Dr. Robbie Morganfield. Courtesy photo
The department head of Grambling State University’s Department of Mass Communication is striving to improve the overall attitude and culture of the university.
Dr. Robbie Morganfield, the Cleo Fields Endowed Professor in Mass Communication, wants Grambling students to join the movement of ‘Minding our P’s & Q’s’ going forward when attending classes, doing activities and especially when looking for work after their scholastic career.
“I am pushing out these ideas to our students right now,” Morganfield said. “But, we as a body must emphasize this message immediately in the Fall.”
The goal of this movement is not only to change the culture of the program, but to improve the outcomes of the students when it is time for them to leave school and become one who works in a professional workplace.
Morganfield believes that if the students are on board with this movement of progression, it will be inevitable that they will be more successful, helping individual students and improving as a whole.
“Focus on students being able to finish in four years… having our students complete internal and external practical experiences.” Morganfield said.
Morganfield wants students to put themselves in a position where they will be able to graduate with job opportunities.
“It disheartened me to hear many graduating seniors say that they don’t have jobs prior to graduation,” Morganfield said.
This was a major catalyst for the beginning of this movement.
Morganfield believes that if the culture of the program changes, and that if students are encouraged from the beginning of their scholastic career to participate in the opportunities that the university offers, they will then be able to be more skilled thus giving them better probability of finding jobs and internships while still being a student.
The phrase P’s and Q’s refers to being well aware and equipped on everything required as a student and as faculty.
Morganfield uses the words: ‘Punctual, Prepared, Participatory, Pensive, Polite, Practiced, Quizzical, Qualified and Quotable’ when speaking on the basis on the P’s and Q’s Movement.
“These watch words are the foundation that we can build on,” Morganfield said.
He wants the entire department to share the same shared values, in order to convey the expectation that every student is expected to become a professional and to also be students of “Prime Quality”.
A “Prime Quality” student is one who is able to achieve greatness when working in their field of study.
Morganfield is making it a goal for all mass communication students to become involved in programs with the school that will give them professional skills.
“I would like to see 100 percent of all the students in mass comm being active in student media, via The Gramblinite, the Television Center, radio station KGRM and The Lab,” Morganfield said. “To me, all of that is part of the objective to make sure we are able to produce students of Prime Quality.”
Students working in these positions not only help them gain the skills they need, but can also open up opportunities towards professional internships and jobs after graduation.
“The outcomes of the students is what is most important,” Morganfield said. “I want students to know they can come into Grambling and leave Grambling knowing they gained what they needed in order to make a career.”