Although a major selling point of a Boston University education is the emphasis the school places on one-of-a-kind internship and study abroad opportunities, BU has now disappointed its students for the second semester in a row with the announcement that the Washington Journalism Program is being canceled for the Fall 2010 semester.
The College of Communication and International Programs displayed an inexcusable lack of communication in coming to this conclusion. In an interview with The Daily Free Press on Monday, COM Dean Tom Fiedler said he was unaware of the cancellation, having been informed in a meeting with International Programs last week that the program was still on. If the administration isn’t even on the same page, how can it expect students to have any confidence in the future of the program?
COM has always made a big deal out of promoting the Washington Journalism Program, advertising for it in journalism classes, at open houses and in registration meetings. But in light of waning interest levels this year, it is clear that once again the administration is not being completely forthcoming with students. If interest in the program was low, this should have been communicated to students earlier, allowing them to change their plans for the upcoming semester, instead of leaving them to scramble with only three weeks left of classes.
But perhaps the biggest problem at work is a remarkable apathy on the part of the student body. Many students choose BU for the opportunities for real life work experiences that they will be exposed to both within Boston and beyond. But clearly most are wasting these prospects if only two students apply for a program as prestigious as the Washington Journalism Program. It is time that students, especially those majoring in journalism, realize that without viable experience outside of the classroom, their $200,000 degree is worth much less.
With that said, those in International Programs cannot expect this year’s low interest levels to be a predictor of future applicant levels. To scrap the program altogether would be a waste of a valuable resource unique to BU. The university should do whatever it must to ensure that the program remains available in future years to anyone wishing to participate, whether that consists of two students or all of the journalism majors in COM.
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