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Morgan State University President David Wilson today announced Morgan’s newest academic unit. The School of Global Journalism and Communication (SGJC) has received approval from the Morgan Board of Regents and will officially open its doors on July 1, 2013, becoming the ninth school to open at the University.
“It will be grounded in 21st Century journalistic technologies and curricula providing Morgan students with the necessary preparation to shape an ever-changing profession around the world,” said President Wilson.
Journalist DeWayne Wickham will lead the new school. Wickham, who is a columnist for USA Today newspaper, has won numerous journalism awards and is co-founder of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
“’I am very excited about the opportunity Morgan has given me to build a world-class mass communication program,” said Wickham. “Our students will get cutting edge training in the use of new technologies to gather and disseminate news and information – and will learn how to do this on the global stage that journalists and strategic communicators must navigate. For the students in our program, the future is now.”
In keeping with Morgan State University’s status as a public, doctoral research university focused on issues facing urban America, President Wilson also announced a new doctoral program at the university. The Ph.D. in transportation and urban infrastructure systems, which is awaiting final approval by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, will be Morgan’s 16th doctoral program, becoming a part of the School of Engineering with collaboration across a spectrum of disciplines. Students in the new doctoral program will be prepared for assisting urban centers around the country that are confronting infrastructure challenges now and in the future.
Finally, Dr. Wilson announced that the university will implement a December commencement ceremony for students who have met the criteria for graduation. Historically, those students had to wait until the following May to take the ceremonial march and walk across the commencement stage in graduation regalia. The change comes as a result of students responding to the idea advanced by President David Wilson on Facebook and voicing solid support for such a move. December 2013 is expected to be the start of this new Morgan tradition.
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie classified Doctoral Research Institution offering more than 80 academic programs from the baccalaureate to the doctorate degree. As Maryland’s public urban university, Morgan serves a multi-ethnic and multi-racial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information on Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
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