<p>Sam Lee, you’re being way too kind to vocemom. Her comments are so grossly falacious they barely warrant a response. The controversy surrounding Dean Lavine’s move years ago to multimedia prep students has come to be supported by every major journalism program in the nation (note this thread is years old and just revived by her for unclear reasons). The changes he engineered at Medill have proven visionary. The few faculty members (“most” - is this a joke???) who refused to adapt to the realities of the times had been asked to leave. Her friend, I suspect, is one who continues to harbor bitterness. This was a old guard/new guard feud that is long settled. Fortunately for students hopeful of a future career in journalism, the new guard won.</p>
<p>The news industry in this country as a whole (including papers as vaulted as the New York Times and national news bureaus at ABC, CBS and NBC) have engineered versions of Lavine’s curricular changes on their home turfs. The pen may be mightier than the digital camcorder and web production, but in this new world order, you’d better know how to wield them all. Medill remains the king of undergrad preparation for a career in SERIOUS journalism. It is not now and never will be a “trade” program. Writing quality and commitment to detail remain the backbone of the program, with wonderful supporting casts in a great English department for the purists who want to hone those skills, and new marketing/PR/advertising offerings for those with a practical bent.</p>
<p>I’ve seen Dean Lavine share a stage on three occasions with some of the leading national names in the news business. “Visionary” was their word for what he’s done and is doing, not mine.</p>