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Trying to find right blend of academics and social life |
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Imagine living in the same residence hall as people in your Introduction to Mass Communication class. Two years ago, 64 students did that and joined the CCI Commons, short for the College of Communication and Information Commons, located in Verder Hall. Now, 106 students, including 80 freshmen, are enrolled in the theme community, which was created to help boost retention rates in the College of Communication and Information. “We’re trying to tie in academics and social life,” said Program Coordinator Marianne Warzinski. “We want to make sure that when they leave the classroom, learning doesn’t stop.” CCI Commons offers study groups, special programs and socialization for students with similar majors. The program is open to any student in Communication Studies, Visual Communication Design, Journalism and Mass Communication and Library and Information Science. Students from the Information Architecture and Knowledge Management program are also able to join. Focusing on retention The CCI Commons retained 43 percent of its “core” members, or those living in Verder Hall, between this year and last. This number reflects only the retention of CCI Commons members, not CCI majors overall. “There were people last year who never lived in Verder but still came to things,” Warzinski said. “If we had strict rules, like you have to live here, then I would have a better idea what my numbers are.” The CCI Commons retention rate would probably be higher if it counted students who are still active in CCI Commons but don’t live in Verder anymore, Warzinski said, citing the fact that many upperclassmen choose to live off-campus or in newer, air conditioned residence halls, such as the recently built Centennial Court and Honors College halls. She said about four juniors and seniors match this description, which increases CCI Commons retention to about 50 percent. Attracting Communications Studies majors Last year only one Communications Studies student was a member of the group, which is still dominated by JMC and VCD students. “A lot of people don’t come in as comm majors,” Warzinski said. “They find it.” |
But this year, there are at least four Communications Studies majors signed up for the Commons, and Warzinski said she expects this number to grow because of increased recruitment efforts by the Communications Studies program. Taking advantage of CCI Commons programming Although Commons members aren’t required to live in Verder Hall, rooming there makes it easier to take advantage of weekly programming, advising sessions, study groups and social events, Warzinski said. Learning from last year’s problems, Warzinski is planning changes to the CCI Commons mentoring program where students work with a faculty member to plan a special project. “Some of the groups weren’t meeting unless I called a meeting,” she said. “This year I’m planning less faculty involvement and more student involvement with three or four students in a group.” Last year, one of the most successful projects was a student film festival, which drew more than 60 members, Warzinski said. “It’s just a matter of finding the right ideas and getting the right people,” she said. “We have to find a common interest to be more productive. It’s just some sort of way to get them to interact with each other.” Networking with professionals In addition to academic programs, Warzinski also brings in communication professionals to talk with students about career opportunities. “If I bring a professional in, they bring their business card,” Warzinski said. “Maybe this is a Kent grad and they hire Kent students or they use Kent interns. One of these students could end up working for them.” --Jennifer Farquhar
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Copyright
© School of Journalism and Mass Communication 130 Taylor Hall
Kent State University Kent OH 44242 330-672-2572 http://www.kent.edu |