The UW Oshkosh journalism department underwent a change earlier this fall to embrace all its students. It is now called the advertising, multimedia journalism, public relations or AMP department.

 After years of research, the department concluded that this was a necessary change to encompass the many facets of journalism and give a more inclusive name that represents all its majors, minors and certificates.

Timothy Gleason, AMP department chair, said: “We are excited to share our new name and all that it represents to current and potential students. This change makes the department more visible and clearly communicates the array of our program offerings.”

The Public Relations Campaigns course completed a campaign for the rebranding of the department to gain data on the awareness of the program among current and potential students. They also increased awareness of the new name through social media, events, a promotional video and new informational pamphlets.

The AMP department offers a variety of majors, minors and certificates, small class sizes, internship opportunities and professors with real-work experience in the field. Students are able to build a solid foundation in the entry classes and from there, gain more real-life experience through a hands-on learning environment.

The rebranding has had a positive impact on students within the program who are assured that this change will bring a new light to this area of study, Gleason said.

“Renaming it to AMP will clarify the department’s scope and highlight the diverse range of skills and opportunities it provides,” said Hannah Gillen, an advertising and public relations major. “I am confident that this change will foster a better understanding among students that journalism is a multidisciplinary field with a vast array of career paths.”

 Jocelyn Nunez, a public relations major, agreed that the name change is a good way to highlight all the department offers. In the past, too many prospective students and their parents believed all the department offered was writing for newspapers and other media.

It also won’t hurt that the new department name starts with the first letter in the alphabet.

“Having our new rebranding start with the letter ‘A’ means we’ll be listed high in the list of majors and minors,” said multimedia journalism and advertising student Katie Pulvermacher. “I believe that will help the department have more interactions and engagement.”