<p>The College of Journalism and Communications is getting a makeover.</p>
<p>The college’s administration recently announced that Weimer Hall’s ground floor will be the future site of a convergence newsroom, which would provide crossover training for journalists in audio, television, print and the Internet to meet the news needs of an ever-changing and fickle public. At the same time, plans for a future bilingual curriculum are also in the works.</p>
<p>“We have to think differently,” said journalism professor Julie Dodd. “The more we can do to help the students, faculty and staff to move forward into this global and international economy, the more successful we all will be.”</p>
<p>The college’s choice to move forward with the two initiatives is in response to two separate issues.</p>
<p>Currently, the college has been discussing the need for more collaborative efforts among the different departments within the college.</p>
<p>Senior Associate Dean Linda Hon said the convergence newsroom is a joint project between the telecommunications and journalism departments.</p>
<p>“Eventually the media center will involve all the departments in the college,” Hon said. “The goal is for students to be cross-trained.”</p>
<p>Third-year journalism student Yudislaidy Fernandez said she is thrilled about the newsroom because it will give her the opportunity to gain more hands-on experience in a professional environment and work with students from other fields in the media.</p>
<p>The newsroom is expected to open within the next year on the ground floor where the older photography labs used to be, Hon said.</p>
<p>In the mean time, the college’s Interim Dean John W. Wright II is preparing a task force to come up with a plan on how to run the newsroom.</p>
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