TCNJ and the state of New Jersey have approved the Journalism and Professional Writing Program (JPW) as a freestanding major.
Rather than a major track within the English Department in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the new JPW major will move into the School of the Arts and Communication for the 2016–17 academic year.
The change was announced to current JPW students earlier this week.
“JPW is, and always has been, an interdisciplinary major, so we will keep our close ties with English, as well as IMM and Communication Studies, among others,” says Donna Shaw, associate professor of English and coordinator of the JPW program. “Nothing will change in terms of our program, except that we will be able to offer [students] some additional enhancements.”
The switch, Shaw says, will allow access to resources offered by the interactive multimedia major, and the radio/TV/film track in communication studies—including the TV studio, which is slated to get $80,000 in new camera equipment. JPW faculty offices will be moved to the Art and Interactive Multimedia Building, where students will have better access to open labs and digital resources.
JPW majors will continue to be eligible for Sigma Tau Delta (the English Honor Society), but will also be eligible to join other groups such as Lambda Pi Eta (the communications honor society), and the Public Health Communication Club. JPW students will continue to participate in The Signal, the magazine club, and Her Campus.
—Emily W. Dodd ’03