Update on International Relations Activities Report

FORM A

Board of Regents, State of Iowa

REQUEST TO IMPLEMENT A NEW BACCALAUREATE, MASTERS,

DOCTORAL, OR PROFESSIONAL DEGREE PROGRAM

THE PURPOSE OF ACADEMIC PROGRAM PLANNING: Planning a new academic degree program

provides an opportunity for a Regent university to demonstrate need and demand as well as the

university’s ability to offer a quality program that is not unnecessarily duplicative of other similar programs

offered by colleges and universities in Iowa.

Institution: Iowa State University

CIP Discipline Specialty Title: 09.09 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication

CIP Discipline Specialty Number (six digits): 09.0906 Sports Communication

Level: B X M __________ D ___________ P ___________

Title of Proposed Program: Sports Media and Communication

Degree Abbreviation (e.g., B.S., B.A., M.A., Ph.D.): B.A.

Mode(s) of Delivery (check all that apply): On-campus (face-to-face) X Off-campus (face-to-face) ___

Online _____ Hybrid _____ Other ____

Approximate date to establish degree: Month August Year 2024

Contact person: (name, telephone, and e-mail) Jan Lauren Boyles, 515.294.1643, [email protected]

College that will administer new program: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Please provide the following information (use additional pages as needed). Do not use acronyms without

defining them.

1. Describe the proposed new degree program, including the following:

a. A brief description of the program. If this is currently being offered as a track, provide

justification for a standalone program.

The field of Sports Media and Communication (SMC) encompasses a wide range of career

opportunities across amateur, youth, high school, college and major league sports. SMC includes

television broadcasts, social media platforms, talk radio, podcasts, websites, news organizations,

magazines, video games and fantasy sports. To best prepare Iowa State graduates for employment in

this growing industry, which requires highly specialized skills that are not available in the Greenlee

School’s existing majors, the SMC major will provide a wide array of hands-on instruction and

experiential learning opportunities. Students would acquire skills in social media listening/data

analytics; digital branding; livestreaming and play-by-play announcing; and short- and long-form news,

highlight and documentary content. We anticipate that several high impact practices, especially on-the-

job learning, will differentiate the SMC major at Iowa State from programs offered by peer institutions

regionally and nationally. Most notably, our major will leverage the Greenlee School’s long-standing

relationship with Iowa State University Athletics – through which our faculty have tapped networks for

guest speakers and short course partners and through which our students have secured internships

and post-graduate employment. Extending this collaboration, a hallmark of the major will be a set of

practicum experiences with our athletics partners and with on-campus student media publications,

which will enable our students to build their industry resume as early as the first year. Beyond the

practicums, students would also complete the Greenlee School’s required internship course, through

23-14

which students gain 400 hours of hands-on experience working directly in the sports media field.

Successful graduates will land positions working in collegiate sports communication offices, broadcast

networks, sports leagues/teams and other emerging industries connected to the evolving fan

experience. A full overview of the SMC curriculum is provided as Appendix A.

b. A statement of academic objectives;

Students who major in programs of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication are

expected to develop competencies in 10 key areas:

• apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press, in a global context, and for

the country in which the institution that invites ACEJMC is located;

• demonstrate an understanding of the multicultural history and role of professionals and

institutions in shaping communications;

• demonstrate culturally proficient communication that empowers those traditionally

disenfranchised in society, especially as grounded in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual

orientation and ability, domestically and globally, across communication and media

contexts;

• present images and information effectively and creatively, using appropriate tools and

technologies;

• write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the

communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve;

• demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit

of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity;

• apply critical thinking skills in conducting research and evaluating information by methods

appropriate to the communications professions in which they work;

• effectively and correctly apply basic numerical and statistical concepts;

• critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness,

clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness;

• apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they

work.

