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CLEVELAND -Cleveland State University President Laura Bloomberg said she continues to believe the decision to transfer day-to-day operations of WCSB 89.3 to Ideastream was correct, despite ongoing protests from students and community members. “Much of my speech today was focused on preparing students for a future that we don’t even know exists,” Bloomberg said Tuesday. “While I believe we need to honor the legacy of this radio station, I firmly believe we also need to pivot to the future and look at the technologies that students can access today that allow more college-age students to access the media.” But just what Cleveland State gets out of the deal with IdeaStream remains a mystery. Bloomberg talked to reporters for about 10 minutes after delivering a State of the University speech. Read more: Cleveland State to require applied learning experiences for undergrads by 2030 When asked what Cleveland State gets out of giving operations control of the station to Ideastream Public Media, she didn’t answer directly. “I am more focused on what are the benefits of entering a strategic partnership,” she said. “So I have been asked, was this part of our cost savings? Was this part of accommodating the needs of the requirements of Senate Bill 1? The answer is no. I can tell you, there will be no cost exchange because, that wasn’t the point. It was about, what can we do when we enter into a win-win strategic partnership with Ideastream.” Ideastream isn’t paying CSU to use the signal for its new station, JazzNEO. CSU still holds the license with the Federal Communications Commission. Formerly, it was a student radio station featuring multiple genres of music and talk. Under the agreements with CSU, Ideastream now assumes maintenance and capital expenses. Bloomberg said she was aware Cleveland City Council passed a resolution Monday night supporting students and community members working to regain access to the station but was ready to move forward. During her address in the Student Center Ballroom, Bloomberg announced the university plans to require nearly all undergraduate degree programs to include applied learning experiences by 2030. “We are in a downtown environment,” Bloomberg said, adding that students can walk to Sherwin Williams or other companies for internships and other learning opportunities. Bloomberg discussed the 12 new integrated degrees that CSU recently launched. The Ohio Department of Higher Education gave CSU permission to create these degrees – which combine programs such as criminology and journalism, and music and computer science. Among these integrated programs, design and psychology has the highest enrollment, she said. Many students in the program have indicated they want to go into UX, or user experience, which requires designing mobile apps and websites. Students gain knowledge about how people interact and interface with systems, services or products, while also learning the principles of graphic design. “These new degree programs were designed for students whose specific area of academic study is at the intersection of two distinct fields. In the past, students might double major,” Bloomberg said.
