Abstract
Focused on the University of Massachusetts Amherst, this case study recounts how a long range planning process initially recommended terminating the Department of Communication Studies as an independent unit. The account traces the department’s movement from being targeted for dissolution to being removed from later lists of heavily affected majors, while noting continued uncertainty about administrative reasoning. It identifies vulnerabilities involving disciplinary misunderstanding, uneven fit within social sciences, nonpublishing faculty, resource scarcity, high undergraduate demand, and overcrowded courses. The department defended itself by arguing for intellectual coherence, teaching and research quality, student demand, and the distinctiveness of mass communication from journalism. The case underscores the risks of review by committees unfamiliar with communication studies.
Recommended Citation
Savereid, Jay
(1983)
"Communication Studies at the University of Massachusetts,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 46, Article 18.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol46/iss1/18
