COM and ENG consider combining

JAMIE DIEDRICH
PHOTOGRAPHER

JACK JONES
STAFF WRITER

11/3/2025

This academic year and the last have seen many changes to the Alma College course load. The newest shift in our current academic structure is the upcoming merger of the English and Communication majors and departments. 

Though not officially approved yet, the English and Communication departments are seeking to merge into a single department and major. The two departments are currently in the process of putting the finishing touches on the proposed plan. This will likely result in a single major with multiple tracks or specializations for students to pursue. 

“In a sense, both English majors and Communication majors would be housed under one department, under one program, under one major. Currently, as we envision it, it would not be dissimilar to majors that have tracks or cognates where students get a degree program but specialize in a given area.” said Matthew Cicci, Professor of both English and Communication classes. 

Current students studying in these fields do not need to fear the change; their majors will move forward unchanged. Only students beginning their majors after the changes to the major are implemented would be a part of the new program. Once the new plan was approved, there would, of course, be a significant shift in the courses offered, and new majors would follow a different path than previous English and Communication majors. 

“It is likely we may have to do some course substitutions or be a bit more hands-on with students as they wrap up their degree programs, but we are committed to doing that in as seamless and stress-free a way as possible,” said Cicci.

These changes are motivated by departments across campus looking at a self-review, checking in on the department’s programs, and their success. This program review for the English and Communication departments resulted in new ideas about how to best serve their students. 

“For both ENG and COM, we saw an opportunity to update, modernize, and rethink how we prepare students for today’s world. After examining similar programs nationwide, it became clear that merging two programs grounded in rhetoric, perspective-taking and critical reasoning could strengthen ENG outcomes while providing COM with greater focus and academic rigor. Interestingly, many Communication programs originally grew out of English departments, so this merger also feels like a thoughtful return to shared roots,” said Cicci.

These changes are still a little ways away; once the English and Communication departments have finalized the plan, it will go before the Educational Policy Committee. Assuming the plan is then approved by the EPC, it would be presented to the faculty for discussion and a vote. If these steps go smoothly, the new program will go into effect next year during the 2026-2027 academic cycle. 

These changes are another part of the continued change that Alma College has been undergoing in the last months and years. Most notably, there has been a shift in faculty spending and focus on future sustainability for the college’s current enrollment.

This has also included the cutting of student organization budgets and the soon closure of the theatre department. This is another piece of the changes Alma College continues to experience as the college adapts to new circumstances.