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Department name changes to better represent field |
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Wednesday, 16 April 2008 |
 Students pass the Old Library Classroom Building Wednesday afternoon. Photo by Derek DeSha
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by ANNE BAKER
News Reporter
The department of political science and criminal justice will receive a new name beginning fall 2009, when it will then be referred to as the department of government and justice studies.
The Academic Policy and Procedure Committee (AP and P) approved the change April 2.
The department felt the current name was not a proper representation of all the various academic fields
within the program, prompting a name change, department chairperson Dr. Brian Ellison said.
“While [the department] was going over the strategic plan, what quickly emerged was that we needed
something that captured the diversity in the department and sort of got away from the disciplinary
label,” he said.
Ellison said the department had three specific units that were all housed within the larger department: a
political science program, a criminal justice program and a public administration program.
“Each unit is doing very well, and the label [political science and criminal justice] doesn’t describe the
scope of what we do as three units together,” he said. “This is really designed to bring us together.”
The name change will not have an impact on the diplomas graduating students receive from the
department, Ellison said.
He said, “This in no way affects [students]. This is the name of an organizational unit…our degrees
and our programs stay the same.”
Several students, however, have expressed concerns over the change.
Student Government Association president and political science major Forrest S. Gilliam said although
he is glad the new name will not be reflected on student diplomas, he feels the change is unnecessary.
“I still have not seen a compelling reason to make the change, and I initially thought it was a joke when
I first heard about it,” he said.
Gilliam said he believes students may suffer if their potential employers know the name of the
department.
“[The name] government and justice studies sounds like a liberal think tank, and though I am fairly
liberal on some issues, I don’t want people thinking I have been indoctrinated into some leftist theory of
thinking,” he said.
Member of the AP and P Kendra M. Johnson said the student representatives did vote in favor of the
change after discussing it with the department chairperson.
Before the AP and P meeting, however, there was some resentment from several students due to
communication issues from the department about the change in the name, she said.
“Again, this seems to be another issue on campus where communication with students is the fault for
great misunderstanding between students and faculty, staff and administration,” Johnson said.
Ellison said no students have contacted him about the department name change, but anyone with
concerns is welcome to discuss these with him.
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