HOWARD UNIVERSITY RADIO-TV-FILM ALUMNI SUPPORT We the Alumni and Friends of the Department of Radio, Television and Film in the School of Communications at Howard University, have come together to demonstrate our firm commitment to and support for the students, faculty and staff of the Department of Radio, Television and Film who make invaluable contributions to the media industries both nationally and internationally. Our show of support for the Department comes as the elimination of the undergraduate program in Radio, Television and Film is being considered by the School of Communications’ Administration. Debates over closing the undergraduate program in Radio, Television and Film are taking place, despite the program’s high evaluation during the recent Presidential Commission on Academic Renewal (PCAR) in which the undergraduate teaching in the Department of Radio, Television and Film was determined to be central to the academic mission of Howard University. Further, the PCAR report stresses the need for Howard University to invest more in the Radio, Television and Film program, as it has suffered from many years of financial neglect. Instead of considering how best to implement the recommendations of PCAR, the School’s Administration appears to be proceeding with plans that have been recycled for several years, involving the restructuring of the School of Communications more into a School of Journalism, in which Radio, Television and Film would not have a relevant place. It is important to remember that with the Department of Radio, Television and Film, Howard University is the only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) that provides students with an education in media production beyond the realm of journalism. Unlike other Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Howard is on par with many nationally ranked institutions by offering degree programs in audio, digital video and film production. Also, Howard is the only HBCU with a MFA in Film program, but with the closing of the undergraduate program, the MFA in Film could easily be the next to go. These plans for the future of our School have been put forth by a Blue Ribbon Panel called on by the School’s Administration. What is outstanding about this Blue Ribbon Panel is the complete absence of students, faculty, alumni and industry professionals in the areas of radio, television and film production. Likewise, what is the need for this outside Blue Ribbon Panel, after a nearly two year assessment process by PCAR which concluded that the Department of Radio, Television and Film is a strong academic program that highlights the uniqueness of Howard University, despite it being underfunded? Lastly, why is an outgoing Dean whose publicly announced departure was for June 30, 2011, currently making dramatic decisions that will impact the entire makeup and mission of the School of Communications at Howard University. These are questions we hope President Sidney Ribeau will be able to answer as well as demonstrate his personal commitment to and support for the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Howard University, a program that for forty years has produced leading creative professionals in media and film around the world. From India to South Africa, New York to L.A., wherever you find artists using media to tell their stories and the stories of their communities and their people, you will find a graduate of the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Howard University. We are an unique bunch with a fiery spirit and a knowledge, fostered at Howard, that if you can change the image and you can change minds. Our goal with this petition is to change the image of the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Howard University as being a program that can be financially underdeveloped and disregarded for years without any accountability and without any voices being heard. Instead, we intend to change the minds of University and School administrators by demonstrating our support for the Department and by challenging President Sidney Ribeau to join us in our commitment to this program which offers the greatest hope in building the Howard University of the future of which he envisions.