SC&I History

A Brief History of Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information

The School of Communication and Information was established at Rutgers in 1982, but the roots of the academic programs housed at the school reach back nine decades.

1926	Undergraduate program in Journalism was established at Rutgers College.
1927	1927 Undergraduate program in librarianship was established at the New Jersey College for Women, later Douglass College. The program ended two decades later.
1953	Graduate School of Library Service (GSLS) opened its doors to its first class of master’s students. It also offered non-degree Professional Development Studies, which continues uninterrupted through today. Later it offered a doctoral program.
1969	In 1969, a program in Journalism and Urban Communications was created within the Department of Community Development at Livingston College. It became a separate department and began awarding the Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Urban Communications in 1970s. A short time later the name was changed to Journalism and Mass Media.
1971	Undergraduate major in Human Communication was established at Rutgers College.
1978	Name of the GSLS changed to Graduate School of Library and Information Studies.
1982	School of Communication, Information and Library Studies (SCILS) was established. At the time of its inception, the school offered two undergraduate majors, one in Human Communication and one in Journalism and Mass Media, a Master of Library Service (MLS), and a PhD in Library and Information Studies.
1983	Names of the departments and programs at SCILS were denoted as Department of Communication Department of Journalism and Mass Media Department of Library and Information Studies
1987	Master of Communication and Information Studies (MCIS) program was established. Doctoral program of the school was converted from a PhD in Library and Information Studies to the interdisciplinary PhD in Communication, Information, and Library Studies.
1999	The name of the Master of Library and Information Studies program was changed to Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS).
2000	The name of the major in Journalism and Mass Media was changed to Journalism and Media Studies.
2001	Undergraduate major in Information Technology and Informatics began accepting students.
2005	Online option for the Master in Library and Information Science program admitted its first students.
2009	Name of the school was changed to School of Communication and Information (SC&I). Dual degree BA/MCIS pathway was approved for Communication majors.
2010	Minor in Digital Communication, Information, and Media (DCIM) was established.
2014	Minor in Gender and Media was established as a joint venture with the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies in the School of Arts and Sciences.
2015	The name of the Master of Library and Information Science program was changed to Master of Information (MI) to reflect the scope of the curriculum, which still includes a strong specialization in library and information science.
2016	Dual degree BA/MI pathway was approved for Information Technology and Informatics majors.
2017	The name of the Master of Communication and Information Studies was changed to Master of Communication and Media (MCM), with formal governance by both the Communication and Journalism and Media Studies Departments.
2018	The name of the PhD in Communication, Information, and Library Studies was changed to PhD in Communication, Information, and Media.
2019	Dual degree BA/MCM pathway was approved for Journalism and Media Studies majors.
2021	The Master of Health Communication and Information program was launched and admitted its first cohort of students for the spring term.

Deans

Graduate School of Library Service/ Graduate School of Library and Information Studies

H. Lowell Martin, 1953 – 1958
Ralph Shaw, 1959-1961
Neal Harlow, 1961 – 1969
Thomas Mott, 1969-1982

School of Communication, Information and Library Studies

William A. Stuart (Acting Dean), 1982-1983
Richard Budd, 1983-1997
Todd Hunt (Acting Dean), 1997-1998
Gustav W. Friedrich, 1998-2008

School of Communication and Information

Jorge Reina Schement, 2008-2013
Claire R. McInerney (Acting Dean), 2013-2015
Jonathan Potter, 2015-2022
Dafna Lemish (Interim Dean), 2022-