Strategic Priority #5

Strengthen community engagement and service

Goal: Deepen The Media School’s commitment to community engagement by fostering meaningful partnerships that use media to advance social good, amplify diverse voices, and enrich local and global communities.

Strategy 1: Expand Collaborative Community Initiatives

1. Develop partnerships with local organizations, including media outlets, nonprofits, schools, and government agencies, to create community-driven storytelling, media literacy programs, and public health campaigns focused on regional issues like agricultural sustainability, public health, and local news coverage.
2. Collaborate with student media, the new public broadcasting entity, and other IU schools on community service projects that offer hands-on learning while supporting local causes (e.g., student-run media campaigns such as a public health initiative with the School of Public Health, a digital literacy project with the Luddy School of Informatics, and others). These initiatives will align with educational goals and while maintaining editorial independence.
3. Partner with public broadcasting platforms and student media to amplify underrepresented voices, facilitate public discourse on local and national issues, and engage diverse communities through town halls, panels, and broadcasts. This joint effort will emphasize content creation, community dialogue, and resource-sharing while upholding the editorial autonomy of each platform.
4. Create opportunities for students and faculty to engage in public-facing research projects that directly address community needs, gathering feedback from local stakeholders to improve media initiatives and broaden impact.

Strategy 2: Promote Media Literacy and Civic Engagement

1. Promote media literacy and civic engagement through coursework, student media, RTV partnerships, and project-based learning, creating opportunities for students and communities to explore media’s role in democracy and society.
2. Leverage The Media School’s relationship with public broadcasting stations to support media literacy initiatives that foster informed media engagement, particularly in underserved communities, while emphasizing critical thinking and
   informed media consumption.
3. Encourage student-led media projects focused on civic engagement, providing real-world platforms to explore media ethics, political discourse, and social responsibility.

Strategy 3: Foster Global and Local Impact Through Media

1. Expand exchange programs and partnerships with media organizations and academic institutions worldwide, providing students with global perspectives and opportunities to engage with international media challenges. Focus on areas such as digital communication, global health communication, and cross-cultural storytelling.
2. Establish research partnerships with global and local institutions to co-develop research projects, creative work, and media policies addressing major global challenges, such as public health communication, digital equity, and media’s role in democratic societies.
3. Develop internship programs and job placement initiatives that connect students with global media organizations, offering both local and international media work experience in areas such as investigative journalism, digital content creation, and media technology.
4. Partner with global media and research organizations to host collaborative projects that tackle international challenges and contribute to worldwide conversations on media’s role in fostering community engagement, societal well-being, and global connectivity.