Seton Hall Launches College of Human Development, Culture, and Media

On Oct 6, 2023

Striving to improve the human condition by collaborating across distinct fields that uniquely complement one another, Seton Hall University has launched the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media (CHDCM).

“The new college epitomizes one of the hallmarks of a Seton Hall education: an interdisciplinary approach to learning that grounds students firmly in their chosen disciplines while expanding their perspectives through collaboration and interprofessional development – setting them apart in their ability to lead in a wide variety of fields and solve society’s most-pressing problems,” said University Interim President Katia Passerini, Ph.D.

Following more than a year of thoughtful planning and collaborative work among a range of Seton Hall community members, including students, faculty, alumni, staff and administrators, the College was officially launched on Aug. 1. It was developed in accordance with the university’s Harvest Our Treasures strategic goals and reframes education and communication as engines of innovation that intersect with each other to drive human development.

CHDCM seeks to improve the human condition by collaborating across distinct fields that uniquely complement one another. Expression underpins all facets of the new College’s portfolio — media as a form of education and artistic expression; teaching and learning as modes of creative expression; self-expression as a vehicle of social agency. From law enforcement to educators to counseling to leadership, students are grounded firmly in their chosen discipline while expanding their perspectives through collaboration — setting them apart in their ability to lead in a variety of fields and solve pressing problems in society.

Integrating exceptional faculty and dynamic, cross-disciplinary curricula, CHDCM will prepare its graduates to practice in a multi-media world, thanks to cutting-edge tools and unparalleled studio-based learning opportunities – including WSOU 89.5FM, a Marconi award-winning “best Non-Commercial Radio Station;” the recently upgraded 4k television studio; the Center for Sports Media; and the Institute for Communication and Religion. As part of the first Adobe Creative Campus in New Jersey, Seton Hall’s CHDCM will train students in tools and technologies that make them more nimble, relevant and digitally savvy communicators.

Advancing the mission and the vision of the new college is Bryan Crable, Ph.D., distinguished scholar in communication and rhetoric, who was selected through a national search and began his appointment as founding dean on August 14. Dean Crable served at Villanova University as professor of communication/rhetorical studies since 2012 and founding director of the Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society (WFI) since 2010. In this role, he received two Presidential Citations from the National Communication Association, including a Citation for his work in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in 2018 and a Citation for Service in 2022. Among other recent awards and honors, he received Villanova’s Outstanding Faculty Mentor Teaching Award for 2021.

“I am excited to join the Seton Hall community, and honored to serve the students, faculty, staff and alumni of CHDCM,” Dean Crable said. “This new college represents an unparalleled opportunity, first because it will give Seton Hall students a truly unique education, combining mastery in their fields of study with the added power of interdisciplinary tools and perspectives. Further, I believe CHDCM can and will become an intellectual and pedagogical leader in the region and nation — known as the place for cutting-edge, transdisciplinary engagement with the most pressing problems of our time.”

“The unique interdisciplinary nature of the CHDCM requires a dean who is at the forefront of scholarship and can move nimbly across disciplinary boundaries to lead innovation in teaching and research,” said Interim Provost Erik Lillquist, J.D. “With Dean Crable at the helm, I am enthusiastic about the college’s potential to grow in stature and benefit our students, the University and society.”

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