August 2024
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The Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication embarked on a
strategic planning process during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years. Strategic Plan
committee members included professional journalists and communicators, as well as faculty
and administrators from ACEJMC-accredited schools. Membership included past and present
Council and Committee members.
President Del Galloway charged the committee with writing a plan that provides guidance for
the Council as it navigates changes in technology, industry needs, and the legal and legislative
landscape regarding access and engagement, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
The plan calls for significant investment in research, data reporting and advocacy. It was
prepared with the understanding that new costs for implementing key indicators will come
from grants and gifts sought from foundations and individuals to support the work of
ACEJMC. Any research will be conducted primarily from site team reports in keeping with the
Council’s promise to not publicly release self-studies without unit permission.
(Key indicators that require philanthropic support are followed by an asterisk *.)
ACEJMC Vision (This is the Council’s current Vision statement)
 

To improve the instruction and performance of journalism and mass
communications schools throughout the world, we will:
1. Reimagine teaching and learning of journalism/communication to serve the
public.
2. Forge diverse and inclusive programs where differences are celebrated, equity
is pursued, and diverse communities are served through improved
communication and journalism instruction.
3.   Relentlessly strive to assure information integrity, assuring that truth is
gathered and reported.

ACTION NEEDED:
The Strategic Planning Committee moves the adoption of the following plan to guide ACEJMC
policies and practices through the 2029 academic year:

DRAFT Plan as proposed by the Strategic Planning Committee
Strategic Plan guiding Principles, inspired by ACEJMC’s vision, objectives, values and
competencies
  
 Democracy: Skilled, ethical journalism and mass communications are essential for
citizens to meaningfully participate in their government.
 Truth: The truth prevails in a vibrant, just, civil society.
 Access and Engagement: Journalism and mass communications will thrive if the
professions engage underserved communities and include professionals from those
communities.
 Diversity: Democracy cannot thrive without commitment to diversity, equity and
inclusion for all citizens.
 Innovation: Newsgathering and audience engagement must be modern and
relevant, reflecting continual innovation, while maintaining high standards and
integrity.
 Impact: Journalism and Mass Communication education must commit to teaching
students democratic principles, truth telling, diversity and innovation.

 Goal 1: ACEJMC uses the accrediting process to improve the quality of programs and the
professions

Objective 1: Encourage curricula and delivery systems that prepare students for
fast-paced, ever-changing industries, and that reflect state-of-the-art best
practices.
Objective 2: Drive improvements in curriculum to address current and future industry
needs. Students at accredited schools will be ready to work as professional
communicators and journalists.
Objective 3. Help programs prepare students to guide trustworthy
communications in a world dominated by AI and machine learning.
Objective 4. Involve academics and professionals from journalism,
communications and media-related fields in the process of evaluating programs.
Key Indicators:
ACEJMC will:
1. Increase the number of units/programs participating in accreditation by at least five over
the next five years.
2. Embark on a campaign to raise gifts and grants to support the work of ACEJMC.
3. Work with partners and outside funders to commission research and scholarship to evaluate
how well our member schools prepare students for jobs in disrupted media and serve
underserved communities.*

4. Consider how non-traditional teaching/learning models could qualify for accreditation.
5. Gather and evaluate evidence of how units have improved active learning “laboratory”
practices such as student media and joint projects with professional newsrooms and
agencies. *
6. Use information found in self-studies to track job placement and issue periodic findings.
7. Ensure that data about site teams shows a representative mix of professionals and
academics.
8. Use data to ensure the accrediting process is improving educational outcomes and student
success.*

Goal 2:  ACEJMC is committed to fostering access and engagement with underserved
communities, as well as diverse and inclusive programs, curricula and activities in journalism
and mass communication education.

Objective 1: Foster and preserve the values of access, engagement, diversity,
inclusion, equity, and belonging in our accreditation practices and requirements.
Objective 2. Support programs in addressing the complex interests and myriad
needs of stakeholder groups.
Objective 3. Recognize and reflect current state and federal law, and university
requirements related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Key Indicators:
ACEJMC will:
1. Accelerate review of Standard 4 to reflect legal requirements and best practices.
2. Provide training on issues of diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging, in the form of
accessible materials and annual programming, for Committee, Council and site team
members. The training will be coordinated through the Engagement Committee and include
the latest interpretations of state and federal laws related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
3. Conduct annual training for accredited programs in best practices to meet the requirements
found in Standard 4.*
4. Conduct annual training for site-team chairs to navigate the tensions inherent in applying
our standards with the legal, historical, cultural and political context in which our programs
operate.*
5. Circulate data and discuss the Council’s access, engagement and diversity-focused values at
annual meetings. ACEJMC’s resolution on diversity will be reviewed annually.
6. Publish annually the demographic composition of site teams, the Council and the
Committee (in aggregate, cross-tabulated).

Goal 3:  ACEJMC fosters trust and an informed society by promoting information integrity.
         
 Objective 1: Emphasize “understanding professional ethical principles” as a public-
facing value of each program.
 
Objective 2. Advance and promote the value of information integrity to help counter
misinformation, disinformation and malinformation.

Key Indicators:
ACEJMC will:
1 Gather information from site team reports about unit activities and outcomes
associated with elevating ethics, integrity and credibility in media. * 
2. Gather and publish information about programs’ outreach to communities they serve
to assess how integrity and trust are perceived.*
3.  Periodically review and gather information from self-studies and site team reports to
encourage, identify and promote research on information integrity.*
In addition:
ACEJMC will:
4.  Encourage extension to the public opportunities to understand media principles and
to practice discerning consumption of media.
5. Embrace curriculum development and new tools and tactics that support the primacy
of media literacy and personal ethics among students.
6. Promote and facilitate opportunities for programs to share initiatives, experiences
and outcomes associated with elevating integrity.
Goal 4: ACEJMC promotes and protects the public good   
        
Objective 1. Advocate for curriculum that recognizes the role of journalism and
communications in furthering a just and civil society.
Objective 2. Foster active learning by encouraging units to serve their campuses, and
local and national communities.
Objective 3. Advocate for the value of education in journalism and mass
communications in championing democratic values as the foundation of a diverse and
inclusive society.
Objective 4. Encourage and facilitate student awareness of how society and media
professions are evolving by advocating media literacy and social issue literacy.
 
      Key Indicators:
ACEJMC will:
1.Encourage research and scholarship that uses accreditation data from site team
reports to assess units’ attention to issues intrinsic to the profession and vital to society,
using as guides ACEJMC’s mission, vision, resolutions, accrediting standards, site visits
and other means as designated by the Council. *

2.ACEJMC will periodically fund faculty and graduate student research and publish
findings to support the use of accreditation data. *
3.Serve as a reliable resource for public discourse on the role of journalism and other
communications in promoting and protecting the public good. The Engagement
Committee will seek and track opportunities for participation in public discourse.
 
*Require funding
Strategic Plan Committee Members:
Lucy Dalglish, University of Maryland (Chair)
Caesar Andrews, University of Nevada, Reno
Dorothy Bland, University of North Texas
Heidi de Laubenfels, Arcus Pace, Inc.
Marie Hardin, Penn State University
Andrew Mendelson, CUNY
John Paluszek, Business in Society
Dan Shelley, RTDNA

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