This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of theCollege of Communication and Fine Arts (CCFA) at The University ofMemphis.
According to its dean, Richard Ranta, the CCFA has seentremendous growth but faces an unpredictable future.
The art department now has the Center of Excellence in EgyptianArt and Archaeology and the Dorothy Kayser Hohenberg Chair ofExcellence in Art History and has added a new major inArchitecture.
Journalism is now fully accredited and has a master's program --the first available entirely online.
The music department is now the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Musicand has added two doctorial degrees and a music industry major.
The speech program is now the Department of Communication andhas a Ph.D. program. The Drama department is now Theater &Dance.
The art museum -- formerly one small collection and gallery --is now housed in the Art Museum of The University of Memphis(AMUM), housing several collections and exhibits.
However, Ranta said he is not able to clearly see the next 25years of the CCFA due to inadequate funding.
"I hope to hell that the state gets their act together and getsa decent funding base for education because you sure can't do itwith 14 percent tuition increases and lotteries -- that does nottake care of systemic problems that are here. There seems to be nopolitical will to confront what is necessary to do that," Rantasaid.
According to Ranta's message in June's CCFA Annual Newsletter,there will be special emphasis on the annual fund drive in order tomake up for a 10 percent state cut, a cut that has already placedthe dance concentration in jeopardy.
"Everybody talks about no tax increases, but we're seeing taxincreases like mad -- be it in huge increases in student activityfees or tuition or local property taxes or sales tax, we're doingeverything but confronting the devil where he lives," Rantasaid.
Alumni support, however big or small, is important forsupporting the college that has graduated 5,413 in its 25 years,according to Ranta.
Ranta has been at The University of Memphis for nearly 30 years,starting out as a communication professor, served at the first deanof the University College for a brief period, then went on to bethe assistant vice president of academic affairs. He was put incharge of several studies into starting the CCFA and was thenchosen as the founding dean.
"It's been a very exciting time growing this college --workingwith some people who have become not only good colleagues but goodfriends," Ranta said.
According to Ranta, the strength of the college reflects thestrength of the faculty. A third of the 1977 founding faculty arestill professors today.
"We've grown programs that clearly are playing on the nationalstage where many of our faculty are holding national andinternational appointments, playing in the levels of research andgetting major grants," Ranta said.
The growth of The U of M into a significant state university isdue to continual growth, according to Ranta, a growth he said he isafraid to see stop for fear of not being able to keep faculty andattract necessary replacements for those faculty retiring soon.
"We've been able to show progress and growth, and that's one ofthe problems we have with the state funding, that rather than doingthat we're showing regression and retrenchment."
