Former head of the UTC communication department, Dr. Kit Rushing, recently visited Howard University’s John H. Johnson School of Communications as part of Howard’s journalism-mass communication accrediting visit. Howard is among the top ranked Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the United States, and its journalism program has been accredited since 1986. Rushing has served on a number of journalism accrediting teams over the past 20 years, and he says the program at Howard is an impressive example of a school faculty and student body that work together toward excellence in meeting accrediting guidelines.
Rushing says his work with the journalism accrediting agency, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJ MC), is one way he can serve the needs of journalism education as well as providing the opportunity to enhance UTC’s reputation as an involved player in developing programs that meet ACEJMC accrediting standards.
Rushing is currently the interim head for UTC’s history department and teaches course in journalism history and the history of Scotland. In recent years he has served on journalism accrediting teams for Arizona State University, Washington and Lee University, University of Wisconsin at River Falls, Texas State University at San Marcos, Marshall University, Iona University, University of Colorado, Arkansas State University, South Dakota State University, and the University of West Virginia. He also served as a journalism accrediting consultant to Hofstra University. He is slated to visit the University of Buffalo in January.
“My work with journalism accrediting is always a learning experience, and the visits always provide examples and ideas that are brought home to UTC. I hope my experiences with the UTC communication program, and now with the history department, provide insights that help me in the work of an accrediting visitor,” Rushing said.
