A school for a modern media ecosystem
“To encourage change in your organisation, you will have to start with things that are visible,” a senior executive said to me ten years ago. This quote has always stayed with me as an executive across various departments at Chiang Mai University.
Six years ago, I became head of the Faculty of Mass Communication at a time when digital was disrupting the media landscape.
Newspapers, magazines, and radio were now regarded as traditional media. These once popular formats became artifacts that the new generation was no longer interested in.
This change not only affected media organisations but educational institutes as well — our program was built on traditional media formats such as newspapers, radio, and television. As a result, our curricula were inconsistent with the changing landscape.
Modern media has merged with changes in the digital space without any separation. In the digital era, media professionals need skills in copywriting, photography, videography, and sound editing.
In the old days, the Faculty of Mass Communication had news labs, television studios, and radio stations located in different buildings. What we have so far didn’t fit the changing media landscape.
For this reason, we came up with the idea for a new building.
The Communication and Innovation Center combines audio and visual production labs and a skills development center for students who want to be startup founders. The Communication and Innovation Center building is the answer for everything they need.
The new building has sound studios, sound editing rooms, photography and videography studios, learning spaces, offices, and an auditorium. The sound studio with Dolby Surround 7.1 is designed for film and TV production, as well as podcast and audio content production.
There are also offices that will house the Center’s employees who will act as a media agency for Chiang Mai University, and support and develop students with skills to build a startup.
But the auditorium is the one thing I am most proud of. The seats are comfortable and with Dolby Surround 7.1 sound, it is ready to be a venue for film screenings, performances, seminars, and so on. Our guests can also see the beautiful Chiang Mai University reservoir from the giant window.
I am pleased and so proud that our dream building is honoured by the attendees at Splice Beta — it is the event of its kind the Center has hosted. This successful collaboration will benefit media professionals and everyone joining Splice Beta 2022.
Together, we will create history.