Lauren Kastner | Sept. 19, 2011
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| Photo by Kate Moller |
| From left, a mini reunion of the school photojournalism family chatted before the centennial brunch. From left are associate professor Jim Kelly, professor Claude Cookman, Vivian Counts, and Lois and John Ahlhauser. |
While the weekend was all about the school’s legacy and history, Hamm talked about future challenges.
“There are these great eras, and every 20 years we have this conversation about what to do,” Hamm said, recalling a former professor who explained that the invention of radio in the 1920s was thought to be the death knell for newspapers, that TV introduced in the 1940s was sure to kill radio, and now, digital communication may be the end of all three.
Yet, Hamm said, he’s never been more hopeful about journalism’s future. Focusing on what the school does well and encouraging alumni to bring their ideas to the table are key, he said. He encouraged the visiting alumni to continue sharing research, internships and job opportunities with current students and fellow alumni.
“If you consider that we only have 45 hours with our students in the classroom, what happens outside of the classroom is essential,” he said of the hours in class the average students spends on his or her journalism major.
IU Alumni Association Executive Director J.T. Forbes echoed Hamm’s remarks by encouraging alumni to participate in the current affairs of the School of Journalism.
“IU is top-ranked not only in the funds that we raise, but in the knowledge and expertise that alumni bring back,” Forbes said.
While state budget cutbacks are affecting all state schools and programs, the School of Journalism continues to support the Journalism Experiences program that makes it unique. The Speaker Series brings top journalists to campus, the Honors Program of Ernie Pyle Scholars and others attract top students, and travel courses take students all over the world. According to Hamm, the School of Journalism has the highest rate of international experiences on campus and has pledged to underwrite 50 percent of the cost of the trips for any journalism student.
Still, Hamm said problems have to be solved. Ernie Pyle Hall is too small for the student numbers, classes and programs, “about half the size we need,” he said. Also, he noted that the school would see a dramatic turnover of expertise because two-thirds of the current faculty have retired or will retire within a 10-year period.
And IU is looking at new academic directions on campus, ways to change structures of schools and departments to capitalize on what each does well while also avoiding duplications. This could mean that journalism and telecommunications, for example, could combine in some way.
“Looking forward, the things we need to solve together are space, funding and structure,” Hamm said.
Hamm called on alumni to provide input and support the School of Journalism with upcoming projects.
“If we have the people of our 10,000 alumni working together with faculty and students, this could be one of the School of Journalism’s most remarkable eras,” he said.
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