More from Chair Mary Hoffman ...

It has been a busy year in the Department of Communication and Journalism. The noise and dust of the fall semester were all worth it when, in January we began using our long-awaited Communication and Journalism Center (CJC). In April, we officially opened the CJC with a reception for local alumni and media preceding the annual Ann Devroy Memorial Forum. Mr. Dan Balz, national political correspondent for The Washington Post was this year’s Devroy speaker. Please consider joining us for next year’s Forum on April 29, 2010.

During the year students have won awards for their work on The Spectator, on the television news program Update News, for the radio program Culture Talk and for their research work. They have also won literally hundreds of awards for their talents in public speaking and oral interpretation.

Looking ahead, department faculty are working to revise the curriculum of all six programs. Our goal is to fully integrate the technological changes in the field with the traditional skills and values that remain so important in the development of professionals in communication and journalism.

Many alumni already help us in ways that enhance the education of current CJ students at UW-Eau Claire. I invite those of you who have not yet had that opportunity to think about the many ways that you may be able to help current students become tomorrow’s journalism and communication professionals. I invite you to contact us if you would like to speak with students about your experiences, or help students with resume work or mock interviews. If you work in an organization that offers an internship, please let us know so that we can send current Blugolds to be mentored by alumni. If you get a chance to hire for an entry-level position, please send us a position announcement and consider a UW-Eau Claire CJ major for the job.