title:
Was the program scrapped because it was considered a bastion of liberalism by the previous administration? Because the previous administration couldnt control the opinions in that department or felt resistance from them? Was it something really that petty? I cant believe it was 'money' as was stated, seems ludicrous. I liked a lot of what the previous administration did but scrapping the journalism major at a school the size of A&M was utterly ridiculous.

Posted by: Jay Goode '70 J-school grad On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: Re-start the J-School!
Gate's decision to trash can the J-school was DUMB! Now Aggies can continue to be defined by their opposition in the media.

Posted by: Sn On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: Whats next?
Journalism dept is now on President Murano's chopping block?

Posted by: ann On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title:
Oops. "stack OF two ton logs". Caught by my UT editor husband.

Posted by: ann On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: j-school
Should read "stack fo two ton logs". Must be an Aggie journalist. Seriously, it is embarassing to TAMU that North Texas, Texas State and UT completely dominate journalism circles. No Aggies in the field means that there is no real understanding of A&M out there, no connection with eith local or state-wide media outlets.

Posted by: On: 8/10/2008

Comment Title: 2 tons?
The approximately 7000 logs, many of the larger ones weighing half a ton each, would result in over a million tons... check your facts on the weight of the bonfire!