"We Want Them … to Change the World"

by Elizabeth Bordonaro '07

The Houghton College communication department is forming a new identity. Not only has it become a separate entity, splitting previous ties to the English department, but, with the addition of new classes such as "Introduction to Web Communication," "Digital Video" and "American Public Address," and some passionate faculty, the communication major is "finding its own voice," according to Will Nowadly '08.

"The split from the English department gives us a new identity," Nowadly says. "Being a communication major feels more specialized now."

The amicable split was a goal of department chair Doug Gaerte, professor of communication. "Communication complements the English department," he says, "but it also complements so many other areas: business, philosophy and missions, for example. It was a foundation for ancient learning, and, in recent years, with the development of new technological outlets like Pod-casting, it has become the wave of the future. These days it doesn't take a radio or television broadcast to effectively communicate ideas; technological advancements in computer broadcasting have made it possible for anyone to broadcast from the internet."

Being a part of the English department for so many years was a blessing, Gaerte says: "I have had a tremendous amount of support from the English department's chair, Linda Mills '74 Woolsey. She supported the split and could see the vision. Though it was bittersweet, it was time, and we are all excited about what's ahead."

The success of forming the new department depended greatly on hiring new faculty members. After a widespread search, the college found two teachers to fill the need. "When we found both David Huth '91 and Daniel Minchen, I was ecstatic," says Gaerte. "I prayed that we would get one, and we got both! Dave has a strong background in media arts and a dynamic teaching style, while Dan brings 27 years of professional experience in PR, marketing and advertising, as well as a passion for sharing that experience with students. Without them, this would not have been possible."

In addition to new personnel, the department has benefited from additions to the physical plant, specifically a state-of-the-art, Apple-based multimedia lab, where students are able to learn hands-on. Huth hopes to give students an edge by industry standard hardware and software in the 12-station lab. "It will enable us to provide the very best equipment to our students in a uniquely collaborative atmosphere," he says, "a place where students can get a feel for cutting-edge technology and experience working collaboratively." Though the equipment is the same as that used in the production of major motion pictures, cartoon animations and video games, that's not what Huth wants the students doing. "Our department's goal is not to crank out the next Hollywood blockbuster," he says. "That's not what this is about; it's about something else, something more personal, more human."

Huth, and the department as a whole, wants to equip students to use the tools in order to reach the public and serve a greater good. Huth says he begins each semester with a question: "I ask students, ‘What do you have to say and how are you going to say it?'" Communication major Kerry Brogan '09, for one, not only listened to that question, but took action. "Kerry produced an advocacy video on human trafficking for her final personal media project," Huth says. "Once finished, she posted it on the internet, where it not only interested a much larger audience than originally intended, but it also allowed for a partnership to develop with World Hope International—an affiliation that continues as she works with them in their efforts to end human trafficking."

The communication faculty is not only shaping an identity for the department, but also earning a reputation for outreach. Since the split, all three faculty members have been using their specific gifts to revamp the curriculum, and to share their mission with students. "We all bring something special to the table," Gaerte says. "We joke about how different we all are—David is a free-spirit, Daniel is a corporate guy and I'm somewhere in the middle—but we are all idealists and we share a common vision. We all care deeply for social justice and we want to share that passion with our students. We want them to use the skills they learn from us to do something to change the world, to make it better."

Liz Bordonaro '07 works in the alumni relations department of Houghton's Advancement Office.