PLANNING FOR GROWTH IN YEARS OF RESTRICTED RESOURCES

and it helped us stretch limited financial resources as far as possible. The capital moneyis partially funded out of a university funded line in the departmental budget andpartially funded out of funds raised by hiring out the department’s remotetruck/editing and studio facilities to outside clients.ConclusionThe self-study process will be largely concluded at the end of this academic year. Thisdoes not mean an end to the planning process. The search for economies within theexisting budget are ongoing. The department has to find creative ways supporting thenew areas of curriculum within the department without a budget increase. Fortunately,the faculty and staff have proved remarkably flexible throughout this process, shiftinghuman resources as needed to support the academic mission. They are responding tothe need for the program to shift and change along with student needs and the needsof our professional partners. The telecommunication industries continue to changerapidly and it has been a challenge for our department to be similarly responsive withnew curriculum and capital expenditures. The self-study process has helped thedepartment focus attention on areas that need short-term responses and plan forlonger-term changes in the academic arena. Upon conclusion of this cycle, thedepartment anticipates the continuation of the data gathering process. Finding thenecessary resources to deliver existing curricular programs with integrity remains ourshort-term responsibility. But the department must continue planning for future trendsand growth within the curriculum to remain relevant to students we serve.1 Pulley, J.L. & Borrego, A (20010, wealthiest Colleges Lost Billions in EndowmentValue Last Year. The Chronicle of Higher Education, VXLVIII, No8, pp. A24-A262 National Study for Education Statistics(http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?=20011201)3 Kells, H.R. (1995) Self-Study Process: A Guide to Self-Evaluation in HigherEducation, 4th Ed, Phoenix, Arizona, American Council on Education, Oryx Press4 Bloodworth, C. (2001) Digital Fear Factor: Eight Things to Consider WhenSelecting a DV Camcorder. Computer Videomaker, November 2001, pp.42-54BEA—Educating tomorrow’s electronic media professionals 8