After a probationary period of two years, the Department of Mass Media at Southeast Missouri State University has unanimously been deemed "reaccredited" by the Accrediting Council on Journalism and Mass Communication.

"It's official," said Dr. Jack Zibluk, department chairman. "We've received the seal of approval."

Zibluk said the decision to reaccredit the department was made Friday during a meeting of the council in Phoenix. The council, which evaluates professional journalism and mass communications programs in colleges and universities, recommended reaccreditation by a 22-0 vote.

"The council is made up of professionals and academics from the world of mass communication," Zibluk said. "They don't take accrediting a department lightly."

According to Zibluk, the department was commended for its curriculum and the efforts of new departmental leadership, which were the areas the department needed to show improvement after it lost its "accredited" status in 2010.

"The department was first accredited in 2004 under the leadership of Dr. Ferrell Ervin, the former head of the department," Zibluk said. "But when he died, there was instability caused by a lack of leadership and resignations. There were also concerns about whether students were learning anything from the curriculum. The council noted the deficiencies and put us on probation, giving us two years to fix our problems."

Zibluk said the department worked diligently to regain its accredited status, and in January an evaluation team arrived on campus to gauge their progress.

"They said the department is in its best shape in 10 years," he said. "We're on a path to do even better."

Dr. Will Norton Jr., dean of the Meek School of Journalism at the University of Mississippi and chairman of the accrediting council, said he was impressed with the improvement made by the Department of Mass Media.

"The department is staffed by folks with a vision and dedication for hard work," Norton said. "I think its future is looking good."

Dr. Kenneth Dobbins, president of Southeast, also believes the department has a bright future.

"When you consider that the University of Missouri's School of Journalism is the only other media department in the state to be accredited, it shows you the quality of the faculty and academic programs in the Department of Mass Media," Dobbins said.

The Department of Mass Media serves 475 students, making it the largest department in Southeast's College of Liberal Arts. The department offers bachelor of science degrees in advertising, public relations, multimedia journalism and television/film. The department also oversees the campus radio stations -- KDMC Rage 103.7 and KRCU 90.9 -- and the student newspaper, The Arrow.

"We have so much to offer," Zibluk said. "But we're doing it to make sure that students receive the best education possible for the money they are paying. We want to give them bang for the buck."

klewis@semissourian.com

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