Announcing ASCCJ

Today, more than ever, communication is a critical part of American society. With the emergence of new communication channels, a growing distrust of traditional news, changes in the nature of degree-granting programs, and an increasingly fractured employment market, today’s communication graduates – and the academic institutions that serve them – are in need of focused attention and support. At all degree levels, schools of communication and journalism are challenged with meeting the management needs of large organizations while also evolving their faculty and coursework to match an ever-changing industry and advocating for an evidence-based approach to the profession.

To meet these challenges, ASCCJ was formed through a collaboration among schools and colleges of communication and journalism.  The organization is built on three pillars:

  • Working together, we believe can advance the fields of communication and journalism.
  • By advancing academic communication and journalism programs we, in turn, advance society.
  • To teach the next generation of communication professionals and journalists, we should foster excellence, evaluation, collaboration, diversity, and integrity within the fields.

 ASCCJ is a brand new organization and, as such, we’re working to refine our activities and focus areas. However, through our focus on collaboration, we’re pleased to announce that we intend to:

  • Advocate for the fields of communication and journalism and educate relevant stakeholders;
  • Facilitate discussions on potential changes and improvements to assessment, quality assurance, and accreditation of colleges and schools or selected academic program areas;
  • Encourage collaborative problem solving among academic peers;
  • Develop an internal communication network that allows sharing of information, including lessons learned, pilot innovations, and school-related data;
  • Establish shared directories of personnel who can work collaboratively; and
  • Showcase communication and journalism graduates to demonstrate the value of the field.

While collaboration among academic institutions in general may be beneficial, working together is particularly critical for large schools and colleges of communication and journalism because of the rapid shifts in technology, public perception, educational institutions, and the post-degree job market that the communication sector is experiencing today.  ASCCJ is designed to meet the specific needs of these large and diverse academic institutions. As such, currently our membership is limited to colleges and schools that:

  • Are led by a dean or director
  • Offer academic programs in two or more majors, departments, concentrations, and/or interest areas
  • Offer all three degrees (bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD)

 If your institution doesn’t meet these criteria, please watch for more information on future opportunities to join or partner with ASCCJ. We hope to expand our activities in the future.

Given the scale of our participating members, we believe we can collaborate on projects that will have a substantial impact on the nation overall. We look forward to working with all of our peer organizations and academic institutions to advance the fields of communication and journalism.