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 | -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 opened its doors to its first class of master’s students. It also offered non-degree Professional Development Studies, which continues uninterrupted to this day. Later, it offered a doctoral program. |
| 1969 | -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 the 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 Ph.D. in Library and Information Studies. |
| 1983 | -Names of the departments and programs at SCILS were denoted as the 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. The doctoral program of the school was converted from a Ph.D. in Library and Information Studies to the interdisciplinary Ph.D. 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 the School of Communication and Information (SC&I). The 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 Ph.D. in Communication, Information, and Library Studies was changed to Ph.D. 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. |
| 2025 | -The Master of Communication and Media program launches a fully online option, expanding flexible and accessible learning to students across the country and around the world. |
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), 2022-2025
- Mark Aakhus (Interim Dean), 2025