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The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Task force to evaluate SMPA

A task force is assessing strengths and weaknesses of the School of Media and Public Affairs until December in an effort to improve the school and University-wide academics.

The effort is part of GW’s continued plan to “achieve our goal to move the University into the group of top-tier institutions,” said Donald Lehman, executive vice president for Academic Affairs.

In order to accomplish its goal, the committee will determine “particular strengths that should be developed to a higher level” and make suggestions accordingly, Lehman said.

The committee is chaired by political science professor Lee Sigelman and includes prominent media professionals, political experts and three GW faculty members.

“We’re not necessarily going to review every little thing about the curriculum,” said Patricia Phalen, an associate professor of Media and Public Affairs and a member of the committee. “We’re looking at the larger picture.”

The administration asked the committee to deliver a report of its findings by mid-December, Sigelman said. Four meetings have been scheduled, one of which was held since the committee formed in October. Sigelman said the first meeting was a very “preliminary discussion” to familiarize the external members of the committee with the school.

The committee can only make recommendations and suggestions because the decision to make changes is ultimately the universitys.

Lehman said he will review the report with University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Dean William Frawley and SMPA Interim Director Albert May.

ABC News Washington Bureau Chief Robin Sproul, Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution and Chris Schroeder, chief executive officer and publisher of Washington Post Newsweek Interactive are among the external committee members. Officials said the experts will give advice and unbiased, outside scrutiny.

“The committee was chosen on the basis of getting a very broad outside representation from the media community,” Lehman said.

“We’ve been given a lot of latitude to make recommendations,” said committee member Berl Brechner, owner and operator of two ABC affiliates and a member of The Hatchet’s Board of Directors. “No one has put any constraints or limitations on us, and that’s great.”

Eight of the committee members are prominent media professionals while three are members of the SMPA faculty. One faculty member represents each of the school’s disciplines – electronic media, journalism and political communication.

The SMPA has established in 1995; from 1990 to 1995 the school was called the National Center of Communication Studies.

“We are studying the external environment to make sure that SMPA will prepare students well for their future careers,” Phalen said. “A lot of the people on the taskforce are in the kinds of organizations students want to work for … The taskforce is made up of people with a lot of experience who can help us understand the external environment better.”

The SMPA is also seeking a new chair in the spring to replace the former director, Jean Folkert, who left her post in July. Phalen said the committee’s recommendations will impact the selection of a new director.

“We’ve been asked to write the position description for the new (director) of SMPA, and that description will be influenced by what we recommend for the school as a whole,” Phalen said.

Sigelman asked SMPA faculty to give their input to the taskforce. Mark Feldstein, an associate professor of Media and Public Affairs who is not on the committee, said questions regarding the study of journalism will invariably arise during the committee’s research. For instance, he said, the committee might study whether the school should focus on practical issues, such as video editing, production and fieldwork, or academic issues, such as media theory. He said he also predicts the committee will discuss how to keep SMPA students updated with the latest technology.

Although there are no students on the taskforce because officials are focusing on “trying to get an external review,” Lehman said he is sure “the committee will ask for the input of students” in the future.

Phalen asked her students to give her insight on how the school can improve. She said it is important that the taskforce considers students’ opinions.

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