In the face of declining college enrollment and increased budget cuts, the speech communication department at the University of Nebraska devised a successful strategy to preserve and promote itself within the university. Outside authorities were selected for a department review committee. At the graduate level, the areas of concentration were reduced from seven to four to achieve an optimum balance of breadth and depth, and dual level and advanced level courses were offered on a rotating basis. To increase the low number of speech majors, students were allowed to tailor the program to a variety of career options, with cooperation from other departments. The introductory course format was changed to a modified mastery instructional mode to accommodate different learning styles, and the graduate and faculty teaching load was reduced. To keep the rest of the university informed of the changes in the department, each change was presented through a university committee, student course evaluations were reported, courses were colisted with those of other departments, and the department prepared a proposal to improve the written and oral communication skills of the university students with five other departments. The department also sponsors workshops, an internship program, and competitive and community debate to draw attention to the practical importance of speech communication. (HTH)