When students in the School of Communications and Theater return next fall, they will find a number changes as a result of money received from the state.
On March 29, 2001, Governor Tom Ridge announced that Temple University was among 21 public and private colleges and universities that received a grant from the state of Pennsylvania called the Link-To-Learn Program. Other area schools that received funding were Drexel and LaSalle universities.
A number of faculty, staff and students applied for and received a state grant totaling $370,410. The majority of this grant will go toward investments in hardware and software.
SCAT is determined to enhance technology use and understanding for undergraduate and graduate students involved in all SCAT curricula. Students will be provided with new media and technology-based internships, student seminars related to media and new technology, as well as up-to-date, cutting edge equipment.
SCAT will be replacing amplifiers, mixers, microphones, and speakers in Tomlinson and Randall theaters. The digital post-production center for FMA and BTMM students will be enhanced with upgraded editing and mixing equipment.
Two of the biggest changes to SCAT will be an audio studio equipped with facilities for visually disabled students and an instructional support center for faculty.
That center will be equipped with Macintosh and Windows computers with digital editing and image design capabilities and video and mixing equipment, which will further train faculty for working with students within the curriculum.
Higher education initiatives are a major part of the Link-to-Learn program with primary focus on effectively using information technology to enhance education. The IT Workforce Development I Grad grant is built upon the demand for IT graduates as well as other graduates who understand how technology has evolved their discipline.
Link-to-Learn is Governor Tom Ridge’s multi-year initiative aimed at expanding the use of modern technology in the classroom, which includes new computers and high-tech training for instructors.
“Technology…[is] a critical part of every industry, and every college graduate needs to know how to use it effectively.” Governor Ridge said.
Associate Dean Priscilla Murphy, who helped Temple earn the grant, agrees that developing technology skills and upgrading technology-based equipment will “directly benefit students.”
Murphy stressed the need to upgrade the infrastructure and give students access to the appropriate training needed upon graduation.
Applicants to the Link-to-Learn grant had to explain their goals and initiatives within their grant proposals. SCAT described how they would use funds to strengthen technology training throughout their educational programs, to provide professional development for faculty and to recruit and retain students.
Murphy believes that these changes will build upon SCAT’s reputation as the “highest quality communication school in the region”.
Selection was highly competitive; a total of 115 applications were reviewed requesting over $27 million funding.
The proposal was “framed around our new media concentration,” Priscilla Murphy said, “but all SCAT curriculums will benefit as well.”
In addition, starting in the Fall of 2001 SCAT alumni from area companies such as WHYY Philly.com, Philadelphia Inquirer and WYBE will be providing students with practical advice from industry professionals which includes programs and workshops.
“The grant was really facilitated by SCAT graduates who are in the media industry…they are making a commitment to take new media interns and give student lectures and seminars,” Murphy added.
The School of Communications and Theater is also working with other proposals in a variety of areas which includes many arts initiatives, media literacy, healthcare communication, and more technology enhancements.
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