Comm. Arts dean silent on removal of director

As an undergrad student, I have to say that I disagree with these students that oppose the new dean because of her desire to add more research to the Journalism School.

First, if there is an academic activity that has to be pursued, it is research. Research is the most academic activity and being part of such large University involves a lot of research to support the academic programs and activities. For those students that are not well informed, research attracts a lot of funding which is used to support academic programs and attract more and better students and faculty. It also creates revenue resources from patents for the University. Also, I would add that there is not a better academic experience that research itself because it gives an academic perspective to real-world and professional issues.

Secondly, MSU is one of the top research institution in the US and the World. A lot, if not all, of the statements in my first point apply to MSU. As part of a large University, research provides invaluable funding for faculty and students at MSU. In fact, there is no better example than FRIB. Recently, MSU was chosen to be the location for the FRIB, an upgrade from the current NSCL. Well, FRIB will increase the amount of research funding that MSU receives for its faculty and students, it will improve the technology, and it will attract new faculty and better students. Right now, current undergrad students in physics are a testament of useful and insightful research is. MSU is expanding research opportunities for undergrad students and I consider the University to be in the forefront of that movement.

Third, research is essential to improve academic programs. In fact, it helps undergrad students. We all know that most research funding goes towards graduate students and faculty. Well, that is the way it is supposed to happen because grad students are the ones that pay most for tuition, spend more time in school, and contribute to faculty research. The goal of every academic program is to fulfill its open positions and spaces for graduate students (MA and PHD) due to the reasons I just stated. And, having a lot of graduate students increases selectivity for undergraduate programs which increases the quality for those undergrad students. Overall, grad students pay the most for tuition, they also get research funding, and contribute to essential faculty research while the undergrad student population is reduced and the undergrad academic programs are improved by better faculty, increased student:faculty, and more academic opportunities. In the ideal case everybody wins.

I understand that these students might feel threatened by new research decisions but this has to be done in every academic program at MSU to expand and improve them. Research should be every student’s goal. This extends beyond what I have explained here.

Either way…

GO GREEN! GO WHITE! GO STATE!

No, the students are protesting because Whitten is making drastic changes without explaining anything.The problem is mostly her silence,not what she wants to do. So far she’s demonstrating total disrespect for CAS students by refusing to talk with them or even hear their concerns. Hopefully Friday will yield some much-needed transparency from Whitten.

student,

You are WRONG!

Research is important, but only for certain subjects like science and social science. Students do not go to Journalism School to do research. They go to get job training and learn a skill. The hope is after they graduate they can get a job in any market and make a good living. This new Dean should know that! CUT IT OUT WHITTEN

This article says the faculty is ready to move on. Why can’t you journalism students and State News writers move on too? It says right there in the article that Whitten wants to move journalism towards a research-based curriculum. The only reason this is getting any sort of publicity, either through the State News, LSJ, or Detroit News is because journalism has a voice. The way the students are behaving is ridiculous. If I were Whitten, I wouldn’t want to talk to you either. All you are doing is whining, writing stories on no new information, marching into her office, and calling her AT HOME. Stop the drama already, and start showing Whitten some respect.

Excellence in research and teaching are not mutually exclusive processes. The MSU J-School has had a history of doing both well. This is as it should be at a research university.

Steve Lacy

Hey guys: Look up the definition of research and you will see it’s basically the same thing as reporting. The best reported stories are well-researched. Great journalists ARE great researchers, writing about facts based on real research. Period. Otherwise, you’re just blogging.

To student (1st post): Amen! Great thoughtful and detailed post. And you’re dead-on, too… Steve Lacy, who I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with, knows his stuff, too…

… on the other hand, ‘Response to Student’ is totally clueless.

Tenure and political independence is a lie. If you don’t toe the line of extreme Platonic socialism and a controlled press, you are ousted.

Actually DJ, tenure essentially does means they cannot oust you. Notice she lost her administrator position only(for which there is no tenure). She is, via tenure, unable to be forced from her teaching position. (merits of if thats good/bad is a different discussion)

Whether they wanted to remove her from that position or not is irrelevant as they’re unable to do so.

