TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — As students soak up the last few weeks of summer break, TROY faculty and staff members are preparing for the new semester.

Preparations for the fall semester are already underway in the Hall School of Journalism and Communication (HSJC). According to HSJC Director Dr. Robbyn Taylor, excitement is already in the air.

“Our students are what we’re here for so when they’re not here in the Hall with us, it feels really empty. Having our students back kind of gives us an invigorated purpose for being here, for sharing what we love about journalism and communication, and for helping instill that passion in our students.”

While students are still on summer break, Hall School faculty and staff start working on ways to give students the best academic experience during the semester.

“We sit down and talk about what we could be doing better, how we can engage our students better,” Taylor explained. “We’re looking at all these new industry standards and all this new technology and figuring out ways to incorporate it into the classroom.”

Taylor says encourages students to take full advantage of everything the Hall School has to offer; from TrojanVision and the Tropolitan, TROY’s student-operated newspaper, to the Palladium, TROY’s yearbook.

“I think it’s a really interesting place to be if you’re interested in current events, if you’re interested in giving a voice to people who don’t necessarily have that all the time, if you’re interested in politics or media operations or feature writing,” Taylor told TrojanVision. “This is a place where you can find an outlet and not even be a journalism student.”

Fall classes begin Wednesday, Aug. 16. The Hall School plans to hold an organizational meeting for students interested in joining its various groups.