Help the mass media department move forward as we continue to provide programs and opportunities that produce competitive media practitioners. Through your generosity, the department will stay true to its mission of the pursuit of excellence. Your gift as part of the Day of Giving will make a real impact in four key areas:
WIFI Film Festival
The WIFI Film Festival is back to a live format and will run from April 29 to May 1, 2022. The festival was created in 2019 and is run by students and faculty from the Mass Media Department. The 2021 festival featured over 70 local and international films, three filmmaker panels and seven educational workshops. To watch the workshops from last year and learn more, go to WIFI Film Festival.
The WIFI Film Festival has a professional festival feel without the high entrance cost. Given its core belief that cinema is one of the most democratic arts with its ability to reach large audiences on an accessible and inclusive level, the festival vouches to remain free to the public. The WIFI Film Festival is 100% supported by donations and fundraising.
Technology
The two years of COVID pandemic challenged us to implement new and better ways to deliver knowledge. Your gift to the mass media department will help us bring new technology to the classroom and ensure the smooth delivery of our classes. The pandemic also put a financial strain on a lot of our students who often rely on service industry jobs to pay for college. Your gift to the mass media scholarship fund will ensure that deserving students get financial assistance so that they can focus more on their education and less on how to pay for it.
Scholarships
Scholarships make all the difference in providing the access and opportunity for students to attend the mass media program at Washburn and get their start in life with us. Through the generous support of our donors, last year we managed to award 11 endowed scholarships to 27 mass media students.
Experiential Learning with a Travel Component
Providing unique opportunities for students to learn about the world through first-hand experiences is an important goal of the mass media department. Students need to be able to take the knowledge gained in the classroom and see it put into practice. We do this through unique classes faculty have created that include travel components so students can learn outside the traditional classroom. Mass Media students can take advantage of three experiential learning courses that include travel. These are:
- Walt Disney & Society: Exploring Marketing and Advertising of the Disney Corporation in Orlando, Florida - taking place March 12-20, 2022
- Filmmaking in Society: A Practitioner’s Guide to the Film Industry in Hollywood - scheduled for summer of 2023
- International Media Seminar in Paris, France - scheduled for spring 2023
