Hood College Communication Arts, Delaplaine Business School to Merge as New Delaplaine School of Business and Communication

The Hood College Department of Communication Arts and George B. Delaplaine Jr. School of Business are coming together to form the new Delaplaine School of Business and Communication (DSBC). 

A ceremony celebrating the merger will be held within Hood College’s Rosenstock Hall on Friday, September 18. Speakers at the ceremony include Debbie Ricker, Ph.D., president of Hood College; Phillip A. Yerby ’11, member of the Board of Trustees and Communication Arts alum; Marlene B. Grossnickle Young ’76, P'09, H'14, retired president of Delaplaine Foundation Inc, former board member and namesake of the Michael S. & Marlene B. Grossnickle Young Data Driven Frederick Center; and more. The ceremony is open to Hood students, faculty, staff and alumni.

“Communication Arts has always been an important part of the Hood experience, from student journalism and broadcasting to the many ways our students use storytelling to connect with their communities,” said Alan Goldenbach, Chair of the Department of Communication Arts. “This merger builds on that strong foundation while creating new opportunities for students to combine communication skills with business knowledge and prepare for an ever-changing professional world.” 

"Bringing business and communication together creates an exciting opportunity for our students to see how these disciplines complement one another in the professional world," said Mahesh P. Joshi, Ph.D., Dean of the Delaplaine School of Business, soon to be named the Delaplaine School of Business and Communication. "The combined school offers our students the opportunity to think critically, communicate effectively, and apply what they learn to complex challenges as they start their careers in real-world organizations."

In forming the new DSBC, Hood is bringing business and communication together as a unified entity, creating opportunities for students to analyze information, understand diverse audiences, communicate ideas and tell compelling stories while learning across disciplines, preparing them to solve modern, real-world problems.

George B. Delaplaine Jr., namesake of the Delaplaine School of Business, built a career devoted to journalism and media, grounded in the importance of an informed community and the power of education to strengthen it. Now, areas such as the Delaplaine Foundation Multimedia Center, longtime home for Hood student journalists, broadcasters and storytellers, will form a school that carries that legacy forward.

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