Abstract
Describing a departmental survival effort at SUNY Albany, this case study recounts how the Department of Rhetoric and Communication responded when administrators considered dissolving it and redistributing faculty into other units. The account identifies several sources of vulnerability, including understaffing, faculty turnover, heavy enrollments, uncertain disciplinary fit within the humanities, and limited understanding of communication by campus colleagues. It also explains how student response, support from key administrators, faculty unity, strategic documentation, and a university wide study committee helped preserve the department. The case concludes with lessons about resource allocation, administrative location, collective faculty action, and the importance of building political relationships across the university.
Recommended Citation
Kendall, Kathleen E.
(1983)
"Saving Communication at SUNY, Albany,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 46, Article 16.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol46/iss1/16
