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Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State 2018 Accreditation

Part I – General Information

Students studying

Standard 1 – Mission, Governance and Administration

Executive Summary

  • The Bellisario College’s mission statement is contemporary and comprehensive. It aligns with the College’s strategic plan, which supports the University’s mission and goals. Five-year strategic plans are required for all units at Penn State, along with annual progress reports. The College is nearing the end of its 2014-19 plan. The College is also actively engaged in the University’s overall plan, which runs until 2020.
  • Bellisario College and University guidelines are used for shared governance between administrators and faculty members. Faculty oversight of educational policy and curriculum takes place through academic departments and a robust committee structure. Faculty members are engaged at the University level in the Faculty Senate and Graduate Council, the two primary bodies for policy and curriculum at the University level.
  • The Bellisario College’s organizational chart shows its administrative structure, which includes a dean, associate and assistant deans, and department and program heads. The current dean, who joined the College in 2003 as a tenure-track faculty member and then moved to a series of administrative roles in 2007, began her tenure in July 2014. She and others work closely with administrators across the University and with external constituencies in support of the College’s goals.
  • The process for selecting and evaluating administrators is guided by University policy.
  • The Bellisario College adheres to University policies and procedures that outline the avenues for faculty, staff, and students to express their concerns and have those concerns addressed.

Links and appendices for Standard 1

Students studying

Standard 2 – Curriculum and Instruction

Executive Summary

  • The Bellisario College offers five undergraduate degrees in residence: Advertising/Public Relations, Film-Video, Journalism, Media Studies and Telecommunications. It also offers two online degrees, Digital Journalism and Media as well as Strategic Communications.
  • The University’s requirement for bachelor of arts degrees enables the Bellisario College to comply with the 72-credit rule for students earning a B.A. Ninety-eight to 99 percent of students graduating in the last two years have complied with the rule.
  • ACEJMC’s 12 professional values and competencies are the foundation of the Bellisario College’s annual Student Learning Assessment program. The assessment program provides the mechanism for making quality improvement in the curricula.
  • The Bellisario College’s faculty stay up to date with the digital media competencies needed by students. The departments consult with professionals when creating new courses and revising their curricula.
  • Department heads work with the faculty to ensure there is consistency in courses with multiple sections, including similar readings, assignments, learning modules, classroom activities, and final projects.
  • The Office of Internships and Career Placement carefully selects internship sites and monitors the work of students to ensure they are having a worthwhile internship experience.

Links and appendices for Standard 2

Students on Carnegie Building Steps

Standard 3 – Diversity and Inclusiveness

Executive Summary

  • The Bellisario College’s diversity plan is embedded in its 2014-2019 Strategic Plan. The College’s diversity objectives are regularly reviewed and guides the College’s priorities. A Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Excellence, drafted by the College’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion and adopted by all departments and programs, defines diversity and articulates the College’s values.
  • The Bellisario College infuses diversity throughout its academic programs, with diversity-related material in many required courses and general-education courses that serve the University. Recent graduates indicate that their experience in the College has increased their understanding of the importance of diversity-related issues.
  • The Bellisario College continues to diversify its faculty ranks; is led by a highly diverse executive team; and has launched innovative programs to encourage a more diverse culture among faculty and staff. The College also brings in a strong slate of diverse speakers and alumni each year to interact with and inspire students.
  • The Bellisario College has an outstanding – and constantly improving – track record of recruiting, retaining and graduating students from underrepresented groups. It has one of the most diverse student populations at the University, served by a vibrant, visible Office of Diversity & Inclusion.
  • The Bellisario College is an active, contributing part of a University committed to providing an “All In” environment that values inclusivity. Its Office of Diversity & Inclusion enjoys a strong reputation and has been noted for its student services and events that are open to the campus community.

Links and appendices for Standard 3

Faculty talking to students

Standard 4 – Full-Time and Part-Time/Adjunct Faculty

Executive Summary

  • The Bellisario College’s faculty have a strong blend of academic and professional credentials. More than half hold terminal degrees (Ph.D., M.F.A, and J.D.) and more than half have worked in media-related professions.
  • The Bellisario College follows the University’s guidelines for hiring full- and part-time faculty, as well as instructional staff.
  • Tenured and tenure-track faculty are expected to be productive in teaching, research/creative activities, and service. Fixed-term faculty are expected to teach and provide service.
  • The Bellisario College conducts an orientation for all new part- and full-time faculty members. Faculty are encouraged to take part in teaching workshops offered by Penn State’s Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence.
  • Tenured and tenure-track faculty teach two courses a semester. Fixed-term faculty members teach three courses a semester. All full-time faculty are evaluated annually.
  • Since the last review, two faculty members have won university-wide teaching awards. Other faculty members have been recognized by the University’s Honors College for outstanding teaching, and another has won an international association award for mentorship of students and junior faculty.

