[SuperJon]

He's still using that Cheese Whiz? I wasn't reading that crappy copy over two decades ago.

Fred Haas was the man. You guys missed out on a quality prof back in the day.

I had Dr Windsor for Announcing so I ended up reading that same copy.

My favorite prof in COMS would probably be Mr. Kendall. I had him for my advanced practicum, and I currently have him for A/V Basics. That guy works harder than a lot of people I know, and he really wants to see his kids do well and have the best stuff to work with in order to make it in their respective field

I'm pretty sure he's not coming back next year.

[ATrain]

Wow, Pickering, Troxel and Windsor all leave so close together...the old guard has definitely changed in the COMS department.

[SuperJon]

I know that Heinrich isn't back. That class blew.

[ATrain]

I know that Heinrich isn't back. That class blew.

Which is exactly why he (and Kendall) aren't back.

[thepostman]

....i haven't felt like i have learned anything from the professors in a long, long time....i just seem to be learning it on my own...and from other students

That's kind of the point of a liberal arts education, dude. It's supposed to teach you to learn on your own and from those around you. Honestly, the singlemost important class I ever took at Liberty and the ONLY one that I still use content from on a daily basis was COMS 333; Small Group Communication. Most of it was about reading other people's body language and non-verbal communication. Really helps when you're buying a car or in a job interview or playing poker for money
...not that I do that sort of thing.

but shouldn't profs know about the subject they talk about?? shouldn't they know how to use the equipment that they are having us use??? I get what you are saying...and I think its a very good system...but I also this it would be nice if we didn't lose half of our very qualified profs...I do learn better on my own..and I like it to a point, but it just would be nice to have profs that we are paying with out tuition that knew at least the basics of the equipment that we use...

[Sly Fox]

I areas of specialization like COMS where the professional world doesn't encourage postgrad degrees, its tough to find people with real world experience who meet the academic requirements for professorial positions. Those who go tot he trouble of getting the PhDs in Communications generally haven't spent much time in the business. Its yet another reason we are seeing Communications and journalism departments closing up at schools across the country.

That and journalists are notorious for not being willing to part with a buck for their alma maters.

[thepostman]

yeah...i guess its tough...but part of me is scared to death that I am going to get a job somewhere and be completely lost...then another part of me says I have learned a lot in the past year just working at the radio station on campus....and an internship elsewhere will help out a lot too....I am sure I will be fine...it just gets frustrating i gues

[ATrain]

Sly, you of all people should know the reason we're not willing to part with a buck is b/c we don't make very much to begin with

[PeterParker]

So what's up with the COMS department, according to rumor, falling a step behind these days, right as the LU is ramping up its multimedia efforts. LU can't pilfer the ranks of some of the CBN crew/Regent Coms department down in the 757 or offer some bucks to bring some retired ESPN, CBS, NBC, FOX or ABC guys/ladies to the 'burg? (I mean I know it's no New York or Cali, but a decent place for a retired person to call home for a little bit, right?)

[Sly Fox]

As I mentioned in my previous post, those retired folks don't have PhDs. So all we can be is instructors. And LU is not known for being overly competitive in that regard.

Truth be told, the internship is unquestionably the most important part of a COMS education. And back when I worked in an entry level market nearly everyone (regardless of where their sheepskin said) was clueless when they began their first professional gig. That's why you get paid less than peanuts.

[thepostman]

--

As I mentioned in my previous post, those retired folks don't have PhDs. So all we can be is instructors. And LU is not known for being overly competitive in that regard.

Truth be told, the internship is unquestionably the most important part of a COMS education. And back when I worked in an entry level market nearly everyone (regardless of where their sheepskin said) was clueless when they began their first professional gig. That's why you get paid less than peanuts.

that last sentence alone is a relief...I know I will be fine...but sometimes when i sit down and really think about going out in the real world its a little scary...going from 90.9 the light to some real radio station somewhere where you will be under more pressure to get things right...Sly you have no idea what a relief it is to actually read that from someone that has been there...or maybe you do

[TDDance234]

I think that holds true for any major/profession. I've done 5 internships at various churches, doing various jobs and I still feel like my first months on the job, I'm going to be lost.

[Libertine]

Here's the basic problem with the COMS major and not just at LU. I'm talking about everywhere. You have to offer it but you also have to have qualified people to teach it. Unfortunately, the field changes so fast that, as soon as someone is hired away from that field to teach, they fall behind it. From that perspective, I would argue (speaking as a COMS major who loved his professors) that most of our "old guard" lost touch with the field a long time ago. As far as LU's multimedia concerns, I'd rather hire people to do that than have our profs involved in that anyway.

But, in this day and age, all a COMS program can really teach you are the basic principles and, honestly, even those are negotiable at this point. After the basics, the COMS prof should put the student in position to do something themselves and then just get out of the way to let the student learn by doing. I learned far more from projects and practical experience than I ever did in the classroom and, in my opinion, that's the way it should be.

There's a Zazofsky quote that says, "Knowledge out of the mouths of others is not knowledge at all." I think maybe Zazofsky might have been a COMS major.

[Ed Dantes]

well, they go over #'s that are used in sports such as budgets, fans, etc


but yes, you end up hurting yourself b/c these classes are a joke compared to the real finance classes

True. Those (cheese) whiz kids in MLB front offices are taking real business classes, not sports business (what I like to call "stocks for jocks").

[Hold My Own]

WWTD

What would Theo do

[Ed Dantes]

Here's the basic problem with the COMS major and not just at LU. I'm talking about everywhere. You have to offer it but you also have to have qualified people to teach it. Unfortunately, the field changes so fast that, as soon as someone is hired away from that field to teach, they fall behind it. From that perspective, I would argue (speaking as a COMS major who loved his professors) that most of our "old guard" lost touch with the field a long time ago. As far as LU's multimedia concerns, I'd rather hire people to do that than have our profs involved in that anyway.

