If you build it...
When I wrote the introductory note in the first edition of CMCI Now, I opened with a well-known quote from Heraclitus: “The only constant is change.”
It feels like I was writing that note just yesterday. In reality, this fall marks the beginning of CMCI’s 10th year at CU Boulder. Our journey from a brand-new college to a powerhouse of scholarly and creative excellence has been all about managing and anticipating change—from pandemic-driven lockdowns, to improving student outcomes, to ceaseless advances in technology.
The most important step on that journey may have been the first, when we sought to combine the various disciplines into CMCI and challenge our faculty, students and alumni to create impact and find value in the places where those areas overlap. Today, as we grapple with wicked problems like generative A.I. and artistic creation or how to address polarization and rescue democracy, it’s clear that one discipline doesn’t have all the answers. And when I look at the successes of our alumni—like Jordan Campbell navigating war-torn Ukraine to tell stories of resistance and resilience, or Shamika Klassen bringing a human-centered approach to a big tech company—I’m both inspired and validated by the choices we made that led us to where we are now.
If it was a big change to put information science, critical media practices, journalism and the others under one academic umbrella, then our next change may be the biggest yet. Over the summer, our integration with the university’s environmental design program— where students learn to solve design problems of the built environment—became official. I’m excited to learn from our new colleagues how the built environment represents another way for us to connect with communities, influence experiences, and advance principles like justice and sustainability. It’s already started—I had the pleasure of visiting the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse over the summer to see the work our students were doing to restore the iconic building.
Here’s to the next chapter!
Lori Bergen, PhD
Founding Dean
College of Media, Communication and Information