There is excitement in the Communications department of UT Martin as a fresh coat of paint has been added in the form of a new and improved name to better summarize what the department is all about.
The Communications department has been renamed The Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication, abbreviated as MMSC. This name change drops the “s” in “communications” as well as adds to the title to more accurately depict what students are learning while enrolled in the department’s classes.
Dr. Robert Nanney, department chair, is one of the many faculty members excited for the more appropriately revised name. “The ‘strategic communication’ part of the name reflects exciting new changes in the industry, which extends to how we strategically communicate with our target audience. The ‘mass media’ part of our name continues to value all forms of the mass media, which are the foundation for strategic communication.”
The name is new to the department, but the experience for students is the same. This name may give a better sense of understanding so that those unfamiliar with the department can get a better idea of what students achieve.
“We see the new name as a perfect blend of our foundation and our future. The neat thing is that it really reflects what we have already been doing.”
The process that the department underwent had been discussed for a while before the decision to change the name was finally made. “We have been discussing this change for the last year or two as we have monitored and discussed changes in our field with media professionals,” Nanney said. “The name change was the next step. We discussed it with our Advisory Board, which was fully supportive. A faculty subcommittee researched names of other programs across the country going through similar changes, and we as a faculty chose this name.”
Outside of changing the name of the department, there are other exciting changes that await the department. Nanney included, “We are in the process of a significant change in our curriculum, which we are confident will excite our current and future students. We’ll provide more information as that evolves.”
Nanney closed by expressing his enthusiasm for the new changes to the department and what he sees as a launchpad for bigger and brighter things to come. “These are exciting days in our department, which for almost 45 years has been on the cutting edge of the media and prepared about 1,000 students for the workforce. This change in our name and curriculum further ensures that we have the vision, resources and excellent faculty and students to continue to do so well into this century.”
