CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- On July 1, SIU Carbondale will launch a new college that combines communications, mass media, fine and performing arts.
The College of Arts and media consists of six academic units in both undergraduate and graduate levels:
- School of Architecture
- School of Art and Design
- School of Journalism
- School of Media Arts
- School of Music
- Department of Theatre
Interdisciplinary graduate programs for the School of Journalism and the School of Media Arts will be administered at the college level.
About 760 students will be enrolled within the college, said Meera Komarraju, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.
“It is exciting to form a new college that brings together highly visible programs with renowned and talented faculty,� she said. “This college provides a chance to imagine offering a variety of hands-on and professional experiences that would attract graduate and undergraduate students. It provides a valuable opportunity for developing innovative and interdisciplinary programs and for generating research and creative synergies.�
Komarraju expects the college will bring together “all of the creative fields to become the model for interdisciplinary education and gain regional, national and international recognition.�
Komarraju also announced the appointment of Olusegun A. Ojewuyi, a professor in the Department of Theater, as the new college’s interim dean. The appointment is also effective July 1, pending approval by the SIU Board of Trustees later that month.
Ojewuyi has been with SIU Carbondale since 2004. He has been the theater department’s interim chair since 2019 and was Faculty Senate president from 2019 to 2020.
“I believe we must generate, where necessary, new courses and curricula that probe beyond the usual Euro-Western tropes and provide our graduates with the fundamental creative and critical skills for productive and rewarding careers in the 21st century and beyond,� he said. “We must pitch these innovative strategies for students and faculty who come with diverse local and global experiential representations.�
Ojewuyi said he also plans to be involved in another critical aspect for the college by leading a “strong fundraising campaign to provide the resources � human and material that the college needs to be competitive.�
