College Scorecard, the new national database of school performance shows that Purdue University Calumet students pay less for their education but earn more after graduation than students at some competing colleges like Columbia College in Chicago. Purdue Calumet and Columbia College both draw communication and broadcasting students from Northwest Indiana and the South Suburbs.
It is no surprise that Columbia College costs $17,155 more annually than Purdue University Calumet. What is surprising is that Columbia College graduates make $5,400 less than the Purdue Calumet graduates.
College Scorecard was developed by the U.S. Department of Education as a tool to give future college students an overview of 7,000 colleges and universities by focusing on three aspects of the college experience: average annual cost, graduation rate and salary after graduation.
The database does not allow the specification of programs such as communication or engineering, so the numbers are based on the university as a whole.
“This is especially important for broadcast students, because entry level broadcast jobs tend to be low paying,” said Thomas J. Roach, department head of Communication and Creative Arts at Purdue University Calumet.
“The College Scorecard validates something that we have always known: that regional students can get a quality education without having to move and take out exorbitant loans,” Roach said.
Roach said faculty in the Purdue Calumet Communication department have professional experience as well as academic credentials like MFAs and Ph.Ds. and are engaged in scholarship and curriculum development. They hold regular office hours and work with students throughout the week. Last Spring the Purdue Calumet studio was upgraded for high definition broadcast. They also purchased cameras and additional video and audio equipment for remote shooting and music production.
The Communication and Creative Arts department is home to Calumet Roundtable, a student produced weekly television talk show that focuses on communication, media and political issues. Students get additional real world experience filming sporting events on campus and broadcasting live at WJOB.
Calumet Roundtable airs Thursdays at 5:30 a.m. on WCPX-TV, ION Television in the Chicagoland area. It can also be seen at youtube.com/CalumetRoundtable.
In addition to Communications Studies and Broadcasting, the Communication department also offers concentrations in Journalism, Media Studies, Public Relations, Advertising, International Communication, and Visual Communication. For more information, call Communication and Creative Arts Advisor Cait Lackey at (219) 989-8697, or see her at the department open house November 14, from 9 a.m. to noon.