Students and Prospective Students,
 
It is an exciting time to consider a degree in a professional communication field, and the School of Communication and Media is hard at work to provide its students with the best preparation as they prepare to enter their field of choice following graduation. I want to take this opportunity to share some key ways we are working to better prepare students for industry here at Kennesaw State University!
 
Industry-Ready is our Priority
 
We understand that an individual’s college education is a personal investment in their future, and as such, we have philosophically committed to bringing the essential skills, tools, and industry contacts to the classroom to help our graduates bridge the gap between the industry and academy as they seek to leverage their education for the career they aspire to.
 
Our faculty comes from a diverse mix of industry sectors in multimedia production, film, journalism, public relations, and organizational and professional communication. They maintain active professional relationships here in one of the richest industry markets in the United States out of a sense of commitment to helping prepare students to enter the workforce. They also have a professional commitment to be thought leaders in our fields, actively engaging in research and creative production that advances them as well.
 
In maintaining relationships with professionals in our degree fields, we also ensure they connect with our students in the classroom, reinforcing practical applications of theory and principles and supporting our students' knowledge and professional development. Professionals regularly offer guest lectures in each of our degree programs during each semester, engage with our college’s Professionals with Purpose and Leadership Conversation events, and in the Fall of 2026, I have taken the added step of engaging properly credentialed industry professionals to teach in our programs on a part-time basis to deepen our commitment to industry preparation, without sacrificing quality of instruction.
 
It is also important to remember that our disciplines consistently evolve, integrating emerging communication technologies to better reach our audiences and refine the quality of our creative and professional content and messaging. As such, we have worked with our college to develop an annual process for identifying and deepening our technology inventory, and a long-term plan to update and maintain our media production spaces. The goal is to help ensure students have access to a wealth of resources and can effectively engage with the content, developing a portfolio that will attract employers' attention.
 
Learning by Doing
 
A key differentiator of our program from others is our commitment to high-impact experiential learning. Whether it is a project-focused course, students working in groups with a client partner in the community, taking on an internship, or engaging in an independent study conducting research or developing a documentary or other multimedia project, students learn best by engaging with their intended craft to determine what they want to do, how to do it best, and to progressively build their portfolios during their program of study. This approach lets us focus on ensuring student learning while supporting them in cultivating industry knowledge that will set them apart in any job hunt.
 
We also reinforce this practice through our student organizations, which prompts my next topic.
 
Building Community, While Building Skill
 
A key part of the college experience is the time spent building relationships and learning to engage with peers, both in the classroom and in the student organizations we are a part of. In the School of Communication, we are committed to developing and sustaining a core group of pre-professional student organizations that reinforce student learning while enabling students to build professional and personal relationships that will shape much of their careers and personal lives.
 
We maintain active chapters of the Public Relations Student Society of America, the Society of Professional Journalists, and have just launched our own chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, reflecting the best practices in creating robust opportunities for student engagement that reify what they learn in the classroom and connect them with members of their professional community.
 
For students in our creative media camp, we maintain partnerships with student-created and run organizations, including For Film’s Sake, as well as sponsored student media production competitions put on by the National Association of Broadcasters, as well as our own in-house Kennesaw Film Festival, which we have just completed its fourth annual session this past April.
 
We focus on supporting student engagement and sense of community, while creating meaningful opportunities to nurture their professional development.
 
I want to invite each of you to engage with our faculty, staff, and students, and explore the opportunities available to support you in your academic and professional journey. Please know our faculty and staff want to support you in these efforts, and that my door is always open to you when you need assistance during your program of study.
 
 
Kind Regards,
 
Christopher J. McCollough, Ph.D.
Professor of Communication
Director, School of Communication and Media