DRAKE UNIVERSITY CREATES NEW SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION
TO EXPAND STUDENT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Drake University's Board of Trustees today approved the creation of a
joint venture--the School of Management and Communication (SMC)--which is a collaborative initiative of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) and the College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA), Drake Board of Trustees Chair David Miles and Drake President David Maxwell
announced on August 18th, 2004.

Drake's trustees endorsed the new administrative structure and
charged the faculty of both academic units with developing new courses and collaborative programs that will be implemented in the fall of 2005. This initiative is a response to the University's ongoing dialogue with
students, parents, faculty and alumni about strategies to better prepare
Drake students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments and responsible global citizenship. It is also a direct response to the mandate of the University's planning process over the past 5 years, which emphasizes the vital importance of integrated, interdisciplinary study.

"The purpose of this new initiative is to create the structure and
the mandate for development of innovative academic programs that meet
the learning needs of our students into the future and prepare them
to contribute to Central Iowa and the nation," said Miles, a Drake
graduate and managing partner of the Chicago-based Miles Group.

"Real-world issues aren't neatly divided into academic disciplines,"
President Maxwell said. "The School of Management and Communication
will facilitate the creation of a broad range of learning experiences for
our students that will better prepare them to deal with the complexity and
ambiguity of issues that will confront them in their professional and
personal lives."

Charles Edwards, current dean of the SJMC and CBPA and former president and publisher of The Des Moines Register, will serve as the first dean of the
School of Management and Communication.

"The primary reason for establishing the School of Management and
Communication as a joint venture is the development of educational
and outreach programs that are beyond the capacity of either school
individually, but which have significant benefits for all students,"
Edwards said.

Edwards noted that the School of Journalism and Mass Communication
and the College of Business and Public Administration will continue
to operate independently with respect to degree requirements,
curriculum and faculty governance.