In addition, specialized learning outcomes for the sports major could include:

• effectively communicating sports stories across multiple platforms, using appropriate content

forms, including writing, audio, video, photography and graphics;

• critically thinking about how communication in sports functions within contemporary culture;

• demonstrating an understanding of the impact of media rights across the high school, collegiate

and professional sports landscape

A course map, illustrating how these learning outcomes tie to each proposed course in the new major, is

provided as Appendix B.

c. What the need for the program is and how the need for the program was determined;

To assess initial student interest in SMC, the School first experimented with creation of special topics

courses. In 2015, Greenlee School faculty created its first sports-related course, which covers the

media's relationship with high school, collegiate and professional sports in a 24/7 digital world.

Expanding upon our offerings, the Greenlee School faculty created a series of one-credit short course

intensives to supplement the curriculum. Topics for the offerings have included sports branding and

sports broadcasting. Beyond the classroom, Greenlee faculty founded the Sports Media Club, which

introduced incoming students to sports-related internship opportunities on campus and in Central Iowa.

During the first Sports Media Club meeting of fall 2022, more than half of the 27 students indicated they

were interested in sports broadcasting careers. Similarly, a survey of 109 incoming freshmen enrolled

in the Greenlee School’s orientation course in fall 2023 indicated that 51 percent students would be

interested in pursuing SMC careers. Based upon this energy, the Greenlee faculty voted in fall 2022 to

pursue creation of a new major in sports media. In spring 2023, an ad hoc committee was formed to

guide efforts. Also in 2022-2023, the school received approval from the College and Provost’s Office for

two new term faculty hires. Our faculty endorsed seeking expertise in sports communication for one of

the vacancies. We launched the search in spring 2023 and hired an industry professional with

multiplatform expertise in sports media. A full major proposal was approved by our faculty in fall 2023.

d. The relationship of the proposed new program to the institutional mission and how the

program fits into the institution’s and college’s strategic plan;

We believe the proposed major aligns with all five “Statements of Affirmation” in the institution’s newly-

launched strategic plan. Most centrally, we think that the SMC major, in which undergraduates would

directly work in hands-on environments, connects to the University’s aspiration “to be the most student-

centric leading research university.” Furthermore, we believe the major advances all four pillars of the

institution’s new strategic plan, including education experience, community engagement,

knowledge/discovery and innovative solutions. At the College level, the new major aligns with the first

goal of its Strategic Plan, which focuses upon enhancing the education of all ISU students. More

specifically, the new major advances objective 1.1, which strives to “provide a curriculum that is

responsive to the needs of society, that has the flexibility to adapt to advance in disciplines both within

LAS and in other colleges, and that includes emphases on critical thinking, problem solving and analytical

skills.”

e. The relationship of the proposed new program to other existing programs at the institution;

describe how the proposed program will enhance other programs at the university. Will

the proposed program duplicate existing programs at the university?

ISU does not currently offer a standalone major in SMC. We plan to collaborate across the College and

University to identify a pool of electives -- likely in fields such as exercise science, health promotion

kinesiology, event management and entrepreneurship -- that would help provide a balanced

perspective for majors. We also plan to collaborate closely with ISU Athletics such that our students are

trained in skills and have access to experiences that can also benefit their workforce needs. To our

knowledge, the proposed program does not duplicate any existing programs at the University.

f. Special features or conditions that make the institution a desirable, unique, or appropriate

place to initiate such a degree program.

We believe that our ties to the ISU Athletics department would serve as a distinguishing factor for our

new major. At least nine Greenlee alumni are currently working in sport media-related positions within

the Athletics Department. We envision the major would strengthen these existing ties, allowing our

students to test their sports skills in a real-world media laboratory, which has industry-standard

production equipment used at broadcast networks, like ESPN.

We also believe that our emphasis on practicum experience would differentiate our major. Faculty

would serve as advisors for the practicum experiences. Practicums could range from special projects

(such as a radio show, podcast or website) to publication/broadcast opportunities (Cyclones.tv, ISU

Sports Information, high school game broadcasts or potential collaborations with student media

outlets). Through the practicum, students would acquire a wider proficiency with tools related to sports

media, as well as articulate a clearer understanding of the varied publics and stakeholders who

constitute the SMC industry.

g. Describe the personnel, facilities, and equipment necessary to establish and maintain a

high quality program. Include any reallocations from other programs or areas of the

university.

