The mission for Austin Peay's Department of Communication & Theatre is to provide students with opportunities to develop the skills and capabilities for successful communication and theatre arts careers.  In addition, the department seeks to create an educational experience emphasizing ethical rigor, critical thinking skills, personal responsibility, and a commitment to lifetime learning and improvement.

The Department seeks both to serve and draw upon university resources through multi-disciplinary programs, extra-curricular activities, and symposia.  It serves the community through outreach programs, consulting to business and industry, and through performing arts activities.

The Department offers both graduate and undergraduate programs and serves both traditional and nontraditional students.  At the undergraduate level, the focus is in preparing students for the opportunities and challenges they will face in the job marketplace and lifeworld of the future. The graduate programs are designed to offer students advanced professional skills and/or preparation for academic careers.  The department offers a complete online graduate program in corporate communication.  The department works to accommodate the unique situations of nontraditional and traditional students by offering courses at night and online.

Objective 1.0	Enhance the quality of academic programs --Communication
Objective 1.1	Provide an appropriate level of technology (equipment and software) so that students will develop required levels of competence.
Objective 1.2	Restore and augment departmental and capital budgets to appropriate funding levels.
Objective 1.3	Create and maintain a budget for radio and television to purchase, repair, and replace equipment in an orderly and timely fashion.
Objective 1.4	Gain accreditation in the communication area by the Accrediting Council of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC).
Objective 1.5	Create and maintain a budget for radio and television to purchase, repair, and replace equipment in an orderly and timely fashion.
Objective 1.6	Create and maintain a budget for hiring an engineer for radio and television.
Objective 1.7	Increase the amount and number of performance scholarships available to undergraduate students.
Objective 2.0	Enhance the quality of academic programs --Theatre
Objective 2.1	Create and maintain a safe educational  and work environment for students, faculty, and staff.
Objective 2.2	Provide adequate funding for the theatre program (funded at 50% of 1984 funding level).
Objective 2.3	Equip the Blackbox space in Clement Auditorium for use as an additional performance space.  Equipment would include lights, sound, and seating.
Objective 2.4	Purchase of technological design materials (computers and software) for students concentrating in theatre design.
Objective 2.5	Expand theatre involvement in the community and with the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF).
Objective 2.6	Fund all theatre faculty positions from departmental funds rather than Center Funds.
Objective 2.7	Increase the amount and number of performance scholarships available to undergraduate students.
Objective 3.0	Enhance the quality and expand the offerings of online courses at the graduate and level; support existing commitment to the corporate communication online masters.
Objective 3.1	Recruit and retain quality graduate students.
Objective 3.2	Develop course offerings that remain on the cutting edge of technological, social, and educational change.
Objective 3.3
Objective 4.0	Expand online undergraduate course offerings.
Objective 4.1	Expand RODP offerings.
Objective 4.2	Increase the number of students taking online courses.