The Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication is a journalism school at the University of Minnesota that offers programs in journalism, strategic communication and mass communication. It is located on the Minneapolis campus. It houses around 800 undergraduates and more than 30 graduate students in a given academic year.
The Hubbard School offers three undergraduate majors: journalism, strategic communication and mass communication. The graduate program features M.A. degrees in mass communication and professional strategic communication. A Ph.D. in mass communication is also offered. The school has more than 30 faculty members, including professors, associate professors, assistant professors and lecturers. There were also many adjunct instructors who teach each academic year, many of whom have journalistic experience in the Twin Cities market.
Accreditation
The School is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). It is also part of the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts. Was one of the first 35 schools to be accredited by the American Council on Education for Journalism in 1948.
Director
Elisia Cohen is the current director of the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She was appointed in 2017.
Building
Murphy Hall opened in 1940 and has been used to house the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication (HSJMC) since that time. The building, which cost $250,000 to build, was funded largely through a fund bequeathed by William J. Murphy. Journalism, advertising and public relations courses are currently taught in the hall at the undergraduate, graduate and doctorate levels. The building features a journalism lab and library. It is located at 206 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 on the Northrop Mall area of the University of Minnesota's East Bank campus.
Original Murphy
Classes were first held in Murphy Hall during the winter quarter of 1940. The original building had four floors, housed multiple laboratories and was the home of the Minnesota Daily, the Ski-U-Mah, the Gopher and the Literary Review. The chairman of the department at the time was Ralph D. Casey, who served in that capacity for over 30 years. The journalism department itself was founded on campus in 1922 but was housed in various locations across campus, including Folwell and Pillsbury Halls and the old Music Building. Before becoming an official department, journalism classes were offered occasionally on the St. Paul campus through the agriculture school. Floor plans for the original Murphy Hall called for advertising, radio, typography, editing and reporting laboratories, as well as an auditorium, a seminar room and a museum. Plans to connect to nearby Vincent Hall were also laid out. William Murphy, a former publisher of the Star Tribune newspaper, left an interest-collecting fund for the soon-to-be-established department in 1918, citing a desire toward “the establishing and maintaining of a course of instruction in journalism.” Twenty-two years later, the gift paid for 55 percent of construction costs. The remaining funds came from a grant and student publications.
1999 renovation
Murphy Hall underwent its first substantial update at the end of the 20th century, when most of the building's interior was gutted and renovated. The $9.25 million project started in 1999 and was completed in April 2001. A new auditorium, conference center and library were added, as were new classrooms and a broadcast studio. Mark Yudof, the University president at the time, said the renovation was, "...a jumping off point for new directions and innovations. It is all very exciting. It's catapulted the journalism school back to greatness..." The original stairwells, which featured opaque glass block windows, were retained, as was the Heggen Room, which had previously served as the school's library. The exterior of the building was also left intact. Students were able to take journalism classes during the two-year renovation but were moved to nearby classrooms.