Broadcast Education Association ranks RU #9 internationally for radio, television & film

The Broadcast Education Association, which perennially recognizes Rowan University student achievement in radio, television and film during the organization’s conference in Las Vegas, this week released its first ranking of schools, naming Rowan #9 internationally overall.

In addition to the overall ranking, the BEA ranked Rowan RTF programs #3 in audio, #6 for documentary, #9 in film and video, and #18 for news programming.

The BEA noted that in creating the ranking system its goal was to recognize student creative achievement based on results of recent BEA Festival of Media Arts competitions. In the last five years, nearly 6,000 student creative works were submitted from BEA’s more than 300 member institutions around the globe.

This year, the BEA will recognize a dozen Rowan students and faculty members for a wide range of creative work including radio broadcasting on WGLS-FM, short film and interactive media during the Festival of Media Arts April 24-25.

Within the new ranking system the organization considered the quantity and quality of student work produced.

 “The rankings are an evaluation of the quality and consistency of students’ creative works produced at one institution compared to those at other institutions,” BEA officials noted on their site. “While the BEA has been evaluating student works for nearly 20 years in competition, the rankings are based on the past five-year period of student success.”

Keith Brand, chair of Rowan’s department of Radio, Television & Film in the Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts, said the BEA’s inclusion of Rowan so high in its first formal ranking speaks to the prolific, high-quality work students produce at the institution.

“The Broadcast Education Association is one of the premier professional organizations for academic media programs and we’re proud that the work of our students is ranked amongst many of the best-known media production programs in the country,” Brand said.

Edelman CCCA Dean Sanford Tweedie said the ranking, while gratifying, affirms what faculty and students already know.

“Rowan is a leader in this area, and our students are outstanding content creators mentored by an incredible group of faculty,” Tweedie said.

The department will host its 8^th annual RTF Media Fest, a celebration of feature animations, documentaries, short narrative films, broadcasting and audio productions, and original screenplays produced by students April 8-9 in Bozorth Hall.