The Greenlee School would leverage existing, talented personnel to drive the program’s development

and implementation. In particular, the School has two term faculty members (one with expertise in

strategic communication, the other with expertise in journalism) who will be the primary leaders of the

new major. In terms of facilities, the SMC major would benefit from recent renovations to Hamilton Hall,

including the creation of a social media listening lab. The Greenlee School also forged a partnership in

Spring 2023 to use the broadcast production facility in the ISU Student Innovation Center for

undergraduate instruction. We also see opportunities to enhance our existing connections to ISU

Athletics and Cyclones.tv to potentially use their on-site production facilities and equipment. We do not

anticipate any reallocations from other programs or areas of the University.

h. How does student demand for the proposed program justify its development? What are

the anticipated sources of students to enroll in this new program?

As previously stated, we have three indicators of student interest: participation in the sports media club,

enrollment in our special topics courses and expansion of our short courses. Taken together, we

believe that student demand provides a strong foundation for the new major. We anticipate that the new

major would provide fertile recruiting ground for the institution, College and School. Leveraging the

vibrant culture of Big 12 athletics on our campus, we also believe the new major would attract

enrollment from student-athletes. We anticipate that the major would also attract a new type of student

– who is passionate about athletics, but whose talents may not be aligned with ISU’s existing major

pathways in kinesiology or athletic training, for instance. Taken together, we believe strong energy

exists from the student population to fuel the major’s initial and continuing enrollments.

2. Estimate the number of majors and non-majors students that are projected to be enrolled in the

program during the first seven years of the program.

a. Undergraduate

Yr 1

Yr 2

Yr 3

Yr 4

Yr 5

Majors

100

Non-Majors

100

b. Graduate/Professional

Yr 1

Yr 2

Yr 3

Yr 4

Yr 5

Majors

Non-Majors

3. Describe the state and/or national workforce need and/or demand for graduates of the proposed

program currently and in the foreseeable future (provide the sources of data used to estimate

workforce need and demand).

According to U.S. Bureau Labor of Statistics data, sports and entertainment employment will increase

by 13 percent in the next decade – a growth rate that outpaces all other industries tracked by the BLS.

The agency forecasts that 95,500 new jobs will be created between 2021-2031. This uptick can be

traced to the expansion of sports media rights – a hyper-competitive space in which networks, cable

channels and streaming services vie for the abilities to broadcast sporting events regionally and

nationally. To secure and sustain audiences in this rivalrous environment, companies are forging new

jobs not only to capture live sports content, but also to foster connections with fans in digital, social and

virtual spaces. ISU is well placed to capitalize upon these trends by creating a new major that positions

our students for newly-emerging careers in team-generated, athlete-generated and fan-generated

content creation. In the major’s development process, we will extend our connectivity with successful

alumni in the sports media industry. To this end, a subcommittee was formed on the Greenlee School’s

Advisory Council, which will provide industry guidance. In addition to the School’s vibrant Advisory

Council -- populated by industry practitioners, many of whom work in sports media – we have

assembled a database of more than 150 ISU alumni working in sports media careers.

Creation of the new degree would help satisfy regional employer demand. In 2019, the Big 12

Conference expanded its existing ESPN media rights agreement to launch the Big 12 Now on ESPN+

digital platform, a direct-to-consumer subscription sports streaming service. The transition to ESPN+

created a need for separate control and production crews for the streaming service and the video

board. Greenlee students are paid to work on live home volleyball, soccer, women's and men's

basketball, wrestling, gymnastics and softball productions distributed on ESPN+. In addition, Greenlee

students currently work on the in-house video board production crew for all home athletic events at

Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum. During 2022-2023, there were 62 video board productions

and 55 ESPN+ broadcasts. For cost efficiency, a preference exists in hiring students instead of

professional freelancers. There is capacity for more hiring of talented SMC graduates as well.