Links and appendices for Standard 4

Faculty on stage at TED/X Conference

Standard 5 – Scholarship: Research, Creative and Professional Activity

Executive Summary

  • The Bellisario College, as part of a research-intensive (Carnegie Classification R1), land-grant university, provides a robust environment for research, creative, and professional activity. It requires such activity through its hiring practices and its tenure and promotion guidelines, including those for fixed-term faculty members. It supports such activity through its centers and institutes and year-round financial support for faculty members. It also rewards its most productive faculty members through annual awards, appointment of chairs and professorships, and other forms of recognition.
  • The Bellisario College’s strategic plan emphasizes impact and engagement for the scholarly activities of its faculty. Methodological and theoretical “cross-pollination” is part of the ethos, as faculty members share their work and collaborate across programs and departments and with colleagues across the University.
  • Faculty members are expected to contribute to the University’s mission and can do so through a number of venues that draw on their experience, expertise, skills and interests. As its guidelines for promotion and tenure point out, “some faculty members in the Bellisario College may publish academically exclusively, and other may, exclusively, do creative projects and/or publish journalistically or in persuasive communications. Yet others may present a mix of academic and professional work for consideration.” Thus, all faculty can (and should) contribute. The College prides itself on the breadth and depth of its contributions to academic disciplines and professional fields.
  • Bellisario College faculty are a highly visible presence across the disciplines and professions. They share their work in an array of venues – including in top-tier, peer-reviewed journals, books, digital outlets, and juried film festivals. They also share their expertise at scholarly and professional associations meetings -- including ICA, NCA, and AEJMC. Faculty members have been recognized by major associations and publications for their high impact on the communications fields.

Links and appendices for Standard 5

Faculty on stage at TED/X Conference

Standard 6 – Student Services

Executive Summary

  • The Bellisario College has steadily increased the amount and number of scholarships it provides annually. The College awarded approximately $1 million in scholarships to 483 students in 2017-2018, an increase over the approximately $920,000 awarded to 447 students the year before. The median individual scholarship in 2017-2018 was $1,980, an increase over the $1,750 median scholarship the year before.
  • The Bellisario College’s Office of Academic Services advises students about course scheduling, as well as degree and graduation requirements through personal contact and electronic communication. Advisers are diligent about ensuring the College is in compliance with the 72-credit rule.
  • The success of the Bellisario College’s advising efforts is reflected in the outstanding four-year graduation rate. Nonetheless, the office is constantly evaluating its services and has taken steps to better advise students, including increasing the weekly contact hours each advisor has with students. The College has also increased its number of advisors since the last site visit although the number of majors in the College has not increased.
  • A wide array of student media, student professional organizations and other extra-curricular activities are provided by the Bellisario College and the University. The College and University also support ideas that students have for starting their own media organizations.
  • The Bellisario College’s three-member Office of Internships and Career Placement provides career counseling and employment assistance. The staff hold individual meetings and group sessions with students. The office also puts on three communications career fairs annually.
  • The Bellisario College’s enrollment held steady at about 2,700 students from 2014-2017. The first-year retention rate for the College’s entering class of 2016 was 93.4 percent, compared to 92.7 percent for all students at University Park. The College’s four-year graduation rate for students entering in 2013 was 82.1 percent – second only to the College of Nursing – compared to 68.3 percent rate for all students at University Park.

Links and appendices for Standard 6

Faculty on stage at TED/X Conference

Standard 7 – Resources, Facilities and Equipment

Executive Summary

  • The Bellisario College has traditionally tied its budget and resources to its strategic plan, investing in initiatives designed to meet its goals in teaching, research and outreach.
  • The Bellisario College receives adequate funding from the University and incentives to produce revenue. It has enjoyed strong additional investment from the institution in recent years for its initiatives in Science Communication, CommAgency, its graduate program and – most significantly – in its planned media center, to open in 2020.
  • The Bellisario College’s facilities serve its students, faculty and staff in teaching and learning and in research. The College is planning a major upgrade and consolidation of its labs, studios and programs in a new media center, to open in fall 2020.
  • Faculty and students have access to equipment and technology at one of two Bellisario College equipment rooms or through the University’s media services. An equipment committee, made up of faculty and staff, make recommendations to the dean about expenditures.
  • Students and faculty have access to outstanding digital resources for teaching, learning, and research. Many of these resources are centrally supported through Penn State Libraries. The Bellisario College has a dedicated librarian who visits classes, supports faculty and students, and regularly hosts “drop-in” hours in Carnegie to answer questions about library resources.

Links and appendices for Standard 7

Faculty on stage at TED/X Conference

Standard 8 – Professional and Public Service

Executive Summary

  • The Bellisario College holds several endowed lectures annually; it celebrates African-American Heritage month and Native American culture; and it sponsors awards for media criticism and for coverage of youth sports.
  • Faculty members in the Bellisario College are engaged in numerous professional and public service activities at all levels.
  • The Bellisario College has regular contact with alumni and professionals to help keep its curriculum current. Alumni and professionals serve on advisory boards, assist with student learning assessment, and help secure internships.
  • The Bellisario College communicates with alumni across a variety of print and electronic platforms throughout the year.
  • The Bellisario College assists scholastic journalism by holding three high school workshops, hosting the state scholastic press association competition, and co-sponsoring a summer multimedia workshop.

Links and appendices for Standard 8

Faculty on stage at TED/X Conference

Standard 9 – Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Executive Summary

  • The Bellisario College has a comprehensive plan for assessment of student learning outcomes. The plan, which has been approved by the University, was updated in Spring 2018.
  • The Bellisario College’s goals for student learning are based on the ACEJMC values and competencies.
  • The Bellisario College uses multiple direct and indirect measures in its analysis of data to assess curriculum and instruction. Student learning assessment in the College is conducted annually and managed by the Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Education and the Coordinator for Undergraduate Education.
  • Working professionals, including alumni, assist with student learning assessment by annually evaluating samples of student work and then meeting with the Bellisario College’s Assessment Advisory Committee to discuss their findings.
  • The Bellisario College’s students consistently excel in local, regional and national competitions.
  • The Bellisario College uses various means to track its graduates in order to assess their professional experience and improve student instruction.

Links and appendices for Standard 9