UIndy Department of Communication
Teaching through doing
From creating a communications plan to managing your own newspaper column to producing TV and radio shows, our experiential learning courses help you put what you've learned into practice and jumpstart your experience. Each of our six communication tracks allows you to build translatable skills to pack your resume. Lacking a focused career path in communication? You can sample different classes to discover what most energizes and excites you.
Top-notch facilities
Our facilities have the same modern equipment used in large TV studios and radio stations. UIndyTV and WICR FM (88.7) give you a shot at preparing sets, acting as talent, handling behind-the-scenes work, and writing TV and radio scripts. In Top Dog Communication, our public relations firm, you'll produce real work for non-profit organizations in Indianapolis. From inside the newsroom, you can write articles and help manage The Reflector, UIndy’s print and online newspaper. Learn more about Communication Facilities
Industry-cultured faculty
UIndy's communication faculty are some of the best and brightest in their industries. Our professors have real-world experience in their areas of expertise, and many of them still work in their field while teaching. They bring that experience to the classroom, giving you a practical education for a variety of communication careers. We maintain close relationships with all of our alumni, offering networking opportunities that can be beneficial to new graduates.
Jeanne Criswell Honored with National Distinguished Adviser Award by the College Media Association
In Octoberr, UIndy faculty member and adviser of The Reflector student newspaper, Jeanne Criswell, was honored with the Distinguished Adviser Award by the College Media Association (CMA) during their fall national convention.
“CMA annually recognizes the achievements of individuals through various award programs, including Honor Roll Adviser Awards for professionals who have advised for five or fewer years, Distinguished Adviser Awards for professionals who have advised for greater than five years, and a variety of special honors recognizing service and outstanding achievements,” explains the CMA website.
“I am honored to be included among the recipients of this prestigious award and deeply grateful to the CMA leaders, colleagues, and past students who submitted the nomination, wrote letters of support, and bestowed the award,” said Criswell.
Criswell is an associate professor, director of the journalism program, and adviser to The Reflector and The Reflector Online in the Department of Communication at the University of Indianapolis, where she has been a faculty member and the student newspaper adviser for nearly 22 years. She serves as Professional Freedom and Responsibility Chair for the Cultural and Critical Studies Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, on the board of directors of the Indiana Collegiate Press Association, on the Professional Development Committee of College Media Association, and as a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
In addition to her many roles in journalism education, Criswell publishes cutting-edge research on the industry. Her most recent paper, with associate professor emeritus Robert H. Gobetz and associate professor emeritus Frederick E. May, entitled "The Arizona Republic and the Indianapolis Star: A Comparative Analysis of Content Changes after Purchase by Gannett," will be published in the Spring 2023 issue of Journalism History, the flagship journal of the History Division of AEJMC and the oldest peer-reviewed journal of mass media history in the United States.
“Her enthusiasm is contagious. She pushes all involved in our campus newspaper (and beyond) to be ethical and educated in best practices of journalism. She models this behavior continuously and noticeably,” explained Rebecca Gilliland, chair of the department of communication.
Award-winning programs
The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) named Top Dog Communication the most "Outstanding Firm" in the nation twice in recent years.
The Reflector has won numerous awards from the Hoosier State Press Association, Indiana Collegiate Press Association and Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), including the SPJ Mark of Excellence, Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) and College Media Association Best of Show, and ACP Newspaper Pacemaker.
See our latest reflector awards
Electronic media students have often received awards in TV and radio categories. See our latest awards