In 1977, the School of Art, the School of Music, the Department of Journalism, and the Department of Speech and Theatre Arts merged to form the College of Communications and Fine Arts, under the leadership of founding Dean Phillip Weinberg. The new College contained the divisions of Art, Communication, Music, and Theatre Arts with directors on annual appointments. In 1992, the divisions became "departments" with elected chairpersons on academic-year appointments. in 1999, a new interdisciplinary program in Multimedia was inaugurated. Programs within the College are dependent upon adequate classroom, studio, and performance facilities; the College now occupies five of the eleven academic buildings on campus: Constance Hall was originally a women's residence and has served since the 1950's as the Music Building. Hartmann Center for the Performing Arts was dedicated in 1979 as the theatre performance building. Complete renovation of a nearby church in 1983 resulted in Dingledine Music Center, the College's concert hall. In 1987, the Heuser Art Center was opened. In 1996, the Global Communications Center became home of the College and a central location for the technology to support the Department of Communication as well as each of the programs in the College. In 1996, a five-million-dollar endowment named the college the Henry Pindell Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts.

In the last ten years, the College has enjoyed steady growth in numbers of students and faculty as well as in the importance and vitality of its programs. During the last four years, and with the opening of the Global Communications Center, unprecedented enrollment growth has occured especially in mass communication and graphic design concentrations. Likewise, cocurricular activities--music and theatre performance, gallery and speech activities, professional organizations, and competitive teams-- have grown appreciably in both participation and quality. Most importantly, significant growth in academic programs has been acheived with the realization of the Multimedia major, the Global Scholars International Option, successful globalization of curricula, and innovative technology mediated instruction.

Henry Pindell Slane

Henry Pindell Slane, a life-long Peorian, served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Peoria Journal Star. The newspaper, formerly the Peoria Journal Transcript, was founded by Henry Slane's maternal grandfather, Henry M. Pindell, in 1889. After a number of mergers, the Journal Star was formed in 1954 with Henry Slane's father, Carl P. Slane, as publisher. Carl Slane served on the Bradley University Board of Trustees from 1953 to 1969.

Mr. Slane's gift to the University recognizes the significant impact Bradley university has on the Peoria Community and honors his grandfather, who believed:

"To inform without bias, to advise without rancor, and to intervene without malice, to be absolutely independent in religion and politics and blind to race, creed or color, to account no victory won which brings distress to the people, and no battle lost which is waged in behalf of just demands. To serve the larger, public interest with vigilance, courage and justice--that is the spirit and purpose of my newspapers."

Henry M. Pindell
July 1917