SDSU Launches New School of Journalism
and Media Studies

Contact:
Gina Speciale
San Diego State University
(619) 594-4563 office
speciale@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO (Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007) — San Diego State University is launching a new School of Journalism and Media Studies.  Alumni, faculty and local media professionals celebrated the official opening of the school on Thursday, Nov. 1 with an event at KPBS. 

A model of the school's proposed media lab of the future. Photo by Michael Oletta.

Among the approximately 150 guests in attendance were distinguished journalists and SDSU alumni Armen Keteyian ('76) and George Lewis ('64).  Keteyian is chief investigative correspondent for CBS News and Lewis is a correspondent for NBC News. Both spoke at the event, along with Mary Lee Sachs ('81), chairman of Hill & Knowlton USA, one of the largest public relations firms in the world. 

At the event, the school unveiled its "media lab of the future," a model of a new digital lab that is being planned for students.

"The school envisions a true laboratory, where students and professionals will learn and experiment with the latest digital techniques – whether they be used to produce news reports, advertising messages, or public relations campaigns," said Diane Borden, director of the new school.

The School of Journalism and Media Studies manages undergraduate programs in advertising, journalism, media studies and public relations, as well as graduate programs in mass communication and media studies and an accelerated public relations program for public affairs officers in the U.S. military.  In 2008, the school also plans to launch a new graduate program in investigative journalism.

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 81 areas, master's degrees in 73 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU's approximately 35,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

###