In 1958, the pioneering
spirit of the University of Navarra was proven with the
founding of the Institute of Journalism, which was the first center in Spain
to teach journalism at university level.
For over 10 years, the Institute of Journalism was the
only private university center to give journalists third-level
training, in a field controlled by the state-run Official
School of Journalism (Escuela Oficial de Periodismo).
During that time there were some milestones that marked
the balanced theoretical/practical approach which has
always been found in the teaching of the School. Examples
are the installation of the first radio studios for students
use (1964), television studios (1969), and the creation
of the faculty magazine Nuestro
Tiempo (1954), now one of the most veteran magazines
on the Spanish journalist scene. At the same time, all
research results were channeled through Colección
de Ciencias de la Información, which was
created by Ediciones de la Universidad de Navarra (EUNSA)
editorial in 1963, and currently has over a hundred titles
in print.
In acknowledgement of all this experience, in 1971,
our studies were recognized as University Licentiate
Degrees, with the creation of the University Schools
of Information Science. The University of Navarra was
one of the pioneers together with the Schools of the
Complutense University of Madrid and the Autonomous University
of Barcelona. The far-reaching research that had been
carried out in Pamplona since the founding of the Institute
of Journalism was also a deciding factor in the introduction
of the first PhD program, which resulted in the first
Doctor in Information Science in Spain, in 1979.
Beginning with the recognition of our degrees, a second
stage of development was begun, with special emphasis on
strengthening research and the training of teaching staff,
and opening the School up to outside influences. On the
former point, we must emphasize the following:
- between 1979 and 1990, 30 doctoral dissertations
were presented
- in 1986, the International Seminars on
Information Science were inaugurated – now
in their 20th year and called the International
Congress
- in 1988, the first edition of the academic
journal Comunicación
y Sociedad was published, and it
is now one of the oldest published in Spanish
- the
Departments have become recognized research
and teaching centers within the School.
There are two aspects to be emphasized in the opening
to outside influences: on the one hand, important
collaboration between the School, professionals and
the media in order to develop research and applied
education; on the other, the international advancement
of the School, particularly in Latin America.
- This applied vocation for collaboration with
professionals can be seen in the holding of seminars
for managers of communication companies (1984),
the establishment of consultancy work (1985), the
creation of a Seminar on Economic Information (1987)
or setting-up of an audiovisual production company, Euroview (1989).
- As for international advancement, among other
initiatives, our School was the first to set up
a Program for Latin-American Graduates (PGLA),
which was attended by over 400 professionals between
1975 and 1990; or agreements for collaboration
and student exchange with major foreign universities.
In the 90’s, the most important milestone
was the incorporation of the degrees in Film,
Television and Digital Media Studies, and Publicity
and Public Relations, in 1992, which coincided with the renovation
of the curriculum, and the change in Licentiate degrees
from five years study to four.
The School had to take on an ambitious project, which
meant tripling its capacity – of both students
and staff. The new Licentiate degrees were based on
principles which were similar to those which had worked
so well for the study of Journalism: formation of a
qualified staff of professors, a good balance of theoretical/practical
training, knowledge of professional demands and needs,
connection with the outside world, and patent attention
to research.
Since the mid-90’s, the new challenges for
the School, now called the School of Public Communication,
were to consolidate the new studies, to adapt training
for the changing market – mainly as a result
of new information technology, to give renewed drive
to research and promotion of professional practice,
and to strengthen the international image of the
center.
- In reference to the consolidation of the new
studies, an illustration of our efforts can be
found in the rankings such as those published by
the newspaper El
Mundo, which place our degrees among the best
in the Spanish-speaking world. Another significant
point is the great demand for admission for our
three degrees, in an area where there has been
a sharp drop in the demand for university studies
in general and huge growth in the offer for communication
studies.
- On the issue of adapting teaching to market demands
and the development of new information technology,
the School was the first to offer subjects on Internet
and on line communication on its curriculum (1995),
its lecture rooms were connected on line, and gave
the students the chance to connect their PC’s
to the services of news agencies and other on line
sources of information (1997), or when it inaugurated
an advertising laboratory, El Estudio, for practical
training (1998). Moreover, the construction of
a new building in 1998, purpose- built for the
new demands of the three degrees, has helped to
bring about many of the improvements needed for
the improvement of teaching.
Also, due to the introduction of two new degree
courses, we have improved and perfected the teacher
training process and made major investment in research.
The result can be seen in the 120 doctoral dissertations
presented between 1990 and 2002.
Finally, since the mid-90’s, the School has
continued with its policy of strengthening the practical
direction of its courses. Products of our effort
are:
The School’s contact network abroad is a growth
area, not only due to programs such as Erasmus and
Seneca, but also through bi-lateral agreements with
universities in other countries, or the offer of our
own programs for overseas graduates. |