But, in this day and age, all a COMS program can really teach you are the basic principles and, honestly, even those are negotiable at this point. After the basics, the COMS prof should put the student in position to do something themselves and then just get out of the way to let the student learn by doing. I learned far more from projects and practical experience than I ever did in the classroom and, in my opinion, that's the way it should be.

There's a Zazofsky quote that says, "Knowledge out of the mouths of others is not knowledge at all." I think maybe Zazofsky might have been a COMS major.

True. I even got a Master's in journalism, and I don't think that I'm better at my job because of it. Sure, I GOT a job (and tens of thousands of student loan debt), but I learned more about journalism by actually being a journalist, not studying them (and sure as heck not studying the other COMS courses that they made me take because you can't just take 158 hours of journalism classes). And while this is true for a lot of fields (nothing that my brother learned from law school has actually been applicable to his time as a prosecutor), COMS is probably the only one where you could make a decent career out of it, without taking a class in it. My uncle has been in the biz for 30+ years... and he studied to be a lawyer.

[Ed Dantes]

--

As I mentioned in my previous post, those retired folks don't have PhDs. So all we can be is instructors. And LU is not known for being overly competitive in that regard.

Truth be told, the internship is unquestionably the most important part of a COMS education. And back when I worked in an entry level market nearly everyone (regardless of where their sheepskin said) was clueless when they began their first professional gig. That's why you get paid less than peanuts.

that last sentence alone is a relief...I know I will be fine...but sometimes when i sit down and really think about going out in the real world its a little scary...going from 90.9 the light to some real radio station somewhere where you will be under more pressure to get things right...Sly you have no idea what a relief it is to actually read that from someone that has been there...or maybe you do

I don't like the "peanuts" thing... I mean, I work 45-50 hours a week with no OT, for the most-watched segment for the flagship program of a billion-dollar organization... And I still get paid less than the person who files my time sheet.

The thing about interships is that LU needs to do a better job developing relationships with some companies. I know that NBC in New York City has an agreement where some schools such as NYU and Hofstra will send X number of their students to work as interns. Sure, they don't do dirt... but hey, they've got their foot in the door. LU says... "yeah, you have to do an internship for course credit. And we're still collecting tuition for that course. Go find one."

Ugh.

[Ed Dantes]

So what's up with the COMS department, according to rumor, falling a step behind these days, right as the LU is ramping up its multimedia efforts. LU can't pilfer the ranks of some of the CBN crew/Regent Coms department down in the 757 or offer some bucks to bring some retired ESPN, CBS, NBC, FOX or ABC guys/ladies to the 'burg? (I mean I know it's no New York or Cali, but a decent place for a retired person to call home for a little bit, right?)

'cuz LU won't offer the bucks.


My problem with the COMS dept?

The two best professors there, Dr. Troxel and Mr. Pickering, retired. You can't replace 50+ years of experience working with Liberty students.

[El Scorcho]

You can't replace Troxel, period. That was a big loss to the university.

[SuperJon]

well, they go over #'s that are used in sports such as budgets, fans, etc


but yes, you end up hurting yourself b/c these classes are a joke compared to the real finance classes

True. Those (cheese) whiz kids in MLB front offices are taking real business classes, not sports business (what I like to call "stocks for jocks").

I disagree completely. Our major is what you make it. Yes, we have athletes and other guys who think it's an easy major and go to the classes, don't care, and just get a degree. That's in every field though.

There are a lot of people in our major that really work hard to learn the ins and outs of things so that they can be better suited for the field when they get out of school.

For example, for Facility and Design, our final project was to design a facility, figure out the ADA requirements, a week's schedule of use, and figure out how much it would cost and how to finance it. Most people just draw up a stadium on a sheet of paper and throw out a number and say taxes will pay for it and bam, they're done. I figured up what everything would cost (I think I forgot a drainage system). When I say everything, I mean the grass, the dirt, the fencing, the toilets, the showers, bleachers, floors for locker room/concession, lights, scoreboard, etc. I knew that if I was going to get into coaching or administration, that somewhere down the line a field would be needed and it would be important to figure this type of stuff out.

That's just one example. I could give more (such as the Sport Marketing group who raised over $10,000) but there's no point in it. Some of the classes are easy, but we have the most grueling internship on campus, one of the highest practicum hour requirements, and ask poeple in the athletic department and the coaches how much of an asset the good Sport Management students are.

[FlameDad]

we have the most grueling internship on campus, one of the highest practicum hour requirements

[SuperJon]

400 hours in one semester for only three credit hours. Name another major that does that.

[SuperJon]

To add: most education majors (not sure how Liberty is) is something like 415-430 hours for 12 credit hours.

[SuperJon]

Spring semester I'll have Sport Finance, Sport Marketing, and Administration and Organization, along with Econ and CRST and I'll be done.

How are these classes advantageous over regular finance, and regular marrketing. Aren't you just limiting yourself?

Sorry, I didn't see this until I was reading back through to see what HMO was talking about.


A lot of SMGT students (the good ones) minor in business (some double major). This is so that they can get both sides of it. I minored in coaching because when I declared I was wanting to do high school athletics and coaching (I'm not sure anymore). Others will minor in either KINE or COMS because they'd either want to go into a YMCA type position or sport communcation position.


The master's program is going to have three different things you can do you emphasis in: Sport Business, Coaching, or Sport Ministry. That's scheduled to start in 08.

[LUconn]

I guess when I was choosing a major, I thought to myself, "If I major in business, I'm just as qualified to work for an athletic organization, but I'll also be able to work for any other company as well."