The proposed change would not have an impact on classes, personnel, facilities, or equipment, except where changes in faculty governance are anticipated. The Committee recommends a movement toward the establishment of discipline-based departments in the College of Fine Arts and Humanities. The change from Divisions to Departments of Foreign Languages, Music, and Visual Arts is primarily a change in name, though a change in faculty governance is anticipated. The excessive size of ECPC has also made it difficult for each program to have a distinct local, regional, and national identity. The focus of the instruction and research in Communication is markedly different than in the other disciplines in the Division.
Communication is one of the fastest growing majors on campus.
A separate Department of Communication will allow more efficient program management and more effective quality control of student services and curriculum, including a planned Master's degree. There is unanimous support for establishing Communication as an autonomous unit by Communication faculty, the ECPC Division Director, the Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Humanities, and unequivocal support by other ECPC faculty. Responses to the Restructuring Survey posted on the web and the results from additional inquiries to faculty illustrate that there is widespread interest and support for a move toward a departmental structure. This interest was mitigated by concern from ECPC faculty for the continued well-being of smaller units, such as Classics and Philosophy, which are not large enough to stand alone. An important exception to this will be the newly established Department of Communication.