We believe that skills acquired in the SMC major would also prove transferable to other

communications industry careers. For instance, SMC graduates would leave our program with talents in

communications writing, presentational skills, creativity and project management – competencies that

are highly desirable across most complex organizations. As we begin to build the major, we will partner

with engaged stakeholders, so that we can craft new courses and experiential opportunities that are

responsive to industry demand both for today and tomorrow.

4. The dean’s office in the academic college proposing the new program is required to contact the

corresponding dean’s offices at the other two Regents universities (if there is no corresponding

college, consider related programs in other colleges or contact the Provost’s office for guidance).

In some cases, such as for an interdisciplinary program, more than one college at the other

universities may need to be contacted. Please summarize how this cross-institutional outreach

was completed:

a. Date that Form A was sent to dean’s offices at the other two Regents universities.

Greenlee School faculty shared information about the proposal with their departmental counterparts at

the other two Regents universities in late October and early November, 2023. At the University of Iowa,

the Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication shared this material with the CLAS

Dean’s office. Iowa State shared Form A with the Dean’s office at the University of Northern Iowa on

November 11, 2023 and followed up with UI with the complete Form A on December 4, 2023.

b. Date and format (email, telephone, video, in-person) of discussions between the dean’s

offices, and names/titles of those who participated.

The University of Iowa shared the results of their campus conversation about the proposed program in a

letter sent November 7, 2023. The letter, attached to this proposal, was signed by Professor Dan

Matheson, the Director of UI’s Sport and Recreation Management Program, Professor Melissa Tully,

Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and Professor Cornelia Lang, Associate

Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Consultation with the University of Northern Iowa resulted in both a November 27, 2023 letter from

Professor Ryan McGeough, Department Head of the Department of Communication and Media and a

virtual meeting on December 1, 2023, between Amy Slagell, Associate Dean at ISU’s College of Liberal

Arts and Sciences and Professor Jennifer Cooley, Associate Dean in the College of Humanities, Arts and

Sciences.

c. Summary of feedback received from the other two Regents universities, including any

concerns raised. Where relevant, describe current or planned collaborations related to the

program.

Both institutions expressed support for the new major at Iowa State and shared their experience working

with students who have an interest in careers in this area. UNI has an emphasis in Sports Public Relations

under their major in Public Relations and UI’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication offers a

Sport Media and Culture major and provides courses crucial to UI’s B.S. in Sport and Recreation

Management. Both schools noted the value of the high-impact practices of practicums and internships

that will be a hallmark of ISU’s program.

d. Was the proposal modified to reflect these discussions? If so, describe.

Our consultations did not lead to any modifications to the proposal.

5. List other public and private institutions of higher education in Iowa currently operating programs

similar to the proposed new degree program. (For comparison purposes, use a broad definitional

framework, e.g., such identification should not be limited to programs with the same title, the same

degree designation, having the same curriculum emphasis, or purporting to meet exactly the

same needs as the proposed program.)

In Spring 2023, we conducted an environmental scan of sports communication-related activities

throughout the state. We found that some community colleges offered degrees in closely allied fields,

such as Sports Media Technology or Sports Management, which are more about business-facing

approaches to the curriculum. In terms of four-year institutions, while many offered sports management

degrees, these programs often only feature a single class that has a media and/or communications focus.

While Simpson College and Upper Iowa University offer bachelor’s degrees in sports communication, the

curriculum appears to center nearly exclusively upon journalistic applications, and does not appear to

integrate perspectives from strategic communications or analytics. Across the Regents institutions, the

University of Iowa has an existing major in sports recreation and management, and recently launched a

bachelor’s degree in sport media and culture. The courses contained in the new major are based upon

theoretical perspectives to sports and society, driven from a humanities viewpoint. The degree would be

differentiated from our proposed offering, which would contain more hands-on instruction and industry

experiences, with the integration of numerous high-impact practices.

