As we approach the end of 2010, let's look back at few highlights of what was undoubtedly one of the most successful years in the history of the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media at MSU.

• TISM faculty members had an amazing year - easily the best in the history of the college - in terms of success in obtaining external funding for research and creative endeavors.  Our grant success was headlined by two major grants totaling more than $11 million from the US Department of Commerce  - one aimed at improving access to broadband Internet in rural and low income urban areas of Michigan through the establishment of public computer centers, and a second aimed at promoting sustainable adoption and use of broadband by small businesses and consumers in the state.  Faculty members in TISM also worked on projects funded by such sources as NSF, NIH, USDA, the US Dept. of State, Gates Foundation, Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Mott Foundation, and private industry.  Visit our projects page to learn more about the wide range of research and creative work in TISM.
• TISM cemented its reputation as a leading center for social media research, education, and outreach built on a foundation of funded research, highly cited publications, an outstanding social media research seminar series, and an innovative partnership with an enterprise social media platform provider that provided access to a range of field research.
• Our ICT for Development initiative gained steam with the inaugural year of a new undergraduate specialization, continuing work by faculty and students to bring Internet-connected computers to schools in Tanzania, an outstanding speaker series, and innovative research on how ICTs can aid in social and economic development in the world's poorest regions.
• Our Fiction Film Specialization and Documentary Studies Specialization, collaborations with the College of Arts and Letters as well as other units in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, each had successful inaugural years. TISM also helped to put MSU on the film map with the launch of the new Michigan Creative Film Alliance, a collaboration with film programs at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University aimed at giving advanced film students a professional production experience during the summer.
• Our game design program got serious with the successful hosting of the 2010 Meaningful Play conference that attracted over 250 delegates from around the world.  Our student game designers also prevailed in Ford's game design challenge pitting MSU against UM for top honors.
• We continue to improve our curriculum, passing both a new undergraduate curriculum and a new master's curriculum this fall.  Both proposals are now moving through the college and university review process and we hope to have them in place next fall.  In addition, the Media and Information Studies PhD program was rated as a top ten doctoral program in the field of communication according the latest National Research Council rankings.
• TISM faculty received a number of major awards for their work, including CAS dean and TISM faculty member, Pam Whitten (MSU Distinguished Faculty Award), Cliff Lampe (MSU Teacher Scholar Award), Troy Hale (Emmy Awards), and Bob Albers (BEA Award of Excellence). Also, in what has become an annual event, Impact89 FM, MSU's student radio station managed by TISM's Gary Reid, won the MAB College Station of the Year award for the tenth consecutive year.
• We welcomed two new assistant professors, Rick Wash and Gary Hsieh, as well as two visiting assistant professors, Andrew Fiore and Jonathan Obar.
• TISM's outreach efforts got a considerable boost with the addition of our new outreach specialist, Valeta Wensloff.  Valeta and Jillian Winn, our first outreach specialist, combined forces to expand TISM's role in the community, including growing our popular summer media camps for high school and middle school-aged students.
• Sadly, this year we lost two long time telecommunications educators with the passing of Thomas Muth and Ron Choura.  Both taught generations of current and future telecommunications professionals for over three decades at MSU and were much loved by members of the MSU community.  Tom and Ron will continue to benefit students with the establishment of memorial funds in their names that will provide scholarships, technology, and other support to enhance our mission.

It was indeed quite a year, and we look forward an even better 2011. 

Happy New Year!