Communications department gets new chair

Posted by admin on Sep 22, 2009 in Back Issues, News, Volume 14 Issue 1 | 0 comments

Dr. Kevin Schut is now the chair of communications, a position that originated in 1989 and was held for 20 years by Dr. Bill Strom. Schut will be the second candidate at TWU to fill the title.

According to Schut, it is common in most schools to have the chair of a department rotated every three or four years. “We’re unusual in the sense that we get a chair and they just stay forever,” said Schut.

Schut’s new role enables him to shape the direction of the department. He plans to develop career preparation, bolster community within the department, and offer more experiential courses.

“We’re going to be working hard on beefing up our department’s preparation of our graduates for professional life,” said Schut. “We’re also going to try and find more opportunities to bring in professionals to talk about career options for communications graduates.”

Schut’s duties include representing the department, creating course schedules, participating on advisory boards, being responsible for the Communications Student Association, and dealing with complaints from students.

In addition to chairing the department, Schut will continue in his sixth year of teaching at TWU, offering media studies and production type courses.