-by Dawn Gerken

If you were to ask me what I think is special about the King's College Mass Communications/Media Technologies department, I wouldn't have any problem giving an answer.  I would be able to tell you what makes it special to me.  However, if you were to ask me what makes it unique and different from any other college's Communications department, I wouldn't be able to tell you.  King's has been my home for four years; I haven't gone anywhere else, and I have nothing to compare it to.

Transfer students; however, have experienced a whole other world.  They have spent some time in another college environment and then chose to come to King's.  Why?  What is it about our Mass Communications/Media Technologies department that draws students away from their previous colleges?  Ask any one of them and you are likely to get at least one common reply: the broad range of electives.

Lacey Banis, a senior Mass Communications/Media Technologies major, works on a QuarkXPress assignment.

Lacey Banis, a senior Mass Communications/Media Technologies student, transferred from Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia where she had been a theater major.  According to Lacey, she had always been interested in journalism, but  "Sweet Briar didn't offer journalism." 

When Lacey visited King's she was surprised at the many avenues open to Mass Communications/Media Technologies majors.  "I am very interested in advertising, and King's can accommodate that."

Carolyn Ren, also a senior, was surprised at how much she has learned so far.  She had originally thought she would only get an overview of the field, but with courses ranging from desktop publishing to Magazine Article Writing, she got much more than she expected.  "I'm learning so much in depth.  I'm really happy about that."

Patty Barney.   Click on her picture to hear her thoughts on the Mass Communications department.

Courses are one thing, but without excellent teachers they can only get you so far.

In our Mass Communications/Media Technologies department, it is more than just a student-teacher relationship.  "They respect us," says Patty Barney, a junior who lives off campus.

Carolyn Ren agrees with Patty.  "They really care for you as a person," she says, adding that Mrs. Joyce is a great emotional support, and Dr. Plummer "treats you like a person."

Todd Charron (left), a senior, works in a video editing room on the sixth floor of Hafey-Marion.   Click on his picture to hear his thoughts on the Mass Communications department.

Todd Charron, a senior who transferred from Virginia Tech, also got very close to his professors.   "They know your name, they're very personable."  Outside of class professors are less of an authority figure and more like a friend.

For Lacey Banis, Sandy Whiting (a former teacher at King's) was especially helpful in teaching her what the professional world was like during her internship at Whiting's advertising agency.  She also got to be a lot closer to Dr. and Mrs. Mussari (better known as Doc and Kitch).  "I can talk to all three of them on many different levels.  They're there for me."

That's what great professors do: they go out of their way to help you and to prepare you for your future, not just in the job market, but in the world in general.  Our professors are not just teachers; they are role models and, most importantly, they are your friends.

Through a transfer student's eyes it is easy to see what makes the King's Communications department different from others.