So, compared to every other job in America, that’s pretty iron clad protection if you ask me…

Why all these stories? Is this really that news-worthy? Does Briggs-Bunting have some sort of political pull with the State News that explains all this attention? The fact that a newly appointed administrator would restructure a department is not exactly surprising. Would similar attention be paid if this was some other academic department?

I agree with Annoyed Student. Move on.

I, a Journalism major, am quite tired with all of these articles concerning the new dean. Yes, she has been quiet and reserved since taking over and ridding Jane Briggs-Bunting of her position. But is it really necessary to update the saga every day? If nothing new has been said, is a front-page article required to explain that nothing has been said?

I say no. She will eventually come out after this onslaught dies down. I know it has been a slow summer, but updating on the same topic almost daily gets real old fast.

At the beginning of this fiasco, I sided with Briggs-Bunting because I am a Journalism major and I feel that she has done a decent job. But I’ve noticed that all the coverage for this makes Bunting out to be a victim.

We know that Whitten is staying silent to the media, which is a little disturbing because she is leading the Communcation Arts and Sciences, but she’s probably got an idea that’ll lead the Comm Arts college forward.

I bet once things cool down, she’ll be willing to talk. And Briggs-Bunting was a great director, but it’s time to move on.

By research-based, does she mean she wants to move the curriculum to statistical analysis like it is for the sciences and social sciences? I’m not quite sure how that would provide the innovative skills journalism grads need to save their dying profession…

I think that you could of worded this a little differently:
“I know it has been a slow summer, but updating on the same topic almost daily gets real old fast.” I mean, I am NOT a journalism student myself and I feel that you could of worded this more clearly.I am sure that you want to convey the proper message to your readers, don’t you agree?

Why did you delete my post?

“This article says the faculty is ready to move on. Why can’t you journalism students and State News writers move on too?”

Because she’s the head of the State News Board of Directors….?

I fail to see anything offensive here and the fact that you Deleted it because you didnt want to draw more attention to that fact is pretty poor journalism, even for this student newspaper. Shame on you.

If you’re as upset as I am, and want some accountability, follow me on twitter: http://bit.ly/A9GSV

I am wondering if it is wise for departmental/economic changes to be mandated by the College, as opposed to the departments being forced to make the cuts.

I would like to hear what others think on this . . .

(I see that the students are the one’s pushing this concern, but as a larger issue, i wonder if changes like this should be coming from departments or their colleges.)

@State News Editor Alum:

“Look up the definition of research and you will see it’s basically the same thing as reporting. The best reported stories are well-researched.”

In the academic context, “research” means academic research, with an emphasis on publishing peer-reviewed journal articles. The best reported studies ARE well-researched, but an emphasis on teaching students how to research would fall within a—wait for it!—TEACHING-BASED curriculum.

“Great journalists ARE great researchers, writing about facts based on real research. Period. Otherwise, you’re just blogging.”

I’m sympathetic to the concerns of the protesters here, becase the lack of communication from the new dean seems appalling. But if this kind of sheer stupidity is the prevailing mindset within the JRN department, it ABSOLUTELY is time for a change. You’re more interested in polemicizing new media than embracing it? If so, keep hanging your hat on being a former “State News Editor,” because the future clearly isn’t going to be kind to you, pal.

In the previous comment, I meant to write “articles,” not “studies.”

Huh. Is anyone happy with their Dean? Makes me wonder what they’re doing with our tax-payer’s money.

I cannot development a full opinion on the new Dean because I have not seen or heard her plans for the future. However I do consider her silence on the matter a complete lack of respect for the Comm Arts College, its students and faculty. She is now in charge of a college whos purpose is to communicate, something she has yet to do. Also I do agree with the fact that reporters are researchers but I think the point others are making is that Briggs-Bunting along with the J-school faculty set up a curriculum that as journalists already included research skills but was heading in the web-based direction. I think the real issue now is that one of the top J-Schools in the country is without a leader and its students without any sense of direction for the future.

She’s not commenting because legally she’s not allowed to by MSU. In any labor dispute the less you say the better. Even At Will employees have some leverage if you start listing reasons why they were removed (even legit ones) whereas if you just say they need to go, they have no legal ground to stand on.

Crappy because we deserve to know, sadly, thats not how it works.

But shouldn’t the dean of a college work for his/her constituents? “http://bit.ly/A9GSV”: http://bit.ly/A9GSV

Try again