Comm department not feeling the love

By: Tara Wellman

Posted: 2/4/10

First impressions are everything. Comparing schools is easy if you find a department that is impressive enough.
Imagine one tour leads down an old staircase to a basement that doesn't make much of a statement. It's just a basement. But the sign that says "TV studio" sparks visions of bright lights on the set of the 6:00 p.m. news.
Each professor seems filled with all the expertise a student could want. They show examples of award-winning newscasts, regionally broadcast basketball games, promos and commercials run on the school's cable channel, all produced in that very room.
Then, you go into the bathroom.
The ceiling tiles - the ones that are actually left in the ceiling - are crumbling from the water leaking through the pipes above.
The walls could use some paint. The carpet is ripped and stained. Most of the computers are only slightly newer than the original, 1960s versions. Some of them can hardly handle turning on, much less connecting to the Internet.
The tape decks, tripods and even the cameras have obviously been rebuilt, because they're older than nearly every senior on campus.
It doesn't matter anymore what kind of education the school offers. If they can't keep up with the basic housekeeping, they'll never keep up with ever-changing technology like a big university can.
It's time for a reality check. What SAU offers is larger than expensive equipment. The hands-on opportunities and the atmosphere are incomparable. The one-on-one attention can't be beat. And for students - and their parents - looking for those things, there's not much stopping that high school kid from setting his sights on SAU.
But for the faculty, staff and students who watch helplessly as cameras and editing software become outdated, basic structures like flooring and lighting remain unkempt, and other facilities - even many off campus - receive not only updates, but complete makeovers, it seems the communications department keeps getting the old, "red-headed stepchild" treatment.
The communications industry is changing all the time. And if we want to maintain our competitive advantage, we had better keep up.
The Quad Cities area is bursting with Ambrose grads in the media, like Dan Burich and Matt Randazzo from Channel 8, Ryhs Lovewell in public relations at the arsenal, and more recent graduates like Doug Green at the QC Times. But especially in this industry, image is nearly everything. Sure, the end product is great. But there is so much more we could be doing to stay at the forefront of the industry if we just had a few bucks to cash in on some new hardware.
Instead, properties around campus are purchased with great intentions for things to come. An $11.5 million health sciences building is under construction. The St. Vincent property is purchased, with no plans for use. All worthy prospects, but what about the facilities already in use?
The radio station, KALA, recently earned a grant, but TV-11 might get the meager leftovers while the newspaper office becomes a storage closet for unwanted junk.
Plus, area rivals Augustana College and Western Illinois University are stepping up their game. Augie is starting a media program. Western is expanding their Quad Cities campus. Ambrose is doing the same thing they've done for the last quarter of a century. Sound like a plan to continue attracting new students?
The "Ambrose Advantage" is the teachers, the opportunities, and the education. But the Ambrose impression - at least for the communications department - would benefit significantly from a little T-L-C.