James Babanikos to Step Down as UFCJC Associate Dean at the End of Fall 2024 Semester
James Babanikos, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) associate dean for undergraduate affairs and Media Production, Management, and Technology (MPMT) professor, will step down in December 2024 to return to teaching.
As associate dean, Babanikos was instrumental in helping navigate the shift to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, including overseeing academic advisers as they migrated to working from home. He also assisted with the digitization of many student forms so they could be electronically signed.
Other accomplishments include:
- Revamping the assessment of the learning outcomes process, including “senior learning assessment” and “capstone projects evaluated by industry professionals.”
- Reducing the number of credit hours for all majors from 124 to 120 hours, saving the students time and money.
- Reworking the outside concentration requirements so that transfer students can graduate on time and students have a chance to explore more areas of interest.
- Changing the High and Highest Honors criteria to be strictly GPA-based (3. 70 for High Honors and 3.85 for Highest Honors) so that students who must work while going to school are not at a disadvantage.
- Changing the Dean’s List criteria from 3.5 to 3.75 to make it more challenging and prestigious.
As chair of the UFCJC Curriculum and Teaching Committee, he helped usher in a host of program and curriculum changes including two new tracks in Public Relations (PR); new minors in PR and in MPMT; certificates in Political Communication, Creative Advertising and Spanish Language News; and many new courses in all four departments.
Babanikos has worked as a writer/director in video and film since 1984 and joined UFCJC faculty in 1993. He helped advance the process to change the name of the Telecommunication Department to Media Production, Management, and Technology.
Posted: September 9, 2024
Category: College News
Tagged as: James Babanikos, MPMT, PATH
