1992 – School Founded, Prof. Eddie Kuo named Dean 1993 – 1 st intake B. Comm. Studies (Hons) M. Comm. Studies M. Sc. Information Studies 1995 – PhD 1996 – M. Mass Comm – M. Sc. Knowledge Management 2006 – M. Sc. Information Systems Now – 700 undergraduates, 400 masters students, 40+ doctoral students WKW School Brief History

Initially, strong vocational orientation Majors aligned with media industries Journalism, electronic and broadcast media, public and promotional communication, communication research Many changes over the last 20 years Technology – analog to digital, the internet and convergence Work environment, within and across organizations Socio-political environment Changes in higher education function and focus Curriculum review Undergraduate Communication Education

Breadth vs. Depth (Specialist vs. Generalist) Skills training vs. Conceptual understanding Global vs. Local (and National vs. Regional) Pragmatism vs. Idealism Social Science vs. Humanities Significance of new technologies Significance of new socio-political contexts Big Themes in Communication Education

Supporting vs. subverting the status quo Innovation and Consolidation Many challenges – Even greater potential Need to make degree programs valuable at individual and macro-social level, economically valuable too Long-term view is essential Big Themes in Communication Education

1)Increase breadth, trade training for concepts 2)Expand understanding of narrative and its role in media & society 3)Exploit the crossroads (i.e., be in front of internationalization) 4)Get more visual! 5)Cross-platform training (e.g., Newsplex Asia) 6)Quantitative reasoning (e.g., working with big data in computational journalism, effective PR, media research) 7)Ethics & Professionalism Seven Recommendations

Acknowledge differences, look for commonalities Pursue shared interests, once they are defined Appeal to governments and foundations for support Niche areas likely to be more successful sooner Student achievement can drive initiatives Faculty development is also critical More to discuss… Implications for ASEAN Community