The University of Louisiana at Monroe’s Department of Communication has received a “facelift” over the last several months, including a refurbished production studio and a few new faculty.

Cass

College of Arts and Sciences Dean Jeffrey Cass said the aim was to integrate the department with the mission of the College in a way not previously done before, while increasing enrollment in spite of the challenging economic times.

“By revamping the program in convergent media, for example, we will be able to deliver an education that reinforces the impact of new media technologies,” said Cass.

“We believe the changes will better serve those students who are interested in the vast array of opportunities within the communications field,” he said.

Public radio station KEDM 90.3 FM and student operated KXUL 91.1, both housed on the ULM campus, will also see increased integration with each other and the department, according to Cass.

KXUL is now available online on the iTunes player, under the listings for College/University radio stations, while KEDM became the first radio station in northeast Louisiana to convert to high definition radio.

New faculty are Christopher Mapp, whose responsibilities will include the Chacahoula yearbook and The Hawkeye student newspaper; Dr. Peggy Bowers, ethics and law; and John Rodriguez, digital media and productions.

Two baccalaureate programs, communication studies and mass communication, are offered in the department, along with an interdisciplinary Master of Arts in Communication.