Dean's Column

College of Journalism ranks high in survey

The College of Journalism rates a healthy GPA, according to graduates from 1991 and 1992 who responded to a graduate satisfaction survey.

The 83 respondents awarded mostly fives and fours (at the top end of the scale) in response to seven questions and added a variety of positive comments about their experiences as UNL journalism majors.

The faculty came in for the most overall praise from the graduates who responded. Many cited the professors’ interest in students, their personal attention to students’ needs and their willingness to help. “They encourage you to do your best work,” one respondent wrote, “and are friendly and supportive.” Many of those who answered the survey also praised faculty advising.

The faculty members’ own professional experience gives them a knowledge of the real world that they pass along to their students, the graduates said. “They teach you to be professional,” one wrote.

The graduates also praised the education they received at UNL. Survey respondents cited the required background in liberal arts and the tough journalism courses as good preparation for their careers. The journalism major “builds solid skills,” one graduate wrote, and gives graduates “a great base to work from,” another said.

Respondents talked positively about the college’s hands-on approach to teaching and the practical experience they received in journalism courses. And many wrote that they appreciated the emphasis on quality and excellence.

Overall, graduates said they like the enthusiastic atmosphere,” as one of them called it, at the college. “I learned a lot about life in general,” one wrote.

Graduates were also asked to suggest ways the college could improve. Suggestions included adding a public relations sequence and a magazine writing sequence as well as promoting a greater sense of citizenship in the students.

Furthermore, the UNL College of Journalism is better than most people realize, respondents said. “The college should toot its own horn more,” one wrote. Others said they tell anyone who will listen about the great education they received at the College of Journalism.