Merger not on Trustees' August agenda

The Oct. 17-18 Board of Trustees meeting is the earliest a proposal concerning the merger of the departments of telecommunications and communication and culture and the School of Journalism will be ready for consideration, the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

College of Arts and Sciences and School of Journalism representatives will work on the new proposal and use a December 2012 merger proposal submitted to Provost Lauren Robel as a starting point.

The proposal was not ready for the Aug. 8-9 board meeting at IU Purdue University Indianapolis. If ready by fall, the proposal could be considered by the board at its October meeting on the Bloomington campus.

Lesa Hatley Major, journalism interim dean, said the new proposal will be both specific and flexible.

It will also be more in-depth than the recently completed Memorandum of Understanding, said Elisabeth Andrews, communications specialist in the Office of the Provost.

The MOU outlines safeguards and commitments between the College and the School of Journalism for if and when the merger is approved.

The recent proposal for the creation of the School of Global and International Studies is a good example of how the merger proposal will look, in terms of level of detail and type of information, she added. That proposal includes timelines, leadership structure and new degree listings.

Provost Robel and President Michael McRobbie will review the revised merger proposal before they submit it to the board.

Robel commissioned the December proposal now being used as a starting point. It’s findings were the result of months of work by a committee of faculty members from journalism, telecommunications and communication and culture that was formed as part of the New Academic Directions initiative.

The initiative aims to bring together administrative and academic leadership to “review and assess IU’s existing academic structures to ensure they are high-quality, efficient, effective, and aligned with IU’s teaching, research, and service missions,” according to the initiative’s website.

If the new proposal were approved, the MOU would go into effect. From there, at least three committees would begin work on key aspects of the new school, including space planning, academics and the legacy of journalist Ernie Pyle.

The October meeting will take place on the Bloomington campus. The following meeting is scheduled for Dec. 5-6 at IU East.