Marywood University Launches New School of Communication

As artificial intelligence, digital technologies and emerging media rapidly reshape the way the world creates, communicates, performs and tells stories, Marywood University is responding by reimagining how it prepares the next generation of creative professionals.

Building upon more than a century of excellence in the arts, Marywood announced today the creation of its new School of Communication, an interdisciplinary academic home that brings together Theatre, Multimedia Communication, Film, Music Production, Digital Storytelling, Podcasting, Broadcasting, Journalism and related creative disciplines into one collaborative environment designed for the future. This new academic home is designed to prepare students for today’s rapidly evolving creative industries.

The initiative is part of the University’s strategic plan, Into the Future: Defining What’s Next, and reflects Marywood’s commitment to ensuring that students graduate with the artistic excellence, technological fluency, creative versatility and collaborative experience increasingly demanded by today’s employers and creative industries.

“The creative professions are evolving more rapidly than at any point in history,” said Marywood President Lisa Lori. “Technology is changing not only how stories are told, but who tells them, where they’re shared and how audiences experience them. While those tools continue to evolve, one thing remains constant: the world will always need creative people who can think critically, communicate effectively and inspire others through art, performance and storytelling. This new School positions our students to do exactly that.”

Rather than educating students in traditional academic silos, the School embraces the reality that today’s creative professionals routinely work across multiple disciplines. Actors perform on both stage and screen. Journalists produce podcasts and documentaries. Musicians compose for film and digital media. Content creators combine writing, video, design and performance into unified storytelling experiences.

The new School gives students opportunities to collaborate across these disciplines throughout their education, preparing them for careers that increasingly demand both artistic depth and interdisciplinary versatility.

Theatre at the Center of Creative Collaboration

A cornerstone of the new School will be Marywood’s Theatre program, which will join Multimedia Communication in a collaborative environment that reflects the modern entertainment and communications landscape. 

For much of Marywood University’s history, the Theatre program was housed within the Communication Arts Department. The creation of the new School of Communication marks a return to that longstanding organizational structure, bringing the Multimedia Communication and Theatre programs together once again within a shared academic home. Within the new School of Communication, the Theatre program will work collaboratively alongside the University’s Multimedia Communication programs, creating new opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and creative partnerships while maintaining Theatre’s unique artistic identity.

This new structure reflects the realities of today’s entertainment and communications industries, where actors, directors, designers, producers, musicians, filmmakers, digital storytellers, and content creators increasingly work together across live performance, film, streaming, audio production, digital media, voice performance, and creative entrepreneurship. By bringing these disciplines together, students will enjoy expanded opportunities for collaboration, access to new technologies and production experiences, and even stronger preparation for successful careers while preserving the artistic excellence, close faculty mentorship, and individualized education that have always defined a Marywood Theatre education.

Current Theatre students will continue with the same faculty, productions, artistic training and performance opportunities they chose when enrolling at Marywood. At the same time, they will gain expanded opportunities to collaborate with students in film, music production, broadcasting, podcasting, digital storytelling and multimedia communication.

Marywood also plans targeted investments in facilities and faculty that will expand opportunities for rehearsal, performance, recording, production and creative experimentation while strengthening partnerships throughout the region.

“Theatre has always been about storytelling,” Lori said. “Today’s storytellers must also understand digital media, emerging technologies and new platforms for reaching audiences. Bringing these disciplines together strengthens every program while preserving the artistic identity that makes each one unique.”

A University-Wide Commitment to Student Success

The creation of the School of Communication is part of a broader academic alignment designed to strengthen every creative discipline at Marywood. 

As part of that effort, Music Education will now be administratively aligned with Marywood’s nationally respected School of Education. Music Education students will continue to complete the same NASM-accredited curriculum, study with the same accomplished music faculty, participate in applied lessons, ensembles, juries and recitals, and receive the individualized mentorship they value. The difference is that they will now benefit from even closer collaboration with the University’s premier teacher preparation programs, ensuring that their artistic development is complemented by exceptional professional preparation as future educators.

Meanwhile, Music Performance students will continue studying within the Department of Music, where faculty will have an even greater opportunity to concentrate on developing each student’s artistic growth, performance skills and professional readiness through an environment that reflects the individualized attention of a conservatory while maintaining the advantages of a comprehensive university.

Music Therapy students likewise will continue to benefit from the same outstanding faculty and clinical preparation while enjoying enhanced opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration across the University, preparing graduates to thrive in a healthcare environment that increasingly values creativity, communication and collaborative practice.

At a time when many colleges and universities are reducing or eliminating arts programs, Marywood has chosen a different path. These changes, designed to strengthen Music, Theatre, and Communication programs, create new opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and career preparation while preserving the qualities that have long distinguished a Marywood education. Together, these initiatives reaffirm Marywood University’s commitment to investing in the arts by ensuring they continue to evolve alongside the professions they serve.

“Our responsibility is not simply to preserve outstanding programs,” Lori said. “It is to strengthen them for the future. By embracing thoughtful innovation while remaining grounded in the values that have always defined Marywood, we are creating opportunities for students that simply did not exist a generation ago. That is what preparing students for tomorrow truly means.”

For more information about what was shared with Music, Theatre, and Dance Students today:
MTD INFO