FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2004

CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119, lisa.lacher@drake.edu

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

Drake University's Board of Trustees has 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 today.

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.