I received the Carolina Communicator in the mail yesterday. Last night I read it from cover to cover. I am so proud to be an alumnus of the j-school. I was struck by the amount of work which obviously went into the restructuring of the school’s curriculum to keep up with the current world media culture. I wanted to thank you personally for your efforts in this area. It is keeping the school at the highest academic level I expect. I am sure it involves long days on your part. Thanks again… Susan Shenk, J-School Grad of 1994

Even though I’m graduating in May, I’m excited about the new curriculum. I’m glad the J-School is taking steps to train students for a world where media are converging. As a PR major, I also love the new strategic communication concentration. I’ll admit I’m a little jealous of the students who will be able to take advantage of it.

I don’t think the curriculum is perfect though - I wish it included a stronger business emphasis. As we’ve seen over the past years, the media industry is arriving at a new economic model, and it’s important for graduates from all sequences to understand the new financial reality.

I served as president of the campus magazine Blue & White, and I realized that financial understanding was key to the magazine’s survival. I also realized that very of my J-School colleagues understand how media outlets make money. They didn’t understand the ad sales process, editorial forecasting or why content should be marketable to an audience — things that are central to the financial well-being of a publication, online or off.

In the world of PR and advertising, the need for business understanding is even greater. To be successful, PR and advertising professionals are expected to deliver a return on investment to clients. The curriculum doesn’t spend much time explaining how to determine ROI or where PR and advertising fit within a greater business plan. Without that knowledge, students graduate with the ability to create public relations plans and ad campaigns but unable to determine if they mesh with the financial needs and expectations of clients.

As the J-School continues to move forward and find ways to improve the curriculum and students’ experience, I would love to see a partnership form between the J- and B-Schools. As the major professional schools, the students have a great deal in common and could benefit from cross-curricular exposure. I see great possibilities — things like joint lecture series, classes for both majors, and even joint support of student organizations that offer both journalism and business experience.

Thanks for reading and for striving to improve the curriculum. If you’d ever like student (or soon-to-be alumni) input on anything, I’d love to help.

All the best,

Kelly Giles
UNC-CH, class of 2009