The School Organized the 60th Anniversary Deans’ Forum “Excellence in Journalism and Communication Education: Showcasing Works and Sharing Best Practices Across Greater China and Beyond”

From July 4 to 5, the School hosted the 60th anniversary Deans’ Forum “Excellence in Journalism and Communication Education: Showcasing Works and Sharing Best Practices Across Greater China and Beyond.” This two-day conference invited vice presidents, deans, and experts from 26 journalism and communication schools across the Greater China region and Singapore to discuss the impacts and challenges faced by journalism and communication education in a rapidly changing media environment, as well as the opportunities and future ahead.

Professor Poon Wai-yin, the Provost of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, served as the officiating guest. She noted that the School of Journalism and Communication has grown from a small department with only two lecturers and six students to a school with over 400 undergraduates, 300 graduate students, and more than 9,000 alumni, experiencing remarkable growth and development.

Professor Donna Chu, the School Director, mentioned that the School is designated with the subject code COMM, and the 60th anniversary celebration is marked with “BeCOMM and Beyond” as a self-encouragement. She believed that we should inherit the beliefs and values of the discipline while also possessing a vision that transcends boundaries and pursues excellence.

The venue also featured two exhibitions: “Curriculum Design” and “Student Works.” The “Curriculum Design Exhibition” showcased the latest course outlines from the 26 participating institutions, each with its unique characteristics. The “Student Works Exhibition” displayed outstanding works by young students. Attendees expressed that it was a rare opportunity to explore the educational philosophies and outcomes of various institutions in a short time and discuss trends in journalism and communication education. This immersive exhibition experience offered a refreshing perspective to the guests.

Professor Anthony Fung, Dean of the Faculty of Social Science at CUHK, delivered the closing remarks. He summarized the thought-provoking questions raised by the guests during the conference: What are the core skills of the journalism and communication profession? Will media disappear, or will it exist in new forms? Where does technological confidence in the AI era come from? How should we teach students, and what kind of people do we want our students to become? Professor Fung believed these discussions would continue to evolve in the future, as everyone contributes ideas to co-create a new paradigm for journalism and communication education.