A gift to this fund provides general help to the College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media, enabling it to lend support to areas, projects and programs of greatest need.
The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media is home to a one-of-a-kind learning environment that allows students’ creativity and collaboration to flourish.
CFAM combines different disciplines to cultivate innovation amongst students, according to Michael Hilt, Ph.D., dean.
“Our students ... may major in music performance or in theater, or in emerging media ... but when they leave here, they take with them their creativity, their ability to meet deadlines and to function within a team environment."
CFAM centers its practice around career readiness and real-world preparation through community engagement. Students leave the college with a better understanding of real-world expectations and job experience. The college requires students to complete an internship as part of their degree, further exemplifying this idea.
Hilt has watched the college evolve alongside the rapid growth of media in our daily lives. He emphasized that success in the field now requires more than just knowing how to write a press release or take event photos — it’s about mastering a wide range of skills across disciplines within the college.
“As those [media] worlds have merged — collided, some people would say — you have to be able to do all those things,” Hilt said. “Today, it’s an expectation. Employers expect that.”
CFAM students can collaborate and develop skill sets while also building a strong sense of community and connection. For example, broadcasting students gain hands-on experience with real equipment while theater students bring stories to life on stage.
As a college that puts on countless events each year, provides scholarships for students and hosts impactful guest speakers, donor support is vital and visible in all the work that CFAM does.
“Student scholarships have always been so important, and I would suggest that, currently and moving forward, scholarships will be even more important,” Hilt said. “We need to help all of our students attain these college degrees, and that’s through the scholarship program.”
The most rewarding aspect of donating to CFAM is that, as a donor, you can see the impact that each dollar has toward this college
“Donors will see and hear the students that they’ve supported — through their scholarship funds — on stage, on camera, in the art gallery … and that’s how they’ll know,” Hilt said. “We will not keep it a secret.”
Hilt expects continued growth and innovation within the college. That growth is made possible through donor support. CFAM aims to keep pushing for excellence across its faculty, students and arts programming
To help CFAM continue its impact on campus, please consider donating to the UNO Fund – Communication, Fine Arts and Media today.
