School of Communication students would benefit from Wilkinson College merger

By Lauren Chen ‘27

Photo Courtesy of AI

As of Dec. 6, an anonymous Change.org petition has garnered over 700 signatures to prevent a rumored merger between the School of Communication and Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. However, as a communication studies major with a minor in Wilkinson, I have witnessed firsthand the wealth of opportunities that this merger would bring.

As such, this petition harms the future of the communications program. I stand in full support of merging the two schools to increase opportunities for students, eliminate inefficiencies and resolve the lack of leadership within the School of Communication.

Chapman’s communication department was under the Wilkinson umbrella for decades until its breakaway into the School of Communication (SoC) in 2016. Founding Dean Lisa Sparks created our highly successful Master of Science program in health and strategic communication and doctorate program in communication, though her tenure was marred with controversy, resulting in her stepping down in 2020. We still don’t have a permanent replacement as the SoC’s current leadership consists only of an associate dean and two assistant deans (one of whom is also an academic advisor).

Under the guidance of Wilkinson’s dean, Jennifer Keene, the SoC can have a permanent leader to build rapport with students and shape our school’s public image.

The petition criticized the “streamlining” of the two schools through unsupported claims that this would enhance a budget crisis, despite the university’s current Strategic Plan boasting record fundraising numbers.

Consolidating resources would instead resolve administrative difficulties for students and staff, as there are several programs managed jointly between Wilkinson and the SoC. The most critical of these is the Global Communication and World Languages major, in which students must juggle the differing academic expectations from both colleges from separate academic advisors.

Additionally, it’s inconceivable that this merger would reduce resources, students’ quality of education and overall graduation rates, as the petition stated. They erroneously claimed the combined schools have only two academic advisors, instead of having three, in addition to department chairs, peer advisors, and tutors. Furthermore, the merger would grant SoC students access to Wilkinson’s career advisor at all, providing a new resource for student success.

Students would still be able to participate in amazing SoC programs such as Trailblazers and Chapman Radio while also enriching their academic experience through Wilkinson programs such as the Engaging the World seminar series and Wilkinson Student Leadership Council.

Lastly, the creators of the petition wrote, “We dread the thought of future generations being kept from experiencing this complete form of individualized education by having the School of Communication merge into Wilkinson College.” It feels as though a sense of exclusivity is the driving force behind the petition’s signees.

It should make no difference whether SoC students graduate under a different college’s name — the priority should always be to fulfill students’ needs as much as possible.

The communications program is not the same as it was before 2016 and I am proud of the efforts of every faculty member who has built this program into what it is today.

However, the current state of the School of Communication is preventing us from advancing further. In order to continue this path of upward mobility, I gladly welcome the support of Wilkinson College to provide the resources and leadership we so desperately need.