Arkansas State University’s accredited multimedia journalism (MMJ) program will be no more after Spring 2027. 

Students currently enrolled in the program will remain enrolled and will continue in the path of that degree. Students coming in Spring 2024 cannot select it as a major due to it being phased out.

Interim Dean Brad Rawlins, Ph.D., sent out an email Oct. 24 alerting students that the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) discontinued the degree due to low enrollment.

The ADHE found A-State’s bachelor of science MMJ program to be “non-viable.” It was cut June 30, leading up to the Fall 2023 semester along with 12 other programs in the ASU system.  

“I think one of my primary concerns is that we continue to have the reputation as one of the top journalism programs in the state,” Rawlins said. “I am very interested in making sure that whatever changes we make within the program are done in a way that it continues to maintain the reputation we have as a journalism program.”

A-State is one of two schools in the state with an accredited journalism program. The only other one is at the University of Arkansas. 

Enrollment in the MMJ program has been on a steady decline. For Fall 2023, there are 20 students enrolled in the major. The minor numbers are not tracked. Information about past enrollment was not available from the School of Media and Journalism (SMJ) or the Office of Institutional Research. 

Last summer, Chancellor Todd Shields, Ph.D., and Provost Calvin White, Ph.D., met with faculty and staff, informing them of the cut and proposed the opportunity to combine as one degree plan with the creative media production (CMP) program, the other major in the School of Media and Journalism.

“I think there is a lot of crossover between those two programs. (We need to) find a way to maximize the use of those resources across both programs and create an option for journalism students to find an emphasis or an area within that,” Rawlins said. 

Lillie Fears, Ph.D., is the MMJ program coordinator and oversees the curriculum for the program. Fears received both undergraduate and graduate degrees from A-State. She is on sabbatical until the end of the semester and thinks there is a solution.

“It’s important to stay student-focused. If we stay student-focused and want to do what’s best for students, we will figure out how to do that,” Fears said. “I want to give people the opportunity to receive what I received. What it really boils down to is to just re-work it on paper and we can keep everything we have. That’s all (the provost and chancellor) ask if you really look at it.” 

Fears mentioned the importance of Arkansas State’s number of students with Pell Grants and marginalized backgrounds. She is from Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. 

“For me to sit up here and not come up with a solution so they can come and receive an education that will help and improve their lives, I couldn’t sleep. I would never do that.” Fears added. “It is my sincere plan to make journalism education possible for people coming behind me.” 

With the current degree program to end in 2027, Rawlins said students need to stay on track and not fall behind due to the phase-out, per ADHE. 

“This is from the directive from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, we need to teach it out at the earliest available time, which is going to be spring of 2027. The letter even states to stay on track with this,” Rawlins said about the phase-out scheduled.

The CMP and MMJ programs both share student-led media outlets such as ASU-TV, Red Wolf Radio, The Herald and Delta Digital News Service (DDNS). Students of any major across campus can participate. 

“I can imagine the publications such as The Herald a stand-alone sort of like Ole Miss,” said Fears, former adviser, about the 102-year-old newspaper. “I feel like if it comes down to that one day, The Herald could still operate. There’s a lot of schools where the media operates separate from the school.” 

Nevertheless, Roy Ockert, a 1967 graduate and alumnus of the journalism program, said the discontinuation of the degree program was a tragedy. He is a former Herald editor and an endowed scholarship donor to the program.

“It has been a great program for a long time and produced many outstanding journalists and others who are in related fields,” Ockert said. 

Bob Troutt, a 1981 graduate and alumnus of the journalism program, is also an endowed scholarship donor to the program. 

“Certainly we’re not going to revoke the scholarship but I would like to know how it’s going to benefit,” Troutt said. 

Terrance Armstard, DDNS adviser and MMJ instructor, said he is concerned about what will happen to existing faculty; he has been at A-State for four years. 

My biggest concern will be the number of faculty when A-State reduces or dismisses a program at a university,” Armstard said. “It’s not a big concern, but it’s on the back burner in my mind.”

Rawlins wanted more of the curriculum and other details finalized before sharing more information about the change. Gina Houge, Interim Director of SMJ, has said the MMJ curriculum will be discussed when Fears returns. 

“My fear is that outside of Arkansas State, the narrative will be that journalism is dead at A-State and we won’t get any students coming here who have an interest in journalism. It’ll hurt in a lot of different ways,” Rawlins said when asked why alumni hadn’t been informed about the ADHE decision.

“That’s my candid answer on why we haven’t been really forthcoming sharing a lot of this,” Rawlins added. “I want there to be a positive part to the story that I can share and it’s just taking a long time for that to come about.”

This story will be updated as more information becomes available. 

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