Rec'd with a technical glitch.  --gw

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2012 14:33:44 -0400
From: Claire McInerney <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: MLIS program reallignment at St. Catherine's University (fwd)

In response to Bernie Sloan's posting that cites the library juice
announcement about St. Kate's aligning with the business school (and
mentioning Rutgers University)  http://libraryjuicepress.com/blog/?p=3481 :

By means of clarification, the Library and Information Science
Department at Rutgers was not folded into another department but joined
with the Department of Communication and the Department of Journalism
and Media Studies in 1982 to form a new school. In some universities the
size and nature of this merger would be considered forming  a new
'college.' The learning community, now known as the School of
Communication & Information (SC&I), shares a commitment to intellectual
freedom, freedom of speech and the protection of creative discourse and
cultural memory. With these common values our faculty believe that these
disciplines align quite naturally.

The synergies made possible by this kind of alignment can create a
stimulating environment for research and learning. The Rutgers SC&I
faculty have organized a collaborative and interdisciplinary PhD
program, a master's program in Communication and Information Studies,
and a cross disciplinary minor in Digital Communication, Information and
Media Studies as well as the MLIS and other programs. Students sometimes
see the world more organically than we do in higher education -- the
disciplinary silos we erect often don't make sense to them. They are
drawn to and  appreciate a school where faculty cooperate and build on
each others' expertise.

Making connections is much easier when the departments are in the same
school or college. Our faculty and students -- across departmental
boundaries -- are studying social media phenomena, health information
and communication, human computer interaction, knowledge creation and
learning, community interactions and many other common research
pursuits. In the near future we will be planning and implementing a
number of new cross disciplinary programs. Rutgers isn't alone in seeing
the strength and sense in collaborating rather than operating in
isolation. Other MLIS programs have joined with departments that share
core values to their advantage as well.

Cheers,
Claire McInerney

-- 
Claire McInerney
Associate Professor
Library & Information Science Department
School of Communication & Information
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
4 Huntington St.
New Brunswick, NJ 08904 USA
v +1 732-932-7500 ext. 8218
clairemc ?at? rutgers.edu

On 7/13/2012 7:17 PM, Gretchen Whitney wrote:
> Rec'd with a technical glitch.  --gw
> 
> Just wondering what folks on jESSE think of this recent announcement:
> 
> http://libraryjuicepress.com/blog/?p=3481
> 
> Bernie Sloan
> Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:31:15 -0400
> From: B.G. Sloan <[log in to unmask]>