Comm department not feeling the love
Tara Wellman
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Opinion
The communications industry is changing all the time. And if we want to maintain our competitive advantage, we had better keep up.
The Quad Cities area is bursting with Ambrose grads in the media, like Dan Burich and Matt Randazzo from Channel 8, Ryhs Lovewell in public relations at the arsenal, and more recent graduates like Doug Green at the QC Times. But especially in this industry, image is nearly everything. Sure, the end product is great. But there is so much more we could be doing to stay at the forefront of the industry if we just had a few bucks to cash in on some new hardware.
Instead, properties around campus are purchased with great intentions for things to come. An $11.5 million health sciences building is under construction. The St. Vincent property is purchased, with no plans for use. All worthy prospects, but what about the facilities already in use?
The radio station, KALA, recently earned a grant, but TV-11 might get the meager leftovers while the newspaper office becomes a storage closet for unwanted junk.
Plus, area rivals Augustana College and Western Illinois University are stepping up their game. Augie is starting a media program. Western is expanding their Quad Cities campus. Ambrose is doing the same thing they've done for the last quarter of a century. Sound like a plan to continue attracting new students?
The "Ambrose Advantage" is the teachers, the opportunities, and the education. But the Ambrose impression - at least for the communications department - would benefit significantly from a little T-L-C.
The Quad Cities area is bursting with Ambrose grads in the media, like Dan Burich and Matt Randazzo from Channel 8, Ryhs Lovewell in public relations at the arsenal, and more recent graduates like Doug Green at the QC Times. But especially in this industry, image is nearly everything. Sure, the end product is great. But there is so much more we could be doing to stay at the forefront of the industry if we just had a few bucks to cash in on some new hardware.
Instead, properties around campus are purchased with great intentions for things to come. An $11.5 million health sciences building is under construction. The St. Vincent property is purchased, with no plans for use. All worthy prospects, but what about the facilities already in use?
The radio station, KALA, recently earned a grant, but TV-11 might get the meager leftovers while the newspaper office becomes a storage closet for unwanted junk.
Plus, area rivals Augustana College and Western Illinois University are stepping up their game. Augie is starting a media program. Western is expanding their Quad Cities campus. Ambrose is doing the same thing they've done for the last quarter of a century. Sound like a plan to continue attracting new students?
The "Ambrose Advantage" is the teachers, the opportunities, and the education. But the Ambrose impression - at least for the communications department - would benefit significantly from a little T-L-C.
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