If the same or similar program exists at another institution of higher education in Iowa (other than

those Regent universities noted above), respond to the following questions:

a. Describe collaboration efforts with other institutions.

We anticipate collaboration with existing sports media programs in other Big 12 universities. Most notably,

we hosted faculty and students from Oklahoma State University in October 2023 to produce joint

coverage of the Oklahoma State-ISU football game. We would like to grow such partnerships.

b. With what representatives of these programs has there been consultation in developing

the program proposal? Provide a summary of the response of each institution consulted.

c. Has the possibility of an inter-institutional program or other cooperative effort been

explored?

d. Are the other programs similar to the proposed program at comparable quality and cost?

6. If there are plans to offer the program off campus, online, or a blended modality, briefly describe

these plans, including potential sites and possible methods of delivery instruction. Will off-campus

delivery require additional HLC or other accreditor approval?

Not applicable.

7. Will the proposed program apply for programmatic accreditation? When?

We anticipate seeking programmatic accreditation in the future through the Accrediting Council on

Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) to align with the other three accredited

majors within the Greenlee School; however, we will not pursue this credentialing immediately.

8. For undergraduate programs: Will articulation agreements be developed for the proposed

program? With whom?

Not applicable.

9. Describe any opportunities for experiential learning (e.g. internships, clinicals, research,

community engagement/service learning).

For all existing Greenlee majors, degree requirements stipulate completion of a 400-hour professional

internship. For our students, the internship functions as a capstone, culminating knowledge acquired in

coursework by gaining practical work experience in industry. The proposed SMC major would also

require completion of an internship, aligning the major with other degree offerings across the School.

10. From where will the financial resources to cover the costs for the proposed program come (list all

that apply, e.g., department reallocation, college reallocation, grants, new to the university)?

Given anticipated growth of the SMC major, we believe a substantial development opportunity exists.

Discussions are underway with the ISU Foundation around new potential supports for the major. Future

resources could include, but are not limited to, Greenlee-controlled studio space and equipment (to

complement existing facilities at the Student Innovation Center and Hilton Coliseum); additional SMC-

dedicated cameras available for student check-out; additional faculty line(s), including a new hire in

sports broadcasting production; graduate assistant line(s) and a professional development fund for

Greenlee faculty, staff and students to attend industry conferences (BEA, for instance).

11. Include any additional information that justifies the development of this program.

Appendix A: Proposed Curriculum

ISU Requirements

**International Perspectives (3 credits)

**U.S. Diversity (3 credits)

Communication Proficiency/Library (13 credits)

ENGL 150 (C or better; 3 credits)

ENGL 250 (C or better; 3 credits)

JL MC 201 (3 credits)

SMC 301 Sports Writing and Announcing (3 credits)

LIB 160 (1 credit)

World Language (4 credits)

LAS Requirements

**Arts & Humanities (12 credits)

Math (3 credits)

STAT 101 required

**Natural Sciences (8 credits)

**Social Sciences (9 credits)

LAS 203 (1 credit)

** The sports ad hoc committee has assembled a list of recommended general education coursework

that would align with a sports media and communication focus.

Sports Media and Communication Major Requirements

Sports Media and Communication Core Requirements (7 credits)

JL MC 110 Orientation to Journalism and Mass Communication (1 credit)

JL MC 201 Reporting and Writing for the Mass Media (3 credits)

SMC 250 Principles of Sports Media and Communication (3 credits)

Sports Media and Communication Major Requirements (21 credits)

SMC 301 Sports Writing and Announcing (3 credits)

SMC 390 Practicum (1 credit x 3 semesters = 3 credits)

SMC 495 Senior Integrative Class (3 credits)

JL MC 460 Law of Mass Communication (3 credits)

JL MC 462 Media Ethics, Freedom, Responsibility (3 credits)

SMC 497K Sports and the Media in a 24/7 Digital World - currently 497K (3 credits)

SMC 499A Professional 400-hour Media Internship (3 credits)

Choose two of the following 300 level electives (3 credits) from ADVRT, JLMC, PR or SMC:

SMC 3XX Sports Public Relations

SMC 3XX Sports Broadcast Production

ADVRT 334 Advertising Creativity

ADVRT 335 Advertising Media Planning

JL MC 307 Digital Video Production

JL MC 308 Broadcast News Gathering and Production

JL MC 310 Fundamentals of Photojournalism

JL MC 311 Fundamentals of Mobile Photography

JL MC 312 Advanced Techniques in Photojournalism

JL MC 316 Visual Communication Design

JL MC 317 Publishing for Mobile Devices

JL MC 344 Feature Writing

JL MC 349 Print Media Editing

P R 321 Public Relations Writing

P R 324 Brand Storytelling

Other future elective courses in the major could include:

SMC 3XX Visual Communication in Sports

SMC 3XX Sports Media Operations

SMC 3XX Women in Sports Media and Communication

SMC 3XX Sports and Film

SMC 3XX Sports Media Criticism

SMC 3XX News Coverage of Sports Media Industries

All students would be required to complete a minor outside of the School of Journalism. In addition,

recommended elective courses for SMC students, currently offered in units outside of Greenlee, could

include:

ANTHR 323E Latin American Anthropology: Culture and Sport

KIN 360 Sociology of Physical Activity and Health

HIST 271 History of Sports in the United States

ARTGR 383 A Concise History of Graphics and Sports

EVENT 383 Sports Event Management

KIN 365 Sport Psychology

KIN 399 Recreational Sports Management

WGS 440 Gender Issues in Sports

Potential minors to complement the new major could include: exercise science, health promotion

kinesiology, event management and entrepreneurship.

Appendix B: Course Mapping

ACEJMC Professional Values and Competencies:

1. apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press, in a global context, and for the

country in which the institution that invites ACEJMC is located;

2. demonstrate an understanding of the multicultural history and role of professionals and

institutions in shaping communications;

3. demonstrate culturally proficient communication that empowers those traditionally

disenfranchised in society, especially as grounded in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation

and ability, domestically and globally, across communication and media contexts;

4. present images and information effectively and creatively, using appropriate tools and

technologies;

5. write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions,

audiences and purposes they serve;

6. demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit of

truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity;

7. apply critical thinking skills in conducting research and evaluating information by methods

appropriate to the communications professions in which they work;

8. effectively and correctly apply basic numerical and statistical concepts;

9. critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity,

appropriate style and grammatical correctness;

10. apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they

work.

Academic Program Approval Voting Record

This document is to be appended as the last page of the proposal for any new or revised academic

program to record the successive votes of approval as the proposal moves through its required review

and approval steps. Consult Faculty Handbook Section 10.8 or the Faculty Senate Curriculum

Committee website for information regarding Committee review and voting requirements for each

action.

Curricular Action: (check appropriate boxes below)

1. X New Program □ Name Change □ Discontinuation □ Concurrent Degree for:

2. X Undergraduate Major □ Graduate Major □ Undergraduate Minor □ Graduate Minor

□ Undergraduate Certificate □ Graduate Certificate □ Other: ___________________

3. Name of Proposed Change: New Major in Sports and Media Communication

4. Name of Contact Person: Jan Lauren Boyles e-mail address: [email protected]

5. Primary College: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Secondary College:

6. Involved Department(s): Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication

Voting record for this curricular action:

Votes

Voting Body

For

Against

Abstain

Date of Vote

Dept. or Program Committee

Greenlee Sports Media and

Communication Ad Hoc Committee

8/14/23

Greenlee School Curriculum Committee

9/1/23

Greenlee School Faculty

9/15/23

LAS College Curriculum Committee

10/20/23

College Approval Vote:

--Faculty Representative Assembly

10/24/2023

Graduate Council

N/A

Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee

Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Council

Faculty Senate

[FSCC – November 2013]

0 0 11/9/2023

8 0 0

1/16/2023