Since 1987, Southeast Missouri State University's mass communication program -- which encompasses public relations, advertising, journalism, radio and video studies -- has been trying to get accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

On May 6, the department finally achieved that goal when the council voted to make it only the second in the state to achieve accreditation in all five fields.

Officials in the Department of Communication at Southeast said the status will help graduates in their job searches and help recruit new faculty and student talent.

"Students will be able to say they have graduated from one of two accredited programs in the state, the other being the University of Missouri" at Columbia, said interim chair Dr. Tom Draper. "It's going to be awhile before we find out if it will significantly help."

But Draper did say the experiences of other universities have shown the status does assist graduates in finding gainful employment.

Fewer than 20 schools nationwide are accredited in all five areas.

The accredited status was achieved largely through the results of former chair of the Department of Communication, Dr. R. Ferrell Ervin, who died Oct. 22 just nine days before the on-campus review was conducted by the accrediting council.

According to university reports, the head of the accreditation team called Southeast the "smoothest," "easiest" and "best organized" site the team reviewed in the past decade.

Southeast president Dr. Ken Dobbins said the university has the goal of getting every accreditation it can. Mass communication was one of two it was missing before this approval, the other being computer science.

A reaccreditation review will be conducted in six years.

Dr. Stuart Towns, who has been chair of the communication department at Appalachian State University in North Carolina since 2000, will take over as chair at Southeast July 1.

msanders@semissourian.com

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