Category | News

Communication dept. moves to new heights

Published on February 8, 2007 by The Sentinel

   Since the new Social Sciences building opened this month, students have
been finding their way through the maze of rooms, corridors and
facilities.  But it may be the fifth floor of the building, where those
taking Media Studies, Public Relations and Organization Communication
dwell, that has been the greatest surprise. Dr. Birgit Wassmuth, chair of the Communication
department, expressed her appreciation for the patience displayed by
students when they arrived at the new production facilities only to
find some rooms not yet finished and long-awaited equipment not
initially operational or available. “The students have been fantastic, coping with the
changes and waiting expectantly until we were really operational,”
Wassmuth said.  Wassmuth’s assistant, Sara Tilbian, agreed. “Growing pains come with change,” she said. 

    The wait has been worth it, according to students
and faculty discovering and using the facilities on the top floor of
the building. Some of the major highlights of KSU’s new communication
facilities include the digital media lab packed with the latest
Macintosh desktops for exclusive use by communication majors. The Macs
are “bilingual” with icons to serve as either a Mac or a PC. 

    New software is being added, including “InDesign,” a
leading page layout program that is highly user-friendly, “Adobe
PhotoShop” and “Illustrator,” leading image-manipulation and graphics
programs.

    The lab also has a sound booth, professionally
equipped for doing voice-overs or sound editing, and a non-linear video
editing station with a broadcast “green screen” curved-wall background,
where students can do talking-head