Making changes
Allen hopes to steer department in new directions
The radio-TV-film department’s new chairman hopes to lead by consensus.

By Amy Bowman

As the new chairman of the radio-TV-film department, Richard Allen says he wants to inspire students and serve as a point man between faculty and students.

Allen, who began his term Jan. 12, says he wants to hear suggestions on the operation of the department from both faculty and students. The department is doing well and the changes he would make would be based on a consensus from faculty and students, Allen said.

Allen succeeds interim chairman David Whillock, who filled in after former chairman Roger Cooper was removed last September following a controversy involving summer registration of students. Cooper still serves as a faculty member in the department.

Professors who are tenured will rotate and share the responsibilities of chairing the department throughout the years, Allen said.

Allen, who has been a professor in the department since 1993, plans to work with alumni and build faculty relationships, he said.

Inspiring students by having solid relationships with them and helping them to believe in themselves is what Allen enjoys most about his job, he said.

Rich Baker, a recent radio-TV-film graduate, said he is pleased overall with the department, but wishes it would have pushed more real-world experiences with writing and acting.

Allen said there is a great opportunity for the departments in the College of Communication to work together while sharing the space in Moudy Building South.
Maintaining the department’s equipment by using it safely and efficiently is also important, Allen said.

One aspect he enjoys in the department is the wide array of films that have been collected, he said. Allen hopes that one day an old theater could serve as a movie house for TCU students, he said.

Allen said the awards he has received at TCU are the most meaningful in his career. In 1999 he received the Delta Gamma Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2001 he was honored with the Wassenich Award for Mentoring at TCU.

Besides these awards, Allen received a Daytime Emmy Award for is work on “As the World Turns.” Allen was nominated in 1987 for the same award for his work on “Days of Our Lives.”

Baker said he is pleased Allen is the new department chairman.
“If anyone were to replace Cooper, it’s Allen,” Baker said. “He is very well organized and is a